67th Expeditionary Signal Battalion conducts final training for deployment

Photo By Sgt. Dianne Carter | Sgt. Fredrick Kaneck, a 25S and team chief, and Spc. Justina Lopez, a 25Q, assigned to C Company, 67th ESB, conduct diagnostics of a Phoenix satellite antenna Oct. 18, at a training area on Fort Gordon, Ga. This was part of 67th Signal Battalion's Culminating Training Exercise with the 35th Signal Brigade Headquarters Oct. 15-19, 2012 at Camden, S.C., Winnsboro, S.C., and Fort Gordon Ga. (Released/ Army Sgt. Dianne M. Carter)  

FORT GORDON, GA, UNITED STATES

10.17.2012

Story by Sgt. Dianne Carter 

35th Corps Signal Brigade

FORT GORDON, Ga. - 67th Expeditionary Signal Battalion conducts last training exercise to evaluate total battalion mission readiness prior to deployment.

The 67th Expeditionary Signal Battalion, 35th Signal Brigade conducted a Culminating Training Exercise with the 35th Signal Brigade Headquarters Oct. 15-19, 2012 at Fort Gordon, Ga.
The CTE is the last major training exercise a unit does before deployment to evaluate the total battalion mission readiness.

“We had a five day exercise to prepare us for our upcoming deployment to make sure we’re trained in our soldier skills and communication skills, so individual teams and their staff are prepared to do the mission. When I say soldier skills, we’re not only communicators, we are soldiers first. So we’ve had different scenario injects that we have been involved with throughout the week to make sure our leaders are adaptive. Most of those scenarios are realistic to what we may or may not see, at least they’ve seen it once and had some familiarity with it and have the necessary staff battle drills to execute the mission successfully,” said Lt. Col. Calondra Fortson, commander, 67th ESB.

This type of exercise requires the 67th ESB to take its five basic types of signal equipment out to a field site to be tested for deployment. The teams set up their Joint Network Nodes, Single Shelter Switches, Tactical Troposcatter communication systems, also refer to as a TROPO, Command Post Nodes, and the Phoenix satellite antenna equipment to be validated for mission readiness. This involves team building and accessing their ability to provide communication support services in a tactical environment.

Sgt. Fredrick Kaneck, a satellite communication systems operator maintainer and a team chief for C Company, said “My team operates the Phoenix, a self-contained satellite antenna hooked to a SSS, which provides four ways of communication anytime, anywhere around the world.”

The CTE also included strategic mission training for B. Company. We replicated scenarios for our Soldiers that will do Technical Control Mission during their deployment. We have five Technical Control Facilities set up for each type of mission, said 1st Sgt. John Bond, B Company.

This week we have been focusing on training as we would fight down range. Each TCF will be unique to each set of customer, said Capt. Thomas Cayia, commander, B Company.

Spc. Ryan Tucker, a 25 B, an information technology specialist, assigned to B Company, said, “I was completing online training for help desk operations to learn how to trouble shoot switches, routers, write trouble tickets and provide remedies.”

This week we have been focusing on training as we would fight down range. Each TCF will be unique to each set of customer, said Capt. Thomas Cayia, commander, B Company.

During this exercise the Observer Controllers also threw in everyday life situations that Soldiers deal with during deployments like emergency leave, sexual harassment, suicides, and mental issues to ensure the staff is trained to handle these situations appropriately, said Command Sgt. Maj. Andy G. Frye.

• Date Taken: 10.17.2012
• Date Posted: 11.06.2012 13:52
• Story ID: 97368
• Location: FORT GORDON, GA, US