Air Force communications vital to Army effort in Iraq

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Karen Petitt
  • Multinational Corps-Iraq Public Affairs
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFPN) --  Even though Capt. Alycia Vrosh is afraid of heights, she climbs up a ladder to check on communication equipment atop the Al Faw Palace here.

While ensuring the comm lines are good to go, two Blackhawk helicopters circle overhead, and she waves to them.

“I love (the crew) and always wave to them when I’m up here on the roof,” said the communications operations action officer for Mulitnational Corps-Iraq.

This time they treat her to a flyby before landing north of the palace.

Happy with the greeting, she heads back down to the first floor of the three-story palace where she has spent the past four months tackling large and hectic projects for the Army.

“Because the Air Force is in a support role, we’ve been able to work the details of several projects that are vital to (Soldiers), that they would not have necessarily been able to accomplish without our help,” she said.

She has taken the lead on projects such as organizing and ensuring 180 Internet cafes were working for the more than 140,000 troops stationed throughout Iraq.

“When I got here, it was a mess because not all the cafes were set up, there were parts missing, broken assets and no way to fix (them),” she said. “Our team came up with a solution where we tracked each Internet café, brought in laptops and satellite phone systems and got the program manageable. I think of this as one of the big success stories from the past four months.”

Another successful mission was ensuring the commanding general had reliable communications to his subordinate commanders. Two of the major problem areas involved poor infrastructure in the country and frequency dead spots. The team not only provided a primary solution, but also a second and third back-up systems so that now comm or lack of comm is never an issue.

Her boss, Army Maj. Kenneth Patterson, chief of operations and plans for MNC-I communications, said the project’s success resulted from working in the joint environment and that Airmen, with Marine support, kept this working.

“It also makes it fun to come to work,” he said. “Whether we’re working on moving the Koreans into Irbil or working information-assurance issues, there’s value added. (Airmen are) able to work certain issues better because they speak the language to their counterparts or can work the airfield issues perhaps a little more efficiently than if we were doing it.”

He said that with the three- or four-month turnover for Airmen, it can be a challenge in continuity, but that bringing in people with fresh ideas and new enthusiasm is worth it.

Captain Vrosh said her enthusiasm is still high even as she prepares to head back to the 100th Communications Squadron at Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England.

“I’ve been here during a very historic time and to see the vast improvements even in four months have been dramatic,” she said. “To think that I was here during the transition of power, to have Saddam be read the charges against him, and to see the beginnings of a new Iraq have been part of this incredible experience.

“And, I’m just glad to have been part of bringing communications to our young troops on the front lines who work long hours, in the heat, and just doing such hard work,” the captain said. “To have them be able to send a note home or pay their bills or have some entertainment has been rewarding. And to ensure that our commanders can communicate to leaders in the field is a critical part of the mission that I’ve been proud to be part of.”