Photo By Staff Sgt. Kimberly Johnson | Sgt. Jacob Stahl, a generator repair mechanic with the 103rd Sustainment Command...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq — The protocol office for the 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) provides security, transportation, lodging and communication support to distinguished visitors, both military and civilian, who come to Joint Base Balad, Iraq.
While upholding the highest military customs and courtesies, the team delivers respect and efficiency during their escort mission with a goal of providing DVs with a positive impression that reflects on the 103rd Command Staff.
“We are the first and the last representation of our unit when the distinguished visitors come [here],” said Staff Sgt. Steven Barrett, deputy chief of protocol with the 103rd ESC and an Omaha, Neb., native.
Due to the nature of the guests the protocol team works with, professionalism and respect are the two most important standards, said 1st Lt. Phillip Miller, protocol officer in charge with the 103rd ESC and a Bern, Kan., native.
“They deserve that,” he said. “We have to be timely, consistent and we have to be held to a high standard, due to the sensitive nature of the people we handle.”
The protocol office handles the highest-ranking officials in all branches of the military and their civilian counterparts, such as members of the U.S. government and international governments.
“Protocol is an important job because these are the people who make all the big decisions,” Miller said. “If they cannot get to where they need to get and when they need to get there, with whom they need to see, there’s going to be a problem and it can affect the troops down the line.”
The team develops itineraries for the visitors during their entire stay on JBB. This includes coordinating housing and eating arrangements, scheduling meetings with whomever the DVs need to speak with while on the base and transporting them to all the scheduled stops along the way.
“Itineraries are one of the more detail-oriented pieces we work with,” Miller said. “That is our product. That is what is put on paper and put out to everybody to scrutinize and change. Then it gets sent back to us and we make the changes, ensuring the visit is organized.”
In order for the team to be successful in the protocol mission, they require organization and communication skills and the ability to pay attention to detail, said Spc. Jenna Barge, a protocol specialist with the 103rd ESC and a Des Moines, Iowa, native.
“There are a lot of small, minor details we have to accomplish,” she said. “Organizational skills help to accomplish all of those details the exact same way, every time,” she said. “If we were organized on a mission and follow the exact same steps on the next mission, that second mission is going to be a productive one.”
Barge said being around the distinguished visitors, or DVs, makes her look at herself as a Soldier, ensuring she is organized and paying attention to the details of her own life.
“I have learned, whether it is the details of my uniform, to details of the job or just paying attention to the details of everyday situations, it is up to me to hold myself to a high standard to make sure my command is perceived as professional,” she said. “If I look like slop, [the DVs] are going to think the 103rd is sloppy and careless, and I definitely do not want to give off that perception.”
Miller said he expects the highest courtesies and behavior out of his team.
“My expectations of my soldiers are to be professional at all times, to represent our section and the 103rd as professionals,” he said. “My team must deal with the people we work with, with the golden rule—treat others as you want to be treated. That’s the bottom line.”
| Date Taken: | 07.15.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 07.26.2010 14:17 |
| Story ID: | 53408 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE BALAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 140 |
| Downloads: | 114 |
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