Morale center keeps troops in touch

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Lowan Anderson
  • 407th Air Expeditionary Group
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. (AFPN) --  Experts from the 5th Combat Communications Group here are providing more than just communications at Tallil Air Base, Iraq. They are boosting morale by providing phones and computers to American and coalition forces there.

Word has gotten around about the 5th CCG's efforts to bridge the distance between Southwest Asia and home. The morale service has been so popular that troops from as far away as Baghdad, 160 miles north of Tallil, have traveled to make morale calls and use the computers.

"The services we provide touch many lives," said 2nd Lt. Reuben Samaroo, from the 52nd Combat Communications Squadron and the officer in charge of the help desk and morale tent. "For the troops, we provide an opportunity they otherwise wouldn't have to keep in touch with their families and friends."

Last month, the four defense switch network lines available in the morale tent had 10,000 phone calls go through -- an average of more than 300 each day. Army Spec. Tiffany Gilyard, 92nd Engineer Corps Battalion (Heavy), out of Fort Stewart, Ga., is one of the people using the facility.

"I call my mama; she loves it when I call," she said. "I think the Air Force is doing a good job with the morale tent. There's never a time you're not going to get through."

Along with the phone lines, 5th CCG experts set up computers for morale purposes. With the exception of a one-hour daily cleanup, there is a steady line outside the doors of the tent to use the computers.

The help-desk team is part of a deployable package that provides initial communications capability in a tactical environment, Samaroo said.

The airmen on the team install and maintain small computers, administer accounts and support workgroup managers. Samaroo said the team acts as a central focal point for resolving communication problems.

During training exercises, the airmen set up a tent environment and simulate network communications in a bare-base environment -- the exact real-world situation in Iraq.

Still, even with all the training, Samaroo said nothing prepared them for the kind of physical, emotional and mental demands they encounter during daily operations.

"When we first arrived, we (could only) shower every other day, hand wash our clothes, and the restroom was an outhouse," said Tech. Sgt. Robyn Owens, 54th CCS. "This is definitely a unique experience.

"I'm … missing my husband, my daughter and my son; but they're very supportive. I'm proud to have been selected to deploy. (It) has been quite an adventure during the four months I have been part of the team, but I wouldn't trade it for anything," she said.

The job also offers a great deal of satisfaction, according to Maj. Craig Wilcox, 407th Expeditionary Communications Squadron commander.

"This team is full of communications professionals who take pride in the services they provide," he said. "It's extra special for them because they deal daily with customers who appreciate the opportunity to stay in touch." (Courtesy of Air Force Materiel Command News Service)