Courtesy Photo | Army Spc. Robert Troxler, a radio operator with the fiber optics team, Charlie...... read more read more
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KHOWST PROVINCE, Afghanistan — Paratroopers at Forward Operating Base are busy running fiber optic lines Salerno in order to keep critical lines of communication open.
The paratroopers of Charlie Company, 425th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division are working to keep everyone connected through a variety of services, so the battle can continue.
Army Capt. Brian Collins, commander of the Network Support Company, is leading the team of paratroopers.
"We provide all of the connectivity for the brigade throughout the Task Force Yukon area of operation," he said, referring to the sector of eastern Afghanistan approximately the size of Maryland.
"It is a huge tasking for the smallest company in the entire brigade," he added.
The captain explained the necessity of the network functioning at all times.
"It allows communication flow on the battlefield, which is critical to meeting the commander's intent," Collins said, reiterating the importance of Soldiers' ability to communicate both in combat and in operational cells at the company level.
Any issues that arise with the network create an urgency that the network specialists meet with efficiency.
"We have Soldiers that fly out to different forward operating bases on signal maintenance, we have the help desk located in the tactical operations center, network operations, and constant troubleshooting ... we do a lot in 24 hours."
"We have to do our job very well because if we don't then everyone else can't do their jobs," said Army Spc. Robert Troxler, a member of the fiber optic team of C. Co. "Yeah we may get a little wet and muddy, but the bottom line is that the job has to be done."
Collins took command of the company during their last deployment tour in Iraq and 22 months later, has seen the results of his team's hard work: a proficient group of Soldiers who are close-knit both on and off duty.
"We are a very tight company," he said, smiling. "I have just an incredible team. They make everything happen, they are awesome!"
| Date Taken: | 04.15.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 04.15.2009 06:16 |
| Story ID: | 32406 |
| Location: | KHOWST PROVINCE, AF |
| Web Views: | 320 |
| Downloads: | 304 |
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