Communications flight Airmen link base with outside world

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Rich Romero
  • 40th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs
OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM (AFPN) --  Without people like Staff Sgt. Karisa Szczygiel and Senior Airman Keith Hopson life at this forward-deployed location would be lonely and quiet. Morale and mission accomplishment certainly would be severely degraded if not downright nonexistent.

The two Airmen are part of a 12-person shop within the communications flight overseeing the bulk of the computer network and telephone operations for the 40th Air Expeditionary Group.

The largest section of the flight operates the network control center where six technicians maintain and troubleshoot the vast majority of the Air Force small computer and computer network capability. It is a seemingly overwhelming task considering the network control center at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, where more than half of the technicians here deployed from, has more than 60 people.

“(The center, which includes the help desk) requires a broader knowledge base of different communications functions,” said Airman Hopson, a help desk technician who is on his first deployment. “At home station, we’re more specialized in one particular area; whereas here, we’re a jack-of-all-trades.”

Airman Hopson is referring to the core services of network communications, which involve operating, maintaining and troubleshooting more than 20 servers, three separate networks, 600 client computers and peripherals such as scanners, printers, routers and switches.

One of the daunting tasks the group faced right after hitting the ground about a month ago was to remove and create user accounts for about 800 people -- those who rotated out and those who rotated in.

“Most of our workload, at least the single busiest time, comes at the beginning of an (air and space expeditionary force) rotation,” said Sergeant Szczygiel, noncommissioned officer in charge of the help desk, who also is on her first deployment. “We have to establish and remove user accounts, rights and permissions on their work stations.”

They also veer from their traditional element by assisting people learning new software.

“Section-specific software issues are the toughest,” Airman Hopson said. “Supply and medical databases took a lot of time to troubleshoot because you have to literally learn the software yourself first. I spent two solid days on the medical database alone.”

However, they are not alone in connecting the group to the outside world. A permanent party section assigned to a Pacific Air Forces unit provides continuity, equipment management and compliance with headquarters directives. In addition, a contractor operation manages all the communications in and out of the area, to include main lines and Internet Café firewall.

Both Airmen said they are lucky to be part of the team which is in place currently, regardless of the seemingly combined inexperience. But do not be fooled by youthfulness and rank. Individually, they each have a project or accomplishment of which they are proud since being deployed here. Collectively, they agree on one.

“We supported a European Command morale initiative to establish a video teleconference with a deployed member here and his graduating senior and his family in England,” Airman Hopson said. “We had two days to make it happen, and no initial idea of how. As a team, we brainstormed every conceivable option and ultimately were able to accomplish what no other Air Force communication team had done here before.

“That was an awesome feeling knowing how much what we were able to do meant to that family.”

But there is always another project on the horizon. Airman Hopson and his team may not be there to complete it, but they know they will have made a difference during their deployment.

“We hope to leave the network and this location with enhanced management and to provide a seamless transition for the next rotation,” Airman Hopson said.