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By the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division
FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq – Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers operate an unmanned aerial platform in the shape of a blimp that hovers above Forward Operating Base Falcon, located in the Rashid District of southern Baghdad.
"Phoenix" Soldiers of the 1st Special Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, employ sophisticated camera technology inside the helium balloon, known as the Aerostat, to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance for the Soldiers deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Early in the deployment, the Aerostat successfully assisted the 1st BCT in capturing some of the brigade's most wanted criminals and terrorists, said Staff Sgt. Marvin Ward, a tactical unmanned aerial vehicle operator, assigned to Company A, 1st STB, 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div., MND-B.
"This was a tremendous coordinated effort and achievement by the Raider Brigade Soldiers," said Ward, a native of Chicago.
The crew of Aerostat operators is comprised of Soldiers from the Phoenix Bn.'s three companies. They are responsible for the Aerostat site, working various positions to ensure that the device remains afloat in the skies above southern Baghdad.
The non-commissioned officers, who operate the surveillance platform, serve as Aerostat flight directors. Overall, safety is their main objective, he explained.
The nose line operator is responsible for keeping the hull, or front of the Aerostat, steady while two Soldiers balance the port and starboard sides of the Aerostat with confluence lines that attach to winches.
"Then there are two Soldiers who keep the rear of the Aerostat steady; they are called the snubber line operators," Ward explained.
The site has a senior flight director, who is responsible for ground and air safety, explained Ward. The SFD ensures accurate reporting information for higher headquarters, supervises maintenance and is the senior instructor for training.
The Aerostat has both day and night capabilities and provides Soldiers with 360 degree visibility of the battlefield from several miles out, he said.
"When the Aerostat is safely airborne in accordance with all pre/post flight procedures, the Soldiers take up positions in the Ground Base System to operate the camera and watch the actions of the Aerostat," said Ward.
Since assuming the Aerostat detail, April 9, 2008, the team has flown more than 675 flight hours without incident, said Sgt. Kathia Pierre, a human resources specialist and the Aerostat flight director, assigned to HHC, 1st STB, 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div.
Pierre said that her first and foremost priority is the safety of the Soldiers responsible for the Aerostat, and takes the responsibility seriously. She also said that she enjoys training and mentoring her crew on the system and provides quarterly proficiency exams to keep her Soldiers trained to standard.
"It is paramount that my crew know their tasks," state Pierre, who hails from Miami and is currently serving her third deployment in support of OIF.
Maintaining an unmanned aerial vehicle is not typically part of her military occupational skill, noted Pierre, who said she never thought she would have such an experience.
"It is definitely different and challenging – one that I will never forget!" she exclaimed.
The blimp requires a great amount of attention to detail and knowledge to run the aerial system and all the positions at the Aerostat site, said Pfc. Matthew Rivera, a signal support system specialist, assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st STB, 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div.
"The Aerostat is an excellent tool for my professional progression," added Rivera, who has worked in every position related to the Aerostat platform, adding that the duty provides him with a tremendous amount of responsibility but is a new and exciting experience.
"I was scared being a flight director because I was the lowest ranking Soldier making crucial decisions," said Rivera, who hails from Bronx, N.Y. Rivera is the newest member of the Aerostat team, enjoys the work and also enjoys watching the camera videos at night.
The Soldiers of the 1st STB, 4th Inf. Div., are currently deployed to the Rashid District in southern Baghdad for a 15-month tour in support of MND-B and OIF.
| Date Taken: | 08.31.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 08.31.2008 08:41 |
| Story ID: | 23060 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 148 |
| Downloads: | 83 |
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