'Signaleers' Keep Communications Open

By Army 1st Lt. Dannielle Needler, Special to American Forces Press Service

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq - The morale of troops here and success of their missions depends upon communication, whether it's within Iraq or calling back home.

Keeping communications open for the 1st Armored Division's 4th Brigade is the responsibility of "signaleers" -- technicians who enable the commander to send key tactical messages and allow soldiers to make morale calls home.

The newly promoted team chief for the joint network node here is Army Sgt. Brandon Larson from Coon Rapids, Minn. He and his operators -- Army Sgt. Adrien Zavala from Jal, N.M.; Army Spc. Andrew Nelson from Greenfield, Ind.; Army Spc. Aaron Stevens from Fayetteville, N.C.; and Army Spc. Victor Crum from Montgomery, Ala. -- emplace equipment, run cables and provide the access point for the rest of the brigade's communications.

"At the beginning, everything that could go wrong did go wrong," Larson said. But despite the challenges and obstacles throughout the emplacement process, the soldiers of "B" Company were able to remain focused on the mission, he added.

Soldiers of Joint Network Node 92 here have been working around the clock to provide tactical communications for the brigade's headquarters and its subordinate battalions. They provide services such as Internet phones, Internet connectivity and a secure data network so commanders can have command and control over every operation.

Working just as hard at Contingency Operating Site Garryowen, the soldiers of Joint Network Node 7791 provide vital communication services to 4th Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment. Army Sgt. Jeryll Delmar from Grapevine, Texas, and Army Spc. Paul Weigand of Manhattan, Kan., established and maintain a satellite link connecting the regiment's command to the rest of the brigade.

"It's amazing how important our mission is to the brigade," Delmar said.

"The soldiers' hard work has given the battalion the ability to communicate with counterparts throughout Iraq and back to the United States," he added. "Without the hard work and dedication of these soldiers, [4th Battalion] would not be able to conduct operations as efficiently in the Iraq theater."

'Push Crews' Ensure On-time Missions

Army Staff Sgt. Michael Maass carries a Black Hawk helicopter door before an early morning flight as part of his duty as a member of the push crew. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Neil Gussman

By Army Sgt. Neil Gussman, Special to American Forces Press Service

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq - For door gunners and crew chiefs in Company A, 1st Battalion, 106th Aviation Regiment, the longest days are the ones when they don't fly.

This Illinois Army National Guard unit uses a "push crew" to make sure every mission takes off on time and each aircraft gets back to mission-ready status as soon as possible.

If a mission is set to fly at 6 a.m., for example, the flight crew arrives for a pre-flight briefing at 3 a.m. The push crew begins its work at 2 a.m.

"The first thing to do at 0200 is start the coffee," said Army Cpl. Ricki Jenkins of Glasford, Ill. "Before going to the airfield, the push crew writes down the crew roster, the tail numbers of the birds, time out and time back."

The push crew normally consists of a crew chief or gunner for each pair of Black Hawk helicopters, but sometimes the crew is just one soldier. The crew drives a half-mile from the orderly room to the maintenance hangars, where they switch to a specially equipped Gator vehicle. Before going to the flightline, the push crew gathers aviation life-support equipment, weapons, water, ice and the egress kits for ground-mounting the M-240 door guns. The push crew also gathers the flight crew's flight bags, helmets, vests and communications gear. Soon, the push crew is on the flightline loading equipment and getting the Black Hawks ready for the mission.

"We remove the doors and windows and stack them in the trailer, then pull the [tie-down ropes on the rotor blades], pull the engine plugs and [auxiliary power unit] plugs and engine covers," Jenkins said. "We mount the M-240s on the birds, then head back to the maintenance [container complex] to load the doors and windows in storage racks."

By 4:30 a.m., the flight crew will be at the aircraft with night-vision goggles, rescue radios and other equipment. After this equipment is installed or stowed, the flight crew and the push crew go to breakfast together. When they return, the flight crew goes through the pre-flight checks. If everything goes normally, the mission takes off on time, and the push crew remains at the airfield for 40 minutes just in case a maintenance issue arises early in the flight.

If the aircraft has a problem before takeoff, the push crew is ready to move the crew and equipment to another aircraft.

"Our priority is to make sure the mission goes on time," said Army Capt. Jason Henderson, Company A commander and a Normal, Ill., resident. "If there is a mechanical problem, the push crew can bump [the flight crew] to a spare aircraft."

Henderson said the push crew's role in post-flight operations is just as important as getting the mission ready to go.

"They make sure aircraft are ready for the next mission," he said. "When the mission is over, the push crew identifies and fixes faults right away."

A half hour before the mission is scheduled to land, the push crew is back at the airfield, loading the doors and windows in the Gator's trailer. As soon as the first Black Hawk lands, the push crew and the flight crew work together to get aircraft ready to fly for the next mission. The M-240 door guns are dismounted and set in the Gator. The crew members take off their helmets, vests and other flight gear and load their bags. The push crew re-hangs the doors, installs the windows and ties down the rotor blades.

While the equipment is loaded, post-flight maintenance begins. The Gator has a rack above its dashboard with every kind of lubricant a Black Hawk helicopter needs, as well as tools for on-the-spot repairs.

"By the time we get the gear stowed and the weapons turned in to the arms room, it's a long day," said Army Staff Sgt. Michael Maass of Hillsboro, Ill. Maass, a door gunner who was with Company A on its previous deployment to Iraq in 2004 and 2005, is a full-time Army National Guard technician and a wheeled-vehicle mechanic who volunteered to be a door gunner for this deployment.

"Door gunner is a job that only exists in a war zone," he said. "We [door gunners] all volunteered to deploy."

For a mission that takes off at 6 a.m. and returns at 1 p.m., the push crew starts work at 2 a.m. and may still be finishing routine maintenance hours after the flight lands; their days average 12 to 14 hours. The standard rotation for a Company A door gunner or crew chief is four days of flight, two days of push duty and one day off.

Army Chief Warrant Officer Herbert Stevens of Normal, Ill., a Company A pilot, said the push procedures reflect lessons learned during the unit's last tour.

"There's no room for error in aviation," he said. "We developed procedures that reduce risk and make sure the flight crew can focus on the mission."

Task Force Keystone Supports Joint Special Forces Training

Four Black Hawk helicopters from the Pennsylvania National Guard's Company B, 1st Battalion, 150th Aviation Regiment, prepare to land during a joint special operations forces training exercise Oct. 2 in Iraq.

28th Combat Aviation Brigade
Story by Sgt. Matthew Jones

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq – Members of Company B, 1st Battalion, 150th Aviation Regiment, assisted U.S. and Iraqi special operations forces in a joint training exercise Oct. 2.

This was the third in a series of three exercises involving the aviators from Task Force Keystone.

The training mission started as a real mission would, with a thorough briefing. The aviators and crew reviewed the landing zone, the aircraft's landing direction, a timeline, landing formation, maps, routes and contingency plans.

First Lt. Thomas Kivlen, platoon leader in Co. B from Plainsboro, N.J., stressed the importance of the training.

"The stuff we are doing here directly relates to what those Soldiers may have to do in the future," said Kivlen. "This will directly help prepare for future missions and assaults."

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Danielle Wolak of Reading, Pa., one of several pilots who participated in the training mission, said the training was especially gratifying for her.

"I was here in 2003 when everything was starting and now I'm here near the very end," said Wolak, a Pennsylvania National Guard Soldier. "It's nice to know that we're helping them take back their country and we're training them for what they're going to need to do when we're gone."

Warrant Officer Kyle Braun, a Pennsylvania National Guard member who actually calls Indianapolis home, echoed his fellow pilot's sentiments.

"For future operations, they can do this on their own," said Braun, referring to the Iraqi forces. "When we leave, they should be able to do their own air assaults and support their own operations."

The pilots agreed the transition process is already well underway. According to Wolak, her unit has operated with ISF.

"We do everything hand-in-hand with the Iraqis," said Wolak. "Everything is in coordination with [Iraqi army and Iraqi police], so they know what is going on," she said.

"Today's goal was to go out and get the Iraqi special [operations] forces trained and return safely," Wolak concluded. "And we completed that goal."

Face of Defense: Soldier Draws From Seven Deployments

By Army Sgt. Brandon T. Metroka
Special to American Forces Press Service

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq, Oct. 7, 2009 - For Army Sgt. William Altman, an operations noncommissioned officer with the 28th Combat Aviation Brigade, doing his job with excellence is the motivation that carries him through his daily shift.

"I just enjoy doing a good job," said Altman, an 18-year veteran with seven deployments under his belt. "Keeping the commander updated on the goings-on in our sector is pretty important, and is the objective."

Along with more than 20 other soldiers working various shifts and taskings, Altman is responsible for manning the brigade's tactical operations center, which requires vigilant manning 24 per day, seven days per week. For Altman, the brigade's blue force tracker and fires sergeant, continuity is often the greatest challenge.

"While we might work shifts, any issues must be resolved or worked to completion," Altman said. "Otherwise, we're creating a sort of 'butterfly effect' for the next shift."

Altman is no stranger to working in current operations. With his multiple deployments, Altman brings a trove of experience to a fairly reactive job often misunderstood by other soldiers.

"Other sections might work a normal work day and be closed for certain periods," Altman said. "Here, the lights never go out. Operations are continuous."

Fighting complacency and mid-deployment doldrums is essential to proficiency, he said. All soldiers, from the battle captain, who is the quarterback of the section, to the radio telephone operator who functions as the primary medium for passing and receiving information, must be cognizant of the big picture at all times. Soldiers must be prepared for the unexpected, including indirect fire attacks, small-arms fire attacks on aircraft and diverting air support for soldiers on the ground.

"We manage to handle high-stress events well, mostly because we all know our roles," Altman said. "Even when days are fairly quiet, we have to fight boredom by trying to stay proficient on our equipment."

Although the tempo occasionally slows, there is never a shortage of work for the soldiers. Altman and the staff keep busy by organizing various document binders, from fragmentary orders to Red Cross messages, maintaining the daily log, making changes to personnel flight manifestos, and keeping track of scheduled flights.

Soldiers also are trained on state-of-the-art electronic systems like the Blue Force Tracker, which uses global-positioning technology to view the location of aircraft and vehicles during missions. In addition, soldiers have more traditional methods of communication and battle-tracking tools at their disposal, to include instant messaging, phone lines and FM and high-frequency radios. Numerous maps and overlays line the walls of the operations center for reference and as an alternative method of tracking the location of aircraft.

"If technology fails, we still must be knowledgeable enough to be able to accomplish our mission," Altman said. "Pencils and paper, charts and darts; our jobs don't stop just because the technology stops working."

(Army Sgt. Brandon T. Metroka serves with the 28th Combat Aviation Brigade.)