Photo By Staff Sgt. Earnest J. Barnes | Cpl. Toney G. Watkins, a Davison, Mich., native, coils up communications wire while...... read more read more
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PATROL BASE PASERLAY, Helmand province, Afghanistan — Communication is a key factor for Marine leaders and their troops while conducting counterinsurgency operations in Helmand province. Fortunately, Bravo Company has someone they can depend on to keep them connected: the Marines of the Communications Section.
The three communications Marines assigned to the company, also known as “Bad Company,” 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, are responsible for keeping all lines of communications up and running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Proper communication between the battalion personnel who plan operations, the companies that coordinate and direct their Marines to accomplish the daily missions, and the Marines themselves who conduct operations can affect the success or failure of any mission. The communications Marines understand the importance of the services they provide and keep one ear close to the ground to respond quickly when needed.
“Communication is really important to any mission anywhere. It is one of those things you have to have, otherwise nothing would be able to function properly,” said Cpl. Toney G. Watkins, a Davison, Mich., native and the radio noncommissioned officer in charge with the company. “If we didn’t have ‘comm,’ we wouldn’t be able to communicate with other people in other areas to cross coordinate with them. No one could leave (friendly lines) — they wouldn’t be doing their jobs — and (the company) wouldn’t accomplish its mission.”
The 2008 Davison High School graduate is responsible for roughly two million dollars of radio equipment, its distribution and maintenance. Watkins’ radio arsenal includes encrypted military radios for long distance communications and two-way radios for short distances, along with each system’s accessories.
In the age of the World Wide Web, word of mouth is not the only way the company staff keeps in contact with its Marines. One cannot overlook another very important communication capability available to the company: data communications.
Lance Corporal Kyle N. Hudson, a Belleview, Fla., native and the data noncommissioned officer in charge for the company, is tasked with keeping all internet-based communications in top-notch condition. Hudson is in charge of keeping the company’s computer systems running and ensuring there is always internet connectivity, particularly since some computers are always manned to monitor units’ activities and progress.
Though the Marine Corps has fought and won conflicts for the better half of its 235 years of existence without the internet, having Marines like Hudson around makes things a lot easier. The company can stay in contact with the troops in each platoon and their battalion more efficiently and pass information quickly.
“If there is a lot of information that needs to be passed quickly, it can be sent as fast as the other person can type,” said Hudson, a 2008 Belleview High School graduate. “(Data) is an extra source of communication. It allows us to pass information to the battalion at a quicker pace. It’s instantaneous.”
The motor cross enthusiast added this capability makes things more simple if the battalion has to pass down a mission. He said they can use secure e-mail servers vice passing everything by word of mouth. A Marine receiving a multitude of information via radio would have to write the message down and then possibly have to relay the information to another party, which would waste valuable time.
Indeed, data and radio communications are a vital tool to commanders here, facilitating everything from troop movement to requests for support and supplies. Working a 16-hour day can come easily for the communications Marines, who take eight-hour shifts on radio watch, relaying messages to the individual platoons or to their battalion headquarters, in addition to their daily duties. If a computer or radio goes down in the middle of the night, the company calls on its communications specialists to attack the problem head-on until it is fixed.
Editor’s note: Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, is currently assigned to Regimental Combat Team 5, 2nd Marine Division (Forward), which heads Task Force Leatherneck. The task force serves as the ground combat element of Regional Command (Southwest) and works in partnership with the Afghan National Security Forces and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to conduct counterinsurgency operations. The unit is dedicated to securing the Afghan people, defeating insurgent forces, and enabling ANSF assumption of security responsibilities within its area of operations in order to support the expansion of stability, development and legitimate governance.
| Date Taken: | 09.07.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 09.07.2011 12:02 |
| Story ID: | 76585 |
| Location: | PATROL BASE PASERLAY, HELMAND PROVINCE, AF |
| Web Views: | 536 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Communications Marines keep ‘Bad Company’ connected, by SSgt Earnest J. Barnes, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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