Soldier Keeps Units Connected
(February 16, 2011) |
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Army Spc. Joseph Sirovy works
on a satellite dish at Forward Operating Base Shank
in Afghanistan's Logar province, Jan. 16, 2011. U.S.
Army photo by 1st Lt. Ashley Allen |
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LOGAR PROVINCE,
Afghanistan, Feb. 14, 2011 – Operating in a country
with rugged, mountainous terrain can present many
communications challenges, but Army Spc. Joseph
Sirovy is keeping his units connected.
Sirovy,
a multichannel transmissions systems operator from
Knox, Ind., assigned to the 10th Mountain Division's
Company C, 4th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th
Brigade Combat Team, ensures his units throughout
Wardak and Logar provinces in eastern Afghanistan
can communicate.
“I am trying to make a
difference at the company and platoon levels for
soldiers to be able to communicate to their
command,” he said. |
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As the technical expert for a team that assesses and repairs
communications equipment, Sirovy provides communication
analysis throughout the brigade's area of operations. This
support allows Task Force Patriot to communicate in a clear
and timely manner, even at the lowest levels, so the
soldiers can conduct effective military operations and, more
importantly, keep ahead of insurgents and the Taliban, said
Army Capt. Craig Starn, Company C commander, from Grafton,
W.Va.
Afghanistan has limited fixed-line telephone
service, ranking 139th in the world, according to the CIA's
World Fact Book website. Terrain is the biggest obstacle for
establishing communications within Task Force Patriot's
operating area of Afghanistan, Sirovy said, and
communications leaders are using commercial equipment to
push network services to companies and platoons that aren't
located on larger forward operating bases.
Signal
site assessments play a significant role in maintaining
reliable tactical communications down to the lowest levels,
said Army Maj. Keith Dawson, Task Force Patriot brigade
communications and automations officer in charge from
Hammond, La.
Sirovy said he enjoys conducting
assessments throughout Logar and Wardak provinces because he
leaves the forward operating base and gets to fix and
prevent communication problems.
Dawson said Sirovy
and the assessment team are vital to maintaining
communications within the task force because the host nation
has very limited landlines, forcing the brigade to rely
mainly on its own signal equipment, such as satellite
communication. And because Task Force Patriot's
communication network is four times the size of an average
brigade's, he added, an active assessment team is especially
important.
Sirovy said he has learned to assess and
maintain satellite communications equipment and computer
networking systems, and that his training and experience
would be valuable in the civilian sector, thanks to the
latest technology the Army is using.
However, Sirovy
added, he is not necessarily thinking of leaving the Army
any time soon. While he joined the Signal Corps to learn
about the signal and communications field, he said, he also
enlisted for three reasons: to serve his country, to make
something of himself and to provide for his child.
Sirovy and Starn travel to different locations weekly to
complete surveys. Sirovy inspects all of the signal
equipment for each unit to make sure it's functioning
properly. He fixes issues on the spot and determines whether
parts need to be ordered or repaired.
That work is
critical, Starn said, because the units must have
uninterrupted communications to their higher authority
during combat operations.
Army 1st Sgt. Adrian Borel
of Lafayette, La., Company C's first sergeant, explained why
Sirovy was chosen for his position on the assessment team
and why he is so successful.
“Specialist Sirovy is
dedicated to mission accomplishment and will not accept
failure,” he said. “He continuously seeks to expand his
knowledge base of signal equipment and its capability
pertaining to each unit's primary mission focus.” | |
By Army 1st Lt. Ashley Allen and 1st Lt. Jose Perez,
Task Force Dagger
American Forces Press Service
Copyright 2011
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