CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq – Modern combat operations are not a simple matter of loading weapons, lacing boots and fastening helmets in preparation for battle. Engaging the enemy and protecting against possible attacks while performing operations in a tactical environment is a process requiring more than meets the naked eye. One such requirement is the ability to communicate on the battlefield.
The communications and electronics maintenance section of Network Support Company, Special Troops Battalion, 34th Red Bull Infantry Division has the mission of ensuring commanders and troops in the field of battle are able to communicate and they take their mission very seriously.
“We repair commo equipment – radios, intercom systems and the Blue Force Tracker, for example – to make sure troops are able to communicate,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jerome Schmidtz, officer-in-charge, C&E section, Network Support Co. “The Blue Force Tracker is especially important because it allows commanders almost real-time knowledge of where everyone, including the enemy, is located (on the field of battle).”
Schmidtz said the system works through a satellite signal or secure radio signals on the ground.
“It is usually set up to receive satellite signals, which shows the commander where everything is,” said Schmidtz, who hails from Little Falls, Minn. “The radio signals on the ground come from the radios in the vehicles of troops.”
Spc. Anthony Truitt, a radio communications repairman from Lebanon, Mo., said he also repairs vehicle intercommunication systems allowing crew members in a single vehicle to communicate with each other.
“Sometimes the noise in a vehicle or in a combat situation can make it impossible for crew members in a vehicle to hear each other,” he said. “This system makes it possible for them to talk to and hear each other or Soldiers in other vehicles at the same time.”
The Soldiers who repair equipment are certainly vital to the mission of the C&E maintenance section, but others contribute to the success of the team as well. Sgt. 1st Class David Davison, noncommissioned officer-in-charge, C&E maintenance team, said there are a number of jobs in their section that have to be done.
“We have a cable team that runs lines for both secure and non-secure internet access,” the resident of Empire, Minn., said. “We also have logistics clerks who track maintenance requests, parts ordering and shipment and driver’s licenses for vehicle operators.”
Davison said the members of his section also provide training on equipment when asked.
“We’re here to make sure the communications mission happens,” he said. As Soldiers roll out of Contingency Operating Base Basra on missions, they can be sure of one thing. The C&E maintenance team is on the job, making sure they perform their tasks so the Soldiers on the battlefield can do theirs.
