Helping Soldiers Stay Connected

Courtesy Photo | The interior of the 15th Sustainment Brigade computer lab at Contingency Operating Location Q-West, Iraq. The lab is run and maintained by Soldiers of A Company, Special Troops Battalion, 15th Sust. Bde., 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary). (Photo by: 1st Lt. Michael Anderson)  

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE Q-WEST, IRAQ

12.18.2009

Courtesy Story

15th Sustainment Brigade

Story by: 1st Lt. Michael Anderson

CONTINGENCY OPERATING LOCATION Q-WEST, Iraq - Soldiers from A Company, Special Troops Battalion, 15th Sustainment Brigade, 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) help man a 24 hour local computer lab here at Contingency Operating Location Q-West, to keep up Soldier morale and enable Soldiers to communicate with others anywhere in the world.

The computer lab consists of 18 computers and 8 phones. These services are provided at no cost to the Soldiers, according to Spc. Edward Sauls, a technician at the center and Missouri, Texas, native.

Spc. Brandon Charles, a communications technician with A Company, also works in and helps maintain the computer center.

"It is a really relaxing environment, good use of personal time, and helps keep up morale," Charles, a Harvey, La., native, said.

The center helps serve 50 to 100 Soldiers on a daily basis. Many 15th SB Soldiers frequently visit the center due to it being in close proximity to the 15th SB buildings. The facility is open to any unit on the COL, said Sauls.

Recently, upon becoming tasked with maintaining the computer lab, A Company made rigorous improvements to the inside and outside of the center. This included painting the desks, cleaning the general area, and installing a new walkway in front of the center, explained Charles.

"We have a lot of pride in our unit," said Sauls. "We couldn't put up our patch until it was sufficiently cleaned."

Recently, the Multi-National Force-Iraq senior noncommissioned officer, Command Sgt. Maj. Lawrence Wilson visited the center, and 1st Sgt. Willie Johnson, A Company's senior noncommissioned officer, gave him a tour of the center.

"CSM Wilson was very impressed with our facility and the services we provide to the Soldiers," said Johnson, a New Orleans, native.

A Company continues to operate the center, and the center itself has proven to be an extremely valuable asset in keeping Soldiers morale up by providing a way to contact family members and friends, said 2nd Lt. Robert Longhauser, a platoon leader with A Company.

The facility also serves as an alternative method for Soldiers to complete on-line courses to continue their education while they are unable to attend a conventional college classroom, Longhauser, a Cincinnati, native, explained.

This facility and our current status of communications technology have come a long way since the days of the Vietnam War era. Soldiers of that time period had to rely on mail handler carrier method, and there was no standardized method for tracking your correspondence, and there was no way you could complete college or on-line courses that way in such a harsh battlefield, Longhauser said.

"We are truly lucky to have such capabilities of technology and communications at our fingertips during these times of deployment," Longhauser added.

• Date Taken: 12.18.2009
• Date Posted: 12.18.2009 04:32
• Story ID: 42911
• Location: CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE Q-WEST, IQ