Photo By Master Sgt. Ryan Matson | Staff Sgt. Kevin Henley, a maintenance noncommissioned officer from St. Croix, U.S....... read more read more
SAINT CROIX, U.S. Virgin Islands – Whether in Indiana, or the Virgin Islands, the ability to communicate is one of the most vital parts of any Army mission.
Soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 411th Regiment (Logistical Support Battalion) out of Indianapolis worked hand-in-hand Tuesday with Soldiers from the U.S. Virgin Islands National Guard 651st Maintenance Company to set up a radio communications network in preparation for Operation Forward Guardian II. The operation is a natural disaster relief exercise incorporating components of the Army Reserve, U.S. Virgin Islands National Guard, Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard and local territory emergency response agencies.
“For a long time we’ve had the use of one of our radio systems, but we’ve never really put them up,” Staff Sgt. Kevin Henley, a maintenance noncommissioned officer from St. Croix with the U.S. Virgin Islands National Guard’s 651st Maintenance Company said.
“So this exercise gives us the opportunity to get our radio assets up and running.”
The Soldiers put up three radio antennas at various training sites throughout St. Croix island. To set up one of the antennas, the Soldiers scaled a nearby mountain in their humvees, navigating a steep dirt trail surrounded by heavy brush.
After setting up the antennas, the Soldiers moved to a fourth training site where they tested communications. The antennas they put up will provide the framework for radio communications throughout the operation.
Spc. Noah Cline, a signal systems support specialist from Franklin, Indiana, with 3rd Bn., 411th Regt. (LSB), assisted the U.S. Virgin Islands Soldiers in putting up the antennas. He was impressed with the opportunity to work with them.
“I think it’s a pretty special opportunity when two units with typically different missions from different components of the Army can work together to get the job done,” he said.
Establishing communications for the exercise was not the only thing the members of the 3rd Bn., 411th Regt. (LSB) did to help their National Guard counterparts prepare for the mission. Behind the U.S. Virgin Islands National Guard Regional Training Institute, Sgt. 1st Class Stephan J. Fox, the battalion truckmaster and transportation noncommissioned officer in charge, was fixing a winch on a M-916 tractor trailer with a team of his Soldiers and Soldiers from the U.S. Virgin Islands 652nd Engineer Platoon.
“We conducted winch operations and training,” Fox explained. “The cable had been free-wound the last time it had been used - it had been put away improperly. We had a little trouble getting the cable to unwind and working out the snags and snares in it. We also greased and lubricated the cable for protection of the cable.”
The 652nd Engineers had not used the winch previously, so the 3rd Bn. Soldiers also provided some safety training.
“They were very receptive and anxious to learn,” Fox said. “They provided us the grease and gloves and anything we needed to make it happen.”
Another thing the 3rd Bn., 411th Regt. did in support of their Virgin Islands counterparts was conducting annual services on a pair of light medium tactical vehicles. The mechanics will continue to work on vehicles the remainder of their stay in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Though the operation commences today, it was easy for most of the Soldiers of the 3rd Bn., 411th Regt. (LSB) to agree on what their favorite part of their time in the Virgin Islands has been thus far.
“The day at the beach was the best,” Fox said. “Some of the Virgin Islands National Guard units were there for their Morale, Welfare and Recreation day, so we got to do sort of a meet and greet to get to know everyone before we started working together.”
Henley realized the potential importance of his work.
“Hurricane Hugo happened here in 1989 and it was devastating,” he said. “As devastating as it was, we didn’t have a lot of communications then. We’re hoping that by using our radio system, we can take care of communications on the island East and West, and maybe St. Thomas as well.”
| Date Taken: | 06.03.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 06.04.2014 22:57 |
| Story ID: | 132113 |
| Location: | SAINT CROIX, VI |
| Web Views: | 412 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Indiana’s 3rd Battalion, 411th Regiment (Logistical Support Battalion) prepares for Operation Forward Guardian II with U.S. Virgin Islands National Guard, by MSG Ryan Matson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT