Airmen lend MWCS-28 a hand, support MAG-40 communications

Photo By Sgt. Samuel A. Nasso | (Left) Staff Sgt. Isaiah Kirk, Marine Wing Communication Squadron 28 data chief, looks over (center) Airman 1st Class Steven Garcia-Renteria, a network configuration management technician augmented from 83rd Network Operation Squadron, Detachment 4, Rammstein Air Base, Germany, and (right) Senior Airman John Westlake a network configuration management technician augmented from 48th Fighter Wing Communications Squadron, Royal Air Force Station Lakenheath, England, as they isolate network connectivity on a Cisco switch.  

CAMP LEATHERNECK, AFGHANISTAN

09.05.2009

Story by Lance Cpl. Samuel A. Nasso 

2nd Marine Aircraft Wing   

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Helmand Province, Afghanistan — When walking around the camp one sees Marines, Sailors, Soldiers, international forces and civilian contractors, but rarely is an Air Force uniform seen.

Recently, two data communication Airmen arrived from Kandahar Airfield, Kandahar Province, to Camp Leatherneck to support Marine Wing Communication Squadron 28, Marine Aircraft Group 40, Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Afghanistan.

Because of the small number of Airmen here, they are often victims of mistaken identity.

"I walked into a tent in my physical training gear and asked a gunnery sergeant if there was a DSN (Defense Switched Network) phone I could use," said Airman 1st Class Steven Garcia-Renteria, a network technician augmented to MWCS-28. "He disregarded the question and didn't believe that I was in the Air Force until I showed him my military identification card ... once he believed me, he offered food and showed me to the phone."

Garcia-Renteria and Senior Airman John Westlake are the two Airmen currently here to supplement MWCS-28 with communications personnel to support the data Marines of MAG-40.

Westlake, an augment from 48th Fighter Wing Communications Squadron, Royal Air Force Station Lakenheath, England and Garcia-Renteria, an augment from 83rd Network Operation Squadron, Detachment 4, Rammstein Air Base, Germany, got a unique opportunity to support the fight.

"It's an eye-opening experience," said Westlake, a native of Ann Arbor, Mich. "It's good though, it's more of a combat-oriented force as opposed to what I'm used to."

"It feels good to know what we do, supporting the Marines, makes a difference first-hand, compared to being back in the states," said Garcia-Renteria, from Humble, Texas.

Staff Sgt. Isaiah Kirk, MWCS-28 data chief, has worked with other services before so it's nothing new to him.

"It is a good experience for our junior Marines," said Kirk, "They get to see how another service goes about performing their mission of communication support."

"The Marines are pretty strict and straight-laced," said Garcia-Renteria. "I have learned a lot from them, and this is a really cool experience."

The Airmen are scheduled to stay with MWCS-28 for approximately two months, then rotate back to Kandahar and be replaced by two other airmen.

• Date Taken: 09.05.2009
• Date Posted: 09.05.2009 09:32
• Story ID: 38389
• Location: CAMP LEATHERNECK, AF