FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq – When Capt. Josh Beard, the commander of Company B, Brigade Special Troops Battalion, arrived at FOB Kalsu, he knew his unit was prepared.
The countless hours his troops had spent preparing for the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division’s current deployment had proven to him that Company B’s Soldiers could set up and tear down all of the brigade’s communications fast. He just didn’t know they would be lightning fast.
“In two days, we had the brigade’s net up,” said Beard, a native of Opelika, Ala. “As a leader, I didn’t expect it, but a year’s worth of training will make things like that possible. For my guys, it’s all muscle memory now.”
Company B has an important job, according to Sgt. Orlando Sarabia, the joint network nodes section sergeant from Truckee, Calif.
“Basically we are responsible for setting up and maintaining all the secure and non-secure Internet and communications,” he said. “We enable commanders to talk to their Soldiers on the battlefield.”
In order to ensure that they can complete their mission, the Soldiers of Company B must constantly maintain and protect their equipment, not the easiest of tasks in the sandy and hot environment of Iraq.
“Proper maintenance is one of the most important things we do out here,” said Sgt. Jason Sanders, a team leader from Bradenton, Fla. “We have a lot of complex equipment that takes years to understand and master, but it doesn’t do us any good if it’s not working.”
Sanders explained that maintaining equipment entails everything from blowing out air filters on a daily basis to ensuring that all computers are kept in a cool environment.
“The 52nd Signal Battalion has been a great unit to follow,” said Beard. “We learned things from them right off the bat. Not that we didn’t know what we were doing, but we relearned how to do some of the things they do really well. They are outstanding dealing with issues like power generation, cooling and maintenance.”
Using the experience they gained from the National Training Center and their predecessors, Company B non-commissioned officers are now trying to ensure that their first-time deployers are ready for whatever their current deployment is ready to throw at them.
“Training in a school environment is much different than what will happen here,” said Sarabia. “Out here our Soldiers are working against the clock. They need to processes information much more quickly.”
The NCOs of Company B are working hard to ensure that their new Soldiers are prepared to work through any obstacles they may encounter alone during their shift.
“We’ve had some Soldiers join the unit straight out of AIT (advanced individual training) and they didn’t get to go through Hammer Focus and NTC,” said Sanders. “We are working hard to get them to be able to logically think through problems. There is a process to what we do. It is just a matter of getting them to see it.”
Pfc. Alex Buza, one of Sander’s subordinates from Puyallup, Wash., is one of Anderson’s first-time deployers who are trying to learn as much as he can.
“For me, it is all about keeping a good attitude,” he said. “I’m working with some awesome people. If you like the people you are working with, it makes it easier to learn.”
Beard explained that his company will soon be taking over the communications node from the 52nd Signal Battalion.
“I anticipate the transition being seamless,” he said. “It will be the biggest thing we will do this deployment, but it isn’t something we haven’t done and done well.”
Sgt. Rich Sanchez, a Soldier in Company B, Brigade Special Troops Battalion, takes a break from monitoring the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division’s communication network at Forward Operating Base Kalsu, Nov. 2. Sanchez, a native of Kenedy, Texas, works twelve hour shifts to ensure that 3rd HBCT commanders are able to communicate with their troops on the battlefield.
Spc. Quindeil Hall, a Soldier in Company B, Brigade Special Troops Battalion, maintains a communications satellite to at Forward Operating Base Kalsu, Nov. 2. Hall, a native of Dallas, works hard to ensure that all of the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division’s communications equipment at FOB Kalsu stays in good working order.
Pfc. Joshelyn Lovis , a Soldier in Company B, Brigade Special Troops Battalion, checks a communications antenna to ensure it is secured properly at Forward Operating Base Kalsu, Nov. 2. Lovis, a native of Orangeburg, S.C., and his fellow Soldiers in Company B must ensure that all of the brigade’s communication equipment is properly maintained and used.
Spc. Robert Ruiz , a Soldier in Company B, Brigade Special Troops Battalion, maintains a communications satellite at Forward Operating Base Kalsu, Nov. 2, to ensure that the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division’s communication node is working. Ruiz, a native of Minneapolis, and his fellow Soldiers in Company B set up all of the 3rd HBCT’s communications equipment at FOB Kalsu in two days.
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