Comm Airmen get tower-certified

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Phyllis Hanson
  • 407th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs
ALI BASE, Iraq (AFPN) --  A team of Airmen making a stop here to do checks on the latest radio communications on the battlefield took time out to give some Airmen valuable qualification training.

A team from the Combined Air and Space Operations Center came here to perform preventive maintenance on the Radio-over-Internet Protocol Routed network, or RIPRnet, communication system. During their visit they were able to certify some 407th Expeditionary Communications Squadron Airmen on tower climbing.

"This was a great opportunity," said Senior Airman Anthony Luckert, a 407th ECS ground radio technician. "As our career field gets smaller, it's good to be more versatile."

Strapped into a six-point climbing harness, each Airman had to climb up the metal tower and at the 50-foot platform had to lean back and hang from the harness.  This helped the person to trust the equipment and show that he or she is confident and comfortable with heights.

"I've wanted to get into the class for a long time," said Airman Luckert, who is deployed from Tinker Air Force Base, Okla.  "The RIPRnet team has certified trainers so their visit has been highly beneficial to us."

Some of the "cable dogs" as they are called, who don't typically work on the towers, also were able to get tower-climbing recertification which, is a yearly requirement.

The RIPRnet is a communication tool used by convoy leaders, said Staff Sgt. Frank Royal, CAOC RIPRnet maintenance team leader.

"The system was built by the Air Force for the Army," said Sergeant Royal. "It extends the communication capabilities of the hand radio so the message gets relayed throughout Iraq to who needs to hear it."

"What's great is that we are doing something that directly impacts the success of the missions going on in Iraq," Sergeant Royal said. "By certifying people as we go along makes it even more worthwhile."

"The more Airmen who are trained to keep the lines of communication open, the better," Sergeant Royal said.

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