113th LNO Teams in Afghanistan

Photo By Staff Sgt. Miko Booth | First Lt. Christopher Blair and Sgt. 1st Class Rita Rice of the 113th Sustainment Brigade show off the best overlook at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, June 23. The soldiers are stationed here as the liaison team for incoming and outgoing service members.  

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AFGHANISTAN

06.23.2012

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Keith Warzon 

113th Sustainment Brigade

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan — The 113th Sustainment Brigade has more than 200 soldiers in Afghanistan supporting the redeployment and retro-sort mission here.

To make sure soldiers are properly taken care of, 113th SB liaison teams were formed; one here, and one in Kandahar. The Bagram team consists of 1st Lt. Raymond Ackley and Staff Sgt. Stephen Pearce; the Kandahar team is made up of 1st Lt. Christopher Blair and Sgt. 1st Class Rita Rice. The teams’ primary mission is coordinating movements in and out of Afghanistan and soldier accountability.

Both teams soon found out that they had the same problems and setbacks once they arrived to their new duty stations: lack of communication, accountability, work space, and transportation.

“[The teams] had to be proactive and work with the unit they were attached to for a place to work, including access to computers and phones,” said Ackley.

Over the past couple of months, both teams reported that they’ve established positive working relationships with their host units and have received the support needed for success.

“But communication is still the biggest challenge,” said Rice. Without government cell phones, the teams have to rely on other methods of communication, such as email and secure office phones to stay in touch with and assist not only incoming and outgoing units, but just to coordinate with each other. This can be a challenge because without an immediate method of communication, the teams can miss last minute changes to schedules or the number of service members arriving in country.

“Due to the lack of reliable transportation, both teams walk everywhere, which sometimes causes delays with information dissemination,” added Blair.

Col. David Jones, commander of the 113th Sustainment Brigade, visited both teams recently during a battlefield circulation trip.

“Overall, the liaison teams have done an outstanding job getting proper accountability of 113th SB troops on the ground and continue to track the numbers while soldiers arrive and depart from the country,” said Jones.

Visiting the soldiers of the Steel Brigade around the country with Jones was the highlight of Pearce’s deployment.

“I was able to accompany Col. Jones [the 113th Sustainment Brigade commander] on his tour of the bases that soldiers from the 113th Sustainment Brigade were stationed at,” said Pearce.

In the last two months, the Bagram LNO team has monitored all 113th SB personnel movements and supported 60 flights in and out of Afghanistan.

Not only are these four soldiers tracking every detail to move units in and out of the war zone, but they also assist the Red Cross, said Rice. Both LNO teams have helped confirm and deliver Red Cross messages to many 113th SB soldiers.

The teams enjoy their Afghanistan assignment and are ready for the next challenge.

“I can speak for both teams,” said Ackley, “when I say that we are making a difference for not only the soldiers of the 113th Sustainment Brigade, but for every soldier who comes through our doors for assistance.”

• Date Taken: 06.23.2012
• Date Posted: 07.25.2012 08:49
• Story ID: 92112
• Location: BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AF