Photo By Kimberly Hackbarth | Pfc. Damien Cooper, a radio telephone operator with Headquarters Service Battery, 2nd...... read more read more
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JOINT SECURITY STATION JUSTICE, Iraq – A small team of Soldiers sits obscured behind a vast array of radios, computers, maps and television screens inside the 2nd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment joint operations center.
Without the long hours of hard work by the "Vikings" in the JOC, men on the ground would not be aware of potential threats in their area, commanders could not make informed tactical decisions, units could not be provided air support, and timely and accurate information would not be shared with higher headquarters.
Because JSS Justice is a combined base, a small group of Iraqi soldiers from one of the three Iraqi army brigades with whom the 2nd Bn., 12th FAR Soldiers share an expansive operational environment, emulates the field artillery Soldiers' persistence and concentration in carrying out their duties.
Working in the JOC introduced Pfc. Damien Cooper, a radio telephone operator with Headquarters Service Battery, 2nd Bn., 12th FAR, to a new culture as quickly as his first deployment came about. Cooper was assigned to the unit 30 days prior to deploying to Iraq.
"I deployed with complete strangers," said Cooper, a Jackson, Mich., native. "It wasn't that bad – everybody's pretty cool."
Cooper admits that trying to grasp the job of relaying information from all the battery's and patrols moving throughout the area of responsibility to the battle non-commissioned officer and battle captain of the JOC was difficult at first. However, he wasn't alone in learning.
"My peers gave me the knowledge they had, which helped a lot," said Cooper.
Another RTO on his first deployment, Pfc. Kevin Ellen, a Largo, Md., native, said working in the JOC takes a lot of concentration because as information pours in, the RTOs have to listen carefully to whoever is providing the information; relaying the wrong information could cost lives.
The day shift battle NCO, Sgt. Jason Green, has lived on both sides of the radio.
On his last deployment with 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Green was in a line battery, executing missions like the ones he now monitors on his computer and over the radio. He believes both jobs go hand in hand, and are equally important in accomplishing the overall mission.
"Without us being in the JOC, the [Soldiers] wouldn't be able to carry out their operations due to the fact that we disseminate information," said Green, a Dallas native.
Sgt. 1st Class Douglas Shank, a fire support NCO, said he believes it's the "Joes" on the ground who have the tougher job.
"I think they do the hardest part, being out there and being in harm's way," said Shank, a Carlisle, Pa., native.
However, he acknowledges that if they didn't have a JOC, things on the ground wouldn't run as smoothly. The JOC is also responsible for coordinating battlefield enablers such as unmanned aerial systems and attack helicopters.
As the battle captain, responsible for everything that goes on in JOC, it's up to Sgt. 1st Class Steven Swift, a Seattle native, to make sure that all the Soldiers underneath him are doing their jobs efficiently.
At first, conducting operations in the JOC had a few challenges as Swift's Soldiers, many on their first deployment, settled into their roles, relying heavily on the more experienced Soldiers. But relatively quickly, and with a lot of hard work, he said, his troops stepped up to the challenge.
"Through cross-training they can pretty much operate every system in there and I don't have to rely on one guy who [is] the individual for that station," he said.
An example of that versatility and commitment to success is displayed by Pfc. Levi Miller, the operator of the Command Post of the Future, and a Portsmouth, Ohio native, who is responsible for creating a storyboard of information for each of the significant activities that occur in the battalion's area.
| Date Taken: | 04.26.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 04.26.2010 04:39 |
| Story ID: | 48694 |
| Location: | JOINT SECURITY STATION JUSTICE, IQ |
| Web Views: | 817 |
| Downloads: | 733 |
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