Communications flight connects at 'Tropic Link'

  • Published
  • By Maj. Charles Conelius
  • 442nd Communications Flight commander
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. --  Members of the 442nd Communications Flight received a taste of deployment operations during an exercise in Florida Oct. 22 to 27 with other Air Force Reserve communications units.

Forty-seven communications experts from seven other Air Force Reserve Command units took part in the exercise at Key West Naval Air Station, Fla., named Tropic Link.

Led by the 482nd Communications Squadron from Homestead Air Reserve Base, Fla., the objective was to train on tactical deployed communications equipment that is deployed to forward bare bases. All deployment phases - generation, employment and redeployment - were exercised during the training.

TDC equipment provides secure and non-secure voice and data communications using a combination of satellite links, ground-mobile radio satellite phones and local telephonic voice and data equipment. While in the past hooking up separate stations required running wires to each location, units now use line of sight microwave signals to link ground stations, often several miles apart from one another. In Key West, these microwave systems established communication links from one island to another.

According to Col. John Hayes, AFRC communications director, the 442nd CF has been named as one of the units that will be gaining additional personnel and equipment to support this mission. The current plan is to deploy with the Wing's A-10 Thunderbolt IIs to provide communications support for about 500 additional personnel associated with its aviation package.

The hands-on training provides essential experience that we cannot perform at home station.

Tech. Sgt. Greg Knauff, 442nd CF's NCOIC of computer network systems, stated that the training was realistic because "...it provided challenges that had to be overcome, just like in real world.

"In addition," Sergeant Knauff said, "since we do not have this equipment yet, this is a rare opportunity for us to setup and use all of the equipment in the TDC."

The flight's personnel were noted for their key contributions to the exercise; Maj. Shane Matherne, 10th Air Force director of communications awarded a top performer coin to Staff Sgt. Matthew Eisenbarth, a 442nd CF ground-radio communication technician received for outstanding contributions to his team.

As a validation of the coin presentation, Senior Master Sgt. John Reyes, one of the exercise superintendents and from the 514th Communications Squadron at McGuire AFB, N.J., said that Sergeant Eisenbarth was "his most important contributor." Sergeant Reyes said this fact was remarkable since this was the first week that Sergeant Eisenbarth had worked with the recently-employed equipment.

"Communications is one of those missions that few think about...until it is interrupted or lost," said SMSgt Charlene Rhoads, 442nd CF chief of information assistance. "TDC training like this one focuses on setting up communications as soon as possible and then sustain uninterrupted communications for the duration of the mission."