Photo By Spc. Brittany Gardner | Spc. Brian J. Haggard, Bravo Battery 1-174th Air Defense Artillery Regiment senior...... read more read more
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BASRA, Iraq – A group of Ohio Army National Guard soldiers and Navy sailors worked together during their deployment to help protect the service members and civilians deployed to Contingency Operating Base Basra. These soldiers and sailors have run a 24-hour operation providing maintenance and preventive maintenance to the Counter-Rocket, Artillery and Mortar system here since December.
The C-RAM is a system of many components, which includes intricate pieces that demand constant upkeep for the system to work properly. The soldiers in Joint Task Force, 1st Battalion, 174th Air Defense Artillery Regiment said their mission here as the first National Guard unit to operate the C-RAM system has been a success.
“I think it’s been going smooth, as far as this being the first National Guard unit taking over this. So to me it went well,” said Spc. Jameis Napier, a JTF 1-174th C-RAM certified operator at the Base Defense Operations Center.
Navy service members attached to JTF 1-174th provide maintenance to the C-RAM system and also work as operators. Working hand-in-hand with soldiers has been rewarding for many of these sailors, said Petty Officer 1st Class Ryan Early, C-RAM operator and maintainer.
“It has actually been a unique experience for all of us,” said Early, “because the majority of the time the Navy is pretty secluded as far as working with other branches. Because you’ll never see a soldier on a Navy ship; there would have to be a very extreme circumstance. So, all-in-all, it’s been a really rewarding and interesting experience. The 1-174 out of Ohio has really been instrumental in supporting everything that we’ve done out here and vice versa.”
One component of the C-RAM system includes generators. A small group of behind-the-scene guardsmen performs monthly checks and services to these generators to ensure the power keeps pumping. Sgt. Joshua Starlin, Bravo Battery JTF 1-174th maintenance shop foreman, said his team’s success at preventive maintenance has kept the C-RAM generators working so that the C-RAM gun sights didn’t become inoperable.
“I’m proud to say that our maintenance section has done a wonderful job, as far as never having a gun sight go down here,” said Starlin. “So that’s an outstanding accomplishment for our unit, I think.”
Another component of the C-RAM system includes the wireless, audio-visual, emergency system. This system includes towers located throughout the COB that announce when an incoming round may be a threat to soldiers. The Ohio guardsmen and women have been in charge of maintaining this system for more than eight months.
“I go around and just clean off the WAVES towers,” said Sgt. Francheska Ovington, JTF 1-174th C-RAM command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence maintainer. “And I make sure they’re good-to-go and the solar panels are charging the batteries that are inside. I run a test on them to make sure the batteries are keeping their charge and make sure that they’re operational for when there’s an incoming [round]. I think it’s gone really well since we’re the first National Guard unit to do this.”
First Sgt. Daniel Hobson said his team of C4I operators, as well as every other C-RAM section, has done an excellent job keeping COB Bara safe. These service members said they are proud to have been the first National Guard unit to take on the responsibility of providing safety to soldiers through the use of the C-RAM system. Since they arrived in December, Hobson said his team has worked tirelessly to maintain and operate the C-RAM system.
“It’s been pretty successful,” said Hobson.
| Date Taken: | 07.30.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 08.05.2011 07:44 |
| Story ID: | 74863 |
| Location: | BASRA, IQ |
| Web Views: | 247 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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