Courtesy Photo | Matthew Kuntscher of San Antonio carefully measures before he cuts pieces for the...... read more read more
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Story by: 1st Lt. Randy Chambers
CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq – The Soldiers of Company B, 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division arrived on COB Adder with one mission in mind, to help establish communications for the brigade.
The intent was simple, to fall in on what the exiting unit had already established and make whatever changes or upgrades necessary to bring the brigade communications network up. However, they soon learned to be flexible, as things don’t always go as planned.
“There was a lot work needed to be done before we could even establish our equipment,” said Staff Sgt. Lee Bellows, of Shelby, N.C., platoon sergeant, Company B, 3rd BSTB. “Extensive planning and coordination with other services were going to play a critical part in the accomplishment of this task.”
The biggest challenge that the team had to tackle was the significant number of random cables spread throughout the operating area. Tracking the trail of cables, finding where they were connected, and testing the cables to confirm they were functional was a challenge, he said.
To handle the cable problem, Spc. James Williams, of Newark, N.J., and Pvt. Latisha Bishop, of Chicago, cable systems installers, otherwise known as “cable dogs,” stepped in to accomplish the daunting mission, said Bellows.
Williams and Bishop, who previously never worked on a project together, became an effective team. They scaled T-walls, climbed rooftops, crawled through tunnels, and dug ditches to run spools and spools of cable, they said.
“The bigger the challenge, the more focused I am on that task, and this was perhaps one of the biggest challenges I have had to undertake thus far,” said Williams.
The next task was to build a shelter to protect the satellite transportable trailer from the harsh elements of the Iraqi desert.
“The heat and various dust storms that occur here on COB Adder can hinder proper operation of the equipment, so protecting it is vital to mission success,” said Spc. Corey Trammel, of Cincinnati, lead STT operator, Company B.
Spc. Michael Drapala, of Dauphin, Pa., joint network node operator, Company B, with the help of Pfc. Matthew Kuntscher, of San Antonio constructed a blueprint of a housing unit to build around the STT satellite.
“After a week and a little help from surrounding units, we were able to build the housing unit complete with working A/C to keep the satellite cool in extreme heat,” said Drapala.
The Soldiers’ hard work has paid off, making vast improvements in the required time and helping to bring multiple communications capabilities to the brigade, said Bellows.
“They showed other units that when a platoon puts all its resources together and sticks to a plan, the sky’s the limit,” said Bellows.
| Date Taken: | 07.03.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 07.03.2010 08:28 |
| Story ID: | 52334 |
| Location: | CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, IQ |
| Web Views: | 311 |
| Downloads: | 250 |
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