Command Sgt. Maj. Mark Stroh
67th Signal Battalion
It is 7 a.m. and the heat is already teetering in the low hundreds as the 518th Tactical Installation and Networking Company of the 67th Signal Battalion prepare for another long fiber optic cable run across Camp Victory, Iraq, Sept. 17.
Miserable weather, back breaking work and rapid requirements are nothing new for the Soldiers of the 518th TIN Company, based out of Fort Gordon, Ga. They have been performing missions like this everyday all across Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan for the past ten months. The 67th Sig. Bn. provides signal and communications support for Third Army/U.S. Army Central assets in the theater of responsibility.
"My Soldiers' commitment to provide a reliable cable backbone for the communication network in theater has been a tremendous success. Since our arrival in October 2006, we have installed over 700,000 feet of fiber optic cable and copper wire," said 1st Sgt. LaShawn Brown, 518th TIN Company.
The cable that the 518th installs provides fiber optic connections that allow computers, phones and digital equipment in theater to access the networks. This cable runs through a maze of underground manholes, overhead spans and inside conduit to reach its locations.
"I imagine that most of our users never take time to really think about how their computers or phone cables reach them or what work went into getting that fiber routed to their location," said Capt. Julian Stamps, 518th TIN Company commander. "I can tell you that it is a team effort that takes strength and preparation. I could not be prouder of the work my Soldiers have provided in this tremendous task."
At the day's end, the tired and sweaty Soldiers of the 518th TIN Company complete their mission for the day.
Their work is never glamorous and rarely even noticed, but the information that is carried across the fiber that they provide is paramount to the success in every aspect of the Global War on Terror.