The Red Bulls

COB ADDER, Iraq – Dependable communication is essential for any successful organization. For a deployed military unit, that rule holds all the more true.

On Contingency Operating Base Adder, keeping those communications dependable falls in part to Master Sgt. Thomas Kemble and 1st Lt. Francis Conroy, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 28th Combat Aviation Brigade.

Kemble and Conroy work in the “S6” Shop, which is responsible for most types of communication used by the 28th, including computer, telephone and radio. The two are also responsible for video teleconferences, and ensuring they are reliable, secure and available as needed.

The video teleconferences are used by units of the 28th to communicate here in Iraq, as well as with leadership back home in Pennsylvania, said Kemble. 

Kemble sets up his video conferences using a computer, a large monitor, a webcam and microphones. The group he plans to link with must have the same setup on their end.

“The drawback is limited bandwidth, so we are routed through special communication hubs,” he said. “We hook into the hub, which then hooks us into a conference.”

Hubs that are used in Iraq are located in Baghdad and Basra.

“We are in a location that does not have commercial internet support, so we set up our own backbone to access commercial internet,” said Kemble.

They use a combination of military and civilian support for their mission, he said.  Mission-related communications are done on a secure network and non-mission related communications, such as morale events, are done on non-secure networks.

“We’ve set up conferences here on Adder for (Multi-National Division - South) to hook up with the Aviation Brigade and other commands,” said Conroy.

For the non-secure broadcasts, AT&T is the owner of the contract and is used as the hub for communications back home, said the Springfield, Pa. resident.

Two recent examples of their morale events were a Halloween party and a Veteran’s dinner.

Kemble and Conroy set up a conference with a Family Readiness Group back home which held a Halloween party for the families. The kids had on their costumes and they could talk with and see their parents and loved ones who were in COB Adder. 

The second event was a veteran’s dinner held in Johnstown, Pa., Oct. 12. Technical support for the event in Pennsylvania was handled by St. Francis University, and Kemble set up in Adder’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation trailer, where the Soldiers could gather to participate.

The event gave older veterans some interaction with today’s Soldiers and allowed them a glimpse of daily life and duty in Iraq.

“Lt. Col. Kovak interviewed the Soldiers here to give the vets an idea of what it’s like here on our end,” Kemble said.

Aside from running conferences, Kemble is the main communication security custodian, which means he ensures all electronic communications are secure for transmission. Conroy also works with the S-4 supply shop to order all of the needed communication equipment and issues the cell phones and satellite phones used by the 28th.

Whether it is a mission-essential leadership conference or a boost of morale for the Soldiers, this small section of the communications shop keeps Soldiers in touch here and abroad.