Posted on 06/24/2008 4:25:33 PM PDT by SandRat
FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELTA, Iraq, June 24, 2008 Running cable isnt that interesting unless you stop and play with the puppy, said Army Spc. Jennifer Dimitroff, a Lancaster, Calif., native assigned to Company B, 44th Expeditionary Signal Battalion here.
Company B provides voice and data services for Forward Operating Base Delta, as well as 12 other sites, Army Capt. Kelly McCay, Company B commander, said. These soldiers stay busy establishing and running a technical control facility as well as 26 miles of fiber-optic cable through a series of manholes around the base. They work to ensure communications are available for all who need them, said McCay, a Central City, Ky., native. Company B is also on the front line as FOB Delta grows, working to provide for all new units and personnel. As new buildings are raised, we work within the construction process to ensure they are wired for communications, McCay said. New construction is only half the mission. Company B also must service existing cables. As the 41st Fires Brigade arrives from Fort Hood, Texas, and prepares to take charge of FOB Delta, the number of work orders has jumped by 65 percent. One challenge has been dealing with the speed of growth on the FOB, said Army 1st Lt. Michael Marrinan, a Wyckoff, N.J., native and officer in charge of the technical control facility. Theres an issue with resources and a lack of personnel. We have to manage whos most important for the mission to keep up with how fast demand is growing. Morale remains high in the company despite the challenges, McCay said. Many times, people dont see the impact of their work; they just work their shifts, he said. The motivation level is high because they see the impact each day of what theyre doing. These soldiers have proven to be flexible, often working in jobs for which they never trained. Army Spc. Blake Martin, a satellite communications technician, said he has no regrets about coming to Iraq. I wanted to do my part, he said. I saw soldiers on TV working over here and wanted to do my part to help that. I joined to come over here. I feel Ive done my part here. (Army Sgt. Daniel T. West serves in the 214th Fires Brigade Public Affairs Office.) |
Related Sites: Multinational Corps Iraq Multinational Force Iraq |
||
|
Go 44th, fiber it up!
COME ON, NO PICTURES OF THE PUPPY?
Go, Signal Corps!
My son is in a Sat Com trailer in Bagram as I post this. He arrives home on a mid-tour leave in one week.
Sorry, that’s all they had.
Congrats on seeing him next week! Sat comms is a great job btw, probably the best in tactical comms (no travel, light indoor duty, monitor/keep the circuit up). Plus he’s at Bagram. See if he hasn’t fattened-up on all the Baskin Robbins.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.