264th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion Staying Connected While Deployed

Photo By Rob Strain | Sgt. John Modock, a mechanic with the 264th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion and Buffalo, Ohio, native, relaxes in his room watching a movie and talking on an Internet phone.  

TIKRIT, IRAQ

10.29.2009

Story by Staff Sgt. Rob Strain 

15th Sustainment Brigade

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq — Soldiers of the 264th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion here strive to remain connected to their friends and family back home while deployed.

The 264th CSSB from Fort Bragg, N.C., began their deployment in May and recently became a subordinate battalion under the 15th Sustainment Brigade.

The Soldiers of the 264th CSSB have already spent approximately six months in theater, and these Soldiers continue to focus on their mission while also maintaining an open line of communication with loved ones, ensuring to keep a balance between professional and personal lives during deployment, said Spc. Larry D. Wesley Jr., the battalion's chaplain's assistant.

Separation from family and friends is difficult and communication is the key to maintaining these relationships, Wesley, a Chester, Pa., native, said.

Sgt. Adrian Doerfer, a human resources specialist from Colorado Springs, Colo., said that he uses Internet voice and email services to stay in touch with his family and friends.

"With today's technology it is much easier to stay in touch," Wesley said.

All of the major instant messaging services provide customers with the ability to not only type instantly back and forth but to also make free or inexpensive calls over the Internet, he explained.

Staff Sgt. Adrian Davis, from Fayetteville, N.C., uses both instant messaging and an Internet phone service to stay connected to his family. These services allow him to stay in the comfort of their living area while talking on the phone, and often provide Soldiers the opportunity to see loved ones over web cameras, he said.

"Staying connected to family and friends is essential and can serve as an immediate morale booster," Wesley said.

Pfc. Corey Thompson, a supply specialist from Las Vegas, enjoys the "privacy of being able to talk with family and friends without leaving your room."

Pvt. Jacob Sirry, a mechanic from Elizabethtown, N.C., echoed Thompson's sentiments and added, "being able to talk to my wife serves as daily motivation, giving me something to look forward to after work."

"[It is] definitely a bonus to talk on the phone without having to wait in line," Sirry said, adding that it is often cheaper to use the Internet services instead of going to the phone center.

Today's technology that is provided for Soldiers in combat gives an immediate convenience, Wesley said. It gives service members the opportunity to stay in the comfort of their living area while talking on the phone or using the internet.

"Staying connected to family and friends from the luxury of their own personal living area is definitely a privilege that Soldiers appreciate," Wesley said.

• Date Taken: 10.29.2009
• Date Posted: 10.29.2009 01:14
• Story ID: 40797
• Location: TIKRIT, IQ