CAMP VICTORY, Iraq - A Louisiana National Guard unit is helping to
meet the president's plan to reduce troops in Iraq to 50,000 by September of
this year by enhancing tower communication around the perimeter of the
Victory Base Complex.
As part of the Base Defense Operations Center, C Company, of the 256th
Infantry Brigade Combat Team's Special Troops Battalion, began running a land
line that will increase communication time and reduce the manpower needed to
operate, update and maintain radios at towers here to assist the installation
in the absence of U.S. troops.
Maj. Henry T. Capello, the BSTB executive officer, said there are many
benefits to installing the land lines.
"The towers are equipped with TA-312's, better known as 'crank phones,' and
SINCGAR radios," he said. "The phones literally had to be wound to make a
phone call, which can be time-consuming during an emergency. The problem with
the radios was that they were sometimes affected by 'jammers' around entry
control points."
Capello said that the jammers are set up to scramble radio signals outside
the installation so that adversaries are unable to remotely detonate
explosive devices, but have also been known to affect the radio signal on
towers near the outer perimeter of VBC.
"With the land lines that we are installing, as soon as they pick up the
phone it will automatically call the BDOC's 'battle-bridge' or operations
center, where they can take the appropriate action immediately," said 1st Lt.
Obie E. Ward, the officer in charge of the project,.
He said some of the towers are on the main routes in Baghdad, and that they
needed a way to report incidents quickly.
With a mission of ensuring the security within the base, Capello said this
was a priority for the BDOC.
"This is a project that has been discussed for several years now, but just
hasn't been done yet," he said. "When we got here, we knew we had to do
something, and found a way to do it. We gave our Signal Company the mission
and they jumped on it."
"We are setting the installation up for our absence," Capello said. "We are
making communication more practical for the Iraqi's as we hand their country
back to them."
Ward said though the project is a big one, the signal company's goal is to be
done with their part of mission by July, and noted that thanks to the hard
work of the Soldiers in the company, they are ahead of their own schedule.
"We didn't think it would go as quickly as it has. It is hot and there is a
lot of manual work involved, but these guys are on it," Ward added.
"I am very proud of my Soldiers," said the signal company's commander, Capt.
Harold D. Roberson, Jr. "They have a 'can do' attitude and really understand
the significant impact we have on Iraq's future stability."
"As the drawdown gets closer, we are doing everything we can to ensure that
the Iraqi's are successful in maintaining their security force," said
Roberson.
The Plaquemine, La., headquartered unit, commanded by Lt. Col. Stuart N.
Burruss and Command Sgt. Maj. Patrick L. Sandel, arrived at the Baghdad
installation in March, and assumed the responsibility as the BDOC in April.
The Tiger Brigade unit is expected to return home around the end of this
year.