Special Troops Battalion "Commo" Soldiers keep the brigade connected

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AFGHANISTAN

11.05.2008

Story by Spc. Brandon Sandefur 

3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division

By Spc. Brandon Sandefur
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan – Communication is a key to success on the battlefield. Without being able to convey messages to the appropriate commanders, many essential missions would be difficult to complete.

Soldiers with the Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, make sure Task Force Duke has all the appropriate lines of communication up and running, so the mission can move forward.

One of the main military occupational specialties of Soldiers in STB is the 25 series, which is called "commo," or communication.

"We maintain the phone and internet connections for Jalalabad Air Field, which is the central hub for the brigade," said Sgt. Alexander Englehart from Temecula, Calif. "We control all of the phones here in Jalalabad as far as programming them, making sure the phonebook is up-to-date and things like that. We pretty much do everything related to the phones, other than cables. That is done through the S-6 Helpdesk."

Phones and internet are not the only things the Soldiers do. Maintaining satellites and radios are also an essential mission for the commo Soldiers. The Soldiers have the responsibility of making sure the satellite systems are installed, repaired and maintained correctly. They also make sure the satellite link is strong while constantly monitoring their "distant end", Kuwait, to make sure they both are on the same settings.

"CPOF [Command Post of the Future] of the brigade relies on phones and satellites to relay messages and get information so they rely on us to communicate to the Higher Headquarters and Command," said Sgt. Jocelyn Veratio from Manifee, Calif. Radios are limited in their use here in Afghanistan because of the high mountains so phones and satellites are a better way to effectively communicate."

Soldiers of STB are also pushed out to the line units to work with them. One task they have with the line units is installing and maintaining the line of sight radios. They maintain traffic terminals at the company level, which means company level commanders now have a satellite dish with internet and phone capabilities so they have link-ups with Headquarters and Headquarter Co., which they did not have before. Soldiers in STB keep the brigade connected by providing channels of communication so information gets to the Soldiers who need it.

• Date Taken: 11.05.2008
• Date Posted: 11.05.2008 12:06
• Story ID: 25955
• Location: BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AF