Battle captain-Sergeant

Photo By Staff Sgt. Miles Elder | Staff Sgt. Logan Reiser (left) discusses an issue with Maj. Byron Sarchet. Reiser serves as the daytime battle captain for the Tactical Command Post. 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team.  

BALAD, IRAQ

05.15.2006

Story by Staff Sgt. Miles Elder 

133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

BALAD RUZ, Iraq (May 3, 2006) " Staff Sgt. Logan Reiser likes a challenge, and he got his wish when he was given a new role in the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division's Tactical Command Post, which is dubbed 'the TAC."

The 10-year veteran from Tuscon, Ariz., now finds himself serving as the daytime battle captain. In this role, he monitors all operations on and off FOB Caldwell and ensures the command staff is aware of the status of the operations in northern Iraq.

"I make sure the TAC runs smoothly," Reiser said. "I get constant updates and keep the commander informed on what's going on in the area of operation."

On this day, Reiser is working on a PowerPoint slide show for the battle update briefing. At the same time, he is coordinating flight times for a visiting inspection team while ensuring that Soldiers get a forklift to help offload newly arrived supplies.

"This is a bunch of little stuff, really," Reiser said when the action slows for a moment.

That moment doesn't last long. The telephone rings and there is a message that has to get to the TAC's commander, Lt. Col. James Rice.

Reiser is working in a role that is normally reserved for a senior captain or a major, according to his supervisor, Maj. Byron Sarchet, who serves as the TAC's operations officer. However, he was pressed into service because the unit had no available officers.

"Staff Sgt. Reiser is the best of what's left," Sarchet said. "He's done a good job."

Sarchet said that battle captains keep their finger on the pulse of operations. These include tracking convoys on the roadways and letting the commander know of any unforeseen occurrences, which happen quite frequently in volatile northern Iraq.

"He's the lynch pin to this entire operation," Sarchet said. "He's got to be aware of everything that goes on in the TAC."

The added responsibility suits Reiser fine. He said he enjoys working several levels over the tasks given to a staff sergeant.

"I like the fact that I've been entrusted with a job that is usually held by a captain or a major," Reiser said. "I know I can do it and that's why I always strive to do the job at a higher level."

It's something Reiser has done since he was a teenager in high school. One of his first jobs was serving as a counselor at a summer camp that catered to disabled children.

"We wanted to keep them active and let them know that even though they had a disability, that their life wasn't over," Reiser said. "We also wanted to keep them from getting into trouble."

Reiser said he developed a heart for handicapped people growing up with an uncle who is mentally retarded. Reiser worked with handicapped adults and children the last 18 months he was in high school.

Two months after graduating from high school in May 1996, Reiser enlisted in the U.S. Army. He was trained as an artillery fire support specialist and now serves on the 3rd Brigade Combat Team staff which is part of the Fort Carson, Colorado-based 4th Infantry Division.

Reiser and his wife, Jeanette, have an 11-month-old son, Joshua. He said it's difficult being separated from his family, so he throws himself into his work.

"I enjoy it here because it never slows down," Reiser said. "It keeps you busy and makes time go by faster."

Reiser said the Army gave him a chance to put the lessons he learned being responsible for others to use right away. His newest role causes him to draw on those experiences even more.

"Staying is the hard part of it," Reiser said. "I love it when people say, "I can't do it."

"That's my motivation to succeed; it's what drives me."

• Date Taken: 05.15.2006
• Date Posted: 05.15.2006 14:19
• Story ID: 6393
• Location: BALAD, IQ