Destiny Southwest Asia

Friday, December 2, 2011 lahontanvalleynews.com • 17

Spc. Timothy Cordeiro/U.S.Army

AfghanistanIINN HHAARRMM’’SS WWAAYY:: DDEESSTTIINNYY SSOOUUTTHHWWEESSTT AASSIIAA

Traveling to Afghanistan — even though the time was short — gave me a better insightinto the feelings of our men and women from the Nevada Army National Guard who arecurrently deployed there. From Kandahar Air Field, where the 422nd Expeditionary Sig-

nal Battalion is currently stationed, to the extreme corner of Bagram Air Fieldwhere the 485th Military Police Company is conducting security opera-tions at a detention facility, soldiers are carrying out their missions withvigor and professionalism.

Prior to my arrival in Afghanistan, I spent five days in Bahrain —two days aboard the aircraftcarrier USS John C. Stennis— to see how the trainingat the Naval Strike and AirWarfare Center at NASFallon ties into the oper-ations with 5th Fleet.

Once I left Bahrain, Iflew to Kabul and spenta night there before fly-ing to Kandahar. Even-

tually, my journey took me to BagramAir Field and then back to Kabul whereI spent two nights at a military base.

During the entire month of Decem-ber, each issue of the Lahontan ValleyNews will present stories on the NationalGuard and U.S. Navy and how ourmen and women are serving in “harm’sway” thousands of miles from home.

— LVN Editor Steve Ranson

AfghanistanAfghanistan … mysterious, forbidding, dangerous.

This is a country at war.

SteveRanson

Michael Higdon/Lahontan Valley News

MISSION INAFGHANISTAN

On March 27,2009, President

Obama said his goalswere, “to disrupt,dismantle and defeat al

Qaeda in Pakistan andAfghanistan, and to preventtheir return to eithercountry in the future.”

Friday, December 2, 201118 • lahontanvalleynews.com Friday, December 2, 2011 lahontanvalleynews.com • 19

BY STEVE RANSON

Lahontan Valley News

KANDAHAR AIR FIELD, Afghanistan —November mornings cast a chilly spell onthe sprawling military installation. The roarof a huge jet taking off from the nearby run-way drowns out the daily call to early morn-ing prayer, while gentle breezes from thenorth pushes the dirt like a dancer acrossthe narrow roads crisscrossing the base.

This is Kandahar Air Field, one of themain NATO bases in Afghanistan that hasbecome a launching pad for the Global Waron Terror in this landlocked Muslim coun-try, which is slightly smaller than Texas insize and roughly holding the same numberof inhabitants — 30 million — as the entirestate of California.

Since 2003, Nevada National Guard unitshave rotated into Afghanistan, some serv-ing as far north at Bagram Air Field north ofKabul to Kandahar in the southeast, 240highway miles from the capital city. The422nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion(ESB), with headquarters in Reno and threeNational Guard companies from Reno, LasVegas and Casa Grande, Ariz., and twoactive-duty companies under its wing,became one of the largest Nevada ArmyNational Guard units to deploy toAfghanistan when soldiers arrived in thecountry in March.

The battalion’s missionBattalion commander Lt. Col. Jeffrey

Hansen of Dayton described the 422nd’smission as providing communications tomany units in southern Afghanistan, or ashe calls it, becoming the AT&T of the battle-field.

“There are a couple main parts to ourmission,” explained Hansen, a father of two

who has been with the Guard for more than20 years. “The ESB provides up to 30 com-mand control nodes (connection points)organically based on the number of peopleand equipment within our area. Down herewe’re doing that through Regional Com-mand (RC) South and several sites in RCWest and one in RC East.”

The International Security AssistanceForce (ISAF) has established five RegionalCommands throughout Afghanistan tofacilitate operations in each area.

Hansen said the signal operations pro-vide a new phase on the battlefield, some-thing shared with the ESBs that either pre-cede or follow the 422nd. An ESB offers awide spectrum of communication tools tothe units and soldiers in the field, saidHansen, to include Internet, video, data,teleconferencing and secure and nonsecurecommunications. Hansen said the 422ndsupports a plethora of organizations in sev-eral regional commands.

Additionally, the 422nd provides tacticalsatellite dishes and switching, somethingthat also exists in every company. Althougheach company differs somewhat in thescope of its mission, Hansen said each unitprovides similar services.

“The 422nd is the largest individual sig-nal unit in Afghanistan right now, and wemake up most of the 228th Theater SignalBrigade (headquartered at Bagram),”Hansen said. “We work with the J6 (Com-munications-Electronics Directorate) andtake care of the communications within theneeds of the 82nd Airborne’s area ofresponsibility. That means providing basecommunications in a base like Kandaharand also providing communications andsignal support to multi-national units, jointservice military, civilians and contractors.”

Hansen said the feedback from the

brigade staff has been positive.“Their support has been great,” Hansen

said of the Greenville, S.C.-based NationalGuard brigade. “This is a Guard brigadethat understands the challenges we gothrough and our capabilities.”

Furthermore, Hansen said the battalion’ssignal capabilities reach outside Kandaharto many FOBs (Forward Operating Bases)scattered throughout the province andaccessible only by helicopter or wellplanned convoy. Hansen said the talentwithin the battalion is making the missionsucceed.

Hansen, who conducted this interviewfrom a small office with bare plywood wallsand no windows, extols the work done bythe soldiers in the battalion.

“A lot of our guys do a lot of this work inthe civilian word and that gave them theincentive to make it better (here) thanwhen they found it. It has been a challengeto us,” Hansen added.

Growing reputationThe Nevada battalion’s reputation grew

in recent months with its ability to providecommunication services to both unitsinside and outside the Kandahar fenceline.Hansen — along with others in the unit —swell with pride when others complimentthem for their work in a war zone.

“Customer service travels throughsoutheast Afghanistan,” Hansen said, look-ing at his Nevada arm patch and pointingtoward it. “People know this. They see thepatch and say you are the signal guys whowork the help desk on FOBs. Because ofthis relationship, we have built soldier-provided support. This patch has a greatreputation.”

After leaving Nevada in January foradditional training at Ft. Lewis, Wash., andarriving in country in March, Hansen saidthe unit is beginning to wind down for itsre-deployment to Nevada next month. Thedays and hours have been long for theWooster High School grad, but he feels astrong sense of accomplishment.

Hansen and his command staff call thisa truly “Nevada” unit. Soldiers represent

almost every community in Nevada. Yet, ashe oversees the final weeks at KAF, histhoughts also turn to his 12-year-olddaughter and 10-year-old son. Like manysoldiers in the battalion, Hansen has keptin touch with his children and friendsthrough a myriad of devices to includeFacebook, email and Skype.

“I talk with the kids at least once week,”said Hansen, his eyes becoming glazedwith tears. The time and distance havebeen an obstacle, but Hansen said he sawthem during a morale flight to Nevada dur-ing the summer. “They’re doing well. We’reall looking forward to doing all the thingswe like to do when I return.”

“I stay in touch with people via email.

It’s not like it used to be. Letters take sever-al weeks to receive. In a month you’dreceive a letter and send one off backhome.”

Hansen’s executive officer (XO), Lt. ColMichael S. Peyerl, spent 10 years on activeduty before he left the Army and joined theNevada Army National Guard in 2005. The1991 Churchill County High School gradu-ate from Fallon comes from a military fam-ily where his father served a distinguishedcareer in the U.S. Navy.

Peyerl has worked for Hansen for morethan two years as his XO and has been a bigdrive behind the deployment half-wayaround the world.

Preparing for two years“We’ve been prepping the battalion for

over two years,” Peyerl explained of theimpending deployment, first beginning in2009 when both the Nevada and Arizonacompanies worked together at Camp Nava-jo, Ariz., near Flagstaff and in 2010 at theHawthorne Army Depot.

The battalion fielded new equipmentand needed the best and brightest to oper-ate it.

“We had a challenge. We built the entireteam over a one-year span, and the teamhere now was built then,” he added. “Wegot the best individuals, the best teammembers. No matter what we would face,we had the best people.”

The battalion, with all of its communica-tion equipment and personnel, became thelargest unit to deploy from the Silver Stateto either Iraq or Afghanistan. Peyerl saidthat was a challenge moving equipmentand soldiers from not just one state butfrom two states.

Another challenge faced the signal bat-talion once in country.

“We had two additional active-dutycompanies (which have already left for thestates) and assumed two more. We builtteam competence and expertise,” Peyerlboasts. “Challenging? Yes, but we tookevery mission we were asked to do here andfigured out what needed to be done andwent ahead and did it.”

Peyerl attributes the battalion’s successto soldiers who perform similar functionswith civilian companies.

“We have electrical engineers who dealwith power and signal needs, and a lot ofguys work for cable companies. Many knowhow to install high speed fiber — both aeri-al and ground fiber throughout RC-S and inthe West (RC-W). This gives us faster con-nection.” Peyerl explained. “The overallmission far exceeded expectations becausewe installed the high-speed fiber through-out KAF.”

Peyerl said the battalion not only main-tained and redesigned the network but alsonurtured credibility for its service.

With the days and weeks counting down

before the battalion returns home, Peyerlsaid he is anxious to see his 7-year-old son,his wife Andrea and the extended family.Peyerl said he talks to his family at leastonce a week, but he emails and uses Face-book more often than that. As for thedeployment itself, Peyerl said it can be diffi-cult for families, but serving in the militarycomes with a price.

Since early November, though, soldiershave been packing and working with trans-portation to ship equipment home.

“We’re right on track. We set a plan sixmonths ago to redeploy ... we’re right wherewe should be,” he said. “We’re movingequipment back and getting our personnelready to demobilize.”

While Hansen and Peyerl keep an eye onthe overall operation of the signal battalionand it companies, it’s the command ser-geant major who keeps a pulse on the sol-

diers.For Jose A. Aragon, a mainstay with the

422nd for a generation, he doesn’t holdback his praise for the battalion’s men andwomen.”

Overall, it’s been great. Everywhere I go,people make comments about our greatsoldiers,” said Aragon, the longtime com-mand sergeant major, the unit’s top enlist-ed soldier. “We had some issues, but overallthe customer provided support and theunit worked with us. That’s the great thingabout our soldiers.”

The New Mexico native regularly meetswith each unit’s first sergeant to discuss hisexpectations and inform them of current orchanging policies. From the feedbackoffered by his first sergeants, Aragon, inturn, notifies the command and gives themadvice in handling certain situations.

His communication doesn’t stop withthe first sergeants. During the past ninemonths, Aragon has spoken to scores ofsoldiers who feel comfortable in telling himof their concerns.

“The biggest fear is going home to theunknown. A year ago it was leaving andgoing to the unknown,” Aragon revealed.“When we first got here, people were won-dering, and then they got comfortable.”

Furthermore, the success of the unit alsorelies on Aragon, who must gauge the effec-tiveness of each company, especially AlphaCompany, the Arizona unit, which is locat-ed at Bagram Air Field.

“When we deployed, we knew how towork under different commands. The rela-tion between Alpha and the 422nd hasbeen good,” he said.

Aragon is a quick study for success. Heflew to Kandahar for three weeks duringearly autumn of 2010 to gather more infor-mation about signal operations on the bat-tlefield. That gave him better insight howthe 422nd would work effectively with sub-ordinate units and to be successful duringtheir deployment.

He strongly feels the personal interac-tion and the pre-deployment trip definitelyhelped. He gathers additional inspirationfrom being a World War II movie buff byapplying yesterday’s lessons to today.

Aragon points to a few graphics on hiscomputer screen that show the develop-ment of technology during the years …from those World War II days in the Pacificand Europe to the 21st century. The com-mand sergeant major strongly believes thebattlefield keeps improving.

“We’ll always talk about technologicaladvancements,” he said, adding soldiers’abilities under pressure never change. “Ouryoung soldiers have always been smart.”

Riding the wings of communicationsRiding the wings of communicationsMercury sendsthe message

422nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion performslike battlefield’s AT&T in southern Afghanistan

SSG Adam Fenner for the LVN422nd Expeditonary Signal Battalion commander Lt. Col. Jeffrey Hansen, left, ofDayton, and Spc. Tyler Hopkins of Reno attend an event at Kandahar Air Field,Afghanistan.

Steve Ranson / LVN photoLt. Col. Michael S. Peyerl of Reno, a 1991 Churchill County High School gradu-ate, shows some of the care packages he has received from family.

Steve Ranson / LVN photoAs the battalion’s top enlisted soldier, Command Sgt. Major Jose Aragon advis-es commanders on soldier morale and welfare.

Steve Ranson / LVN photoA welcome sign marks the entrance to the battalion’s site.

Friday, December 2, 201120 • lahontanvalleynews.com

Spending my first night in KabulFlying over Afghanistan is like flying over central

Nevada because of the numerous mountain ranges andbarren valleys. We arrived in Kabul one hour late and dur-ing a heavy downpour on Nov. 9. Kabul is definitely whereEast meets West. Because of Kabul’s location in themountains of northeast Afghanistan, the plane made sev-eral corkscrew bankings to approach the runway. Enter-ing the airport’s immigration section was a step back intime, something like the Mission Impossible teamencountered behind the Iron Curtain.

The ride to the hotel never showed and neither did the“American” friendly cabbie. An American contractor, whowas with me in the immigration line, offered his assis-tance, and he also had a flight out of Kabul the followingmorning. Security is very, very tight. Hotel securityguards, for example, checked every bag and then scannedthe contents. A thorough patdown ensued. My stomachwould not stop churning.

Spending the night in Kabul was a gut-wrenchingexperience. The process to be in a safe haven for the nightcouldn’t have been accomplished without the help ofMark Kizzia, a contractor from Oklahoma working inAfghanistan.

Needless to say, I did not sleep well during the night,wondering if I had made the correct decision.

In order to reach Kandahar Air Field quicker and not torely on military flights, I purchased a commercial ticket tothe Kandahar airport. Our ride to the airport early Thurs-day morning occurred before sunrise. One of Mark’s pro-fessional engineers, Abasin Bawar, drove us through sev-eral neighborhoods that have seen the effects of almost25 years of war. For those who complain about bodyscanners at the airport, they should experience enteringKabul International Airport.

About a mile from the main terminal, Bawar had tostop at the first checkpoint. Kizzia and I had to exit thevehicle, walk through a security checkpoint and befrisked. The car was also checked. We returned to the carand proceeded another half mile. Another security check-point and frisking. Guards had us take our luggage andplace it through a scanner. We were then able to proceedto a holding terminal about 300 yards from the main ter-minal.

The airport does not have screens to tell passengers ofimpending flights. People must go with the flow and mustact with instinct. After a half hour we left for the main ter-minal and jumped on an older model diesel bus for theshort 5-minute ride. Once there, another scan of the lug-

gage and a pat-down. Finally, we were able check in ourluggage and proceed to the main gate ... and you guessedit … another frisking and the X-ray scan of carry-on lug-gage.

The flight to Kandahar was scheduled for 7:30 a.m, butthe minutes ticked by. Finally, at 9 a.m. another busarrived at the terminal and took the waiting passengers toa Kam Air jet for the flight. Take off and 60 minutes later,the jet arrived at Kandahar, where I picked up my luggageand was escorted to an American checkpoint near themain terminal for entrance into Kandahar Air Field, acompound consisting of many Coalition partners andthousands of military personnel and contractors.

— Steve Ranson

Steve Ranson / LVN photoA street vendor patiently sits while trying to hawk bananas and other fruit alongside a major road leadingto the Kabul airport in Afghanistan.

BY STEVE RANSON


KANDAHAR AIR FIELD,Afghanistan — 1st. Lt. T.C. Hous-ton, a Colorado guardsmanattached to the 422nd Expedi-tionary Signal Battalion at Kanda-har Air Field (KAF), is a youngchaplain who served as an assis-tant pastor before volunteering toserve in Afghanistan.

Not only does the OklahomaState University graduate addresssoldiers’ needs, but he also advisesthe commander on individualconcerns and morale.

And on Sundays, soldiers canfind Houston presiding over aservice with fellow pastors.

During the time the 422nd andits companies have beendeployed in Regional Command-South, which encompasses Kan-dahar Province, Houston visitedmany soldiers who were spreadout around the region.

“I made it to nine FOBs (For-ward Operating Bases),” Houstonrecounts. “I spent almost twomonths in travel, and at one FOB, Ispent 12 days there because they(Army) closed the landing zonesbecause of dust. I had to wait untilI caught a convoy.”

While at the FOBs, Houstonsaid soldiers at the smaller postsfeel more angst, more intense. Hesaid soldiers at KAF view the base“like a different duty station.”

Responses from the soldiers are

positive, and many have acceptedHouston as one of their own Neva-da guardsman. Houston grew upin Kansas, but now his family livesin Colorado.

“When I showed up, I was verywelcomed,” he said of his arrivalto Camp Mercury, home for the422nd. “The soldiers immediatelyreferred to me as ‘our chaplain.’”

Houston, though, said soldiers’needs at KAF are interpersonal. Hesaid concerns range from sup-porting their friends to supportingcombat. One soldier, a sniper,wrestled with his mission. Hous-ton said the guardsman was strug-gling with the paradox of killingand eternity. Houston said hehelped the soldier understandhow God views this and how hecan continue with his mission.

“According to the Bible, restor-

ing peace is a righteous act inaccordance with faith,” the chap-lain explained.

Houston has also been a shoul-der for soldiers to cry on. The mosttraumatic event of deploymentdid not happen at KAF; instead itoccurred in Nevada. When threeCarson City guardsmen werekilled in September, the 422nd sol-diers reached out to Houston forstrength and comfort.

“When we lost our brothers andsisters, I immediately knew wehad a tragedy,” Houston remem-bers. “It was hard for the troops.They knew them, worked withthem ....”

Houston, though, was alsoaffected by another situation. Hehad to stand in for a chaplain wholeft the base for several weeks, butduring that time, Houston was

asked to preside over KAF cere-monies as two fallen soldiers weresent home on the “Angel Flight,”the final journey fromAfghanistan to Dover Air ForceBase.

Houston said he performed theservices, but the tears trickleddown his cheeks.

As the battalion chaplain,Houston also works closely withthe Family Support Groups. Onone November afternoon, Hous-ton received several packages ofpillows sewn by the soldiers’wives, mothers or daughters.Houston said packages like thisbecome a big morale booster.

Chaplain T.J. Houston —another guardsmen serving hiscountry, serving his soldiers andserving God on the battlefield atKandahar Air Field.

A shoulder to lean on

Steve Ranson / LVN photoChaplain 1st Lt. T.C. Houston, left, hands out a pillow to Sgt. Eugene Hamilton of Las Vegas. Thepillows were sent to the 422nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion by the Family Support Group.

Chaplain servessoldiers assignedto 422nd ESB

The mission of the SignalCorps is to provide and man-age communications andinformation systems supportfor the command and controlof combined arms forces.

Signal support includesNetwork Operations (infor-mation assurance, informa-tion dissemination manage-ment, and network manage-ment) and management ofthe electromagnetic spec-trum.

Signal support encompass-es all aspects of designing,installing, maintaining, andmanaging information net-works to include communica-tions links, computers, andother components of localand wide area networks.

Signal forces plan, install,operate, and maintain voiceand data communicationsnetworks that employ singleand multi-channel satellite,tropospheric scatter, terrestri-al microwave, switching, mes-saging, video-teleconferenc-ing, visual information, andother related systems.

They integrate tactical,strategic and sustaining basecommunications, informa-tion processing and manage-ment systems into a seamlessglobal information networkthat supports knowledgedominance for Army, jointand coalition operations.

Source: U.S. Army Signal Corps

Signal CorpsMission

Wednesday, December 7, 201114 • AFGHANISTAN lahontanvalleynews.com Wednesday, December 7, 2011 lahontanvalleynews.com AFGHANISTAN • 15

BY STEVE RANSON


KANDAHAR AIR FIELD,Afghanistan — Imagine the ricketywagon trains rolling over unchart-ed land on their way to Californiaor Oregon during the 1850s.

Then look at the journey’s intri-cate movement and what it tookfor the wagon master to prevent“all hell from breaking loose”either with equipment or pio-neers.

Now, fast forward more than150 years and to another countrywhere the same scenario couldplay out in a more technologicallysavvy world.

That’s a similar role inherited byHeadquarters and HeadquartersCompany (HHC) of the 422ndExpeditionary Signal Battalion(ESB) that deployed to KandaharAir Field in March as part of Oper-ation Enduring Freedom. Both

Nevada Army National Guardunits are housed at the WashoeArmory north of Reno.

HHC’s different missionHHC’s mission, though, is

much different from the compa-nies that round out the battalionthat is nestled among buildings ina small area of KAF called CampMercury.

“We ensure all working parts ofa company are handled by oneplatoon, and that’s us,” said 1stSgt. Elizabeth “Lizy” Leimandt,who grew up in Douglas Countybut now lives in Carson City. She,along with her operations NCOIC(noncommissioned officer incharge) Staff Sgt. Michael Raviartof Gardnerville, ensure all soldiersare in good hands.

“We take care of soldier care,morale, welfare. We make sure themachine keeps oiled,” saidRaviart, a 14-year veteran who

joined the signal battalion threeyears ago.

Leimandt said the signal battal-ion has outperformed any signalunit sent to KAF and insisted thewarfighter had fewer communica-tions issues and more availabilityto home than anyone.

“I would say it was a success,”she stressed. “We had some hardtimes. Sitting on a large FOB (for-ward operating base) tends tobring out the drama in people, butso far they have held it togetherand pushed the mission which iswhat counts.”

Most of Raviart’s duties areaccomplished in the office and notin the field, but they are equallyimportant to each soldier’s wellbeing. He works closely with thefamilies and the support groups inboth Nevada and Arizona.

“I coordinated some thingswith the Family Support Groups atdeployment,” Raviart said. “I nowwrite and send newsletters to fam-ilies back home. I focus on thepositive news, and I want to keep itupdated. I don’t want the familiesto be scared.”

Raviart emphasized thenewsletters inform families onwhat their loved ones are doing atKAF and in the field.

“This is war and war sucks, butwe’re doing something positiveand something to keep us going,”he added.

While Raviart keeps his ownpulse on morale, he also sees howseparation affects soldiers andtheir families in different ways.

“It tests loyalty,” Raviart pointedout. “I see marriages falling apart,and it’s tough. It tests your resolve.Some soldiers need to step back. Iknow they love the Army, but Ican’t see people deploying five orsix times.”

Raviart said he feels stronglyabout keeping morale high so thatthe battalion succeeds with its bat-tlefield missions. He said NCOsmust be strong in assisting sol-diers who fall into a “funk.”

“If we see someone down, wegrab that person, go for a coffeeand talk,” he explained.

Raviart, though, has found away to keep his morale high andfocused. His small office wall isadorned with San FranciscoGiants baseball memorabilia. Theimpending baseball season andopening day festivities tend tobring a smile to his face.

Although the war zone presentsits own intensity, Raviart noticedlife back at home has producedmore stress. He cited the murderof three Nevada Army NationalGuardsmen in September whichrattled many soldiers in the the-ater, not only those from Nevada.

Companies provide similarservices

While HHC takes an angelicapproach to providing assistanceto the other units in the 422nd

ESB, each company, however,tends to be its own separate entityunder the battalion’s umbrella.

Sgt. Azsha Ortega has beenspark-plug for Bravo Company, aLas Vegas signal unit that trans-formed itself more into 21st centu-ry technology before deploying toAfghanistan earlier this year.

As with the overall mission ofthe 422nd ESB, the company sup-ported numerous Forward Oper-ating Bases with connection sites.Teams scattered throughoutsouthern Afghanistan after arrivalin-country, but many guardsmenare slowly returning to Camp Mer-cury at Kandahar Air Field beforethe battalion leaves Afghanistan inearly January.

Ortega, the unit’s administra-tive NCOIC, exhibits the pride shehas for her company and her bub-bly enthusiasm shows. A singlemother from Las Vegas, Ortegasaid Kandahar has that Nevadafeel to it with the dry heat and bar-ren, brown mountains that sur-round the bowl in which the hugebase lies.

“Indeed this has been a hugelearning experience from dealingwith the basic administration stuffout here,” she said.

The deployment to Afghanistanhas not fazed Ortega, however,although she misses her daughter.Ortega’s mother, who persuadedher 25-year-old daughter to jointhe Nevada Army National Guardalmost five years ago, also servedin Iraq with the Nevada Guard’s593rd Transportation Company.

Capt. Bryan Schuster of Reno,also a combat veteran, commandsthe Las Vegas unit. Formerly thebattalion’s movement officer, hewas selected for company com-mand in late summer. The unit’smission mirrors the other Nevadacompanies.

“We’re responsible for provid-ing communication to the battle-field,” Schuster said, explainingmuch of that work extended to thesmaller sites. “We had supportmissions … to provide CommandPost nodes (connections) andJoint Network nodes.”

During his time in Afghanistan,Schuster, an ardent Boise StateUniversity graduate and fan whoseoffice shouts out to visitors withthe Bronco colors of orange andblue, visited most of the node siteshoused at the forward operatingbases, which were primarily scat-tered around Regional CommandSouth or Kandahar Province in thesoutheast quadrant of the country.

“I talked to the command groupon the ground. We received sup-port from the company and battal-ion level and experienced noequipment failures during theyear,” Schuster said. “The soldiershave also kept the generators run-ning, and I find that fantastic.”

Generators were used when asite either experienced outages orwas unable to sustain power to the

equipment.Schuster said soldiers at the

remote sites love their workbecause they are working on theirown and doing their jobs. Part ofthe success centers on stackingteams with the best personnelpossible. When battalion assignedthe teams, Schuster said mechan-ics who could keep the generatorsrunning were also included.

A contact officer with theBureau of Land Management’sstate office in Reno, Schusterjoined the Marines out of highschool in the late 1990s and once

he completed his enlistment,Schuster entered the ROTC pro-gram at Boise State and joined theIdaho Army National Guard aftergraduation. He deployed toAfghanistan in 2008 with a PoliceMentor Training Team.

1st Sgt. Rodney Medina, a lettercarrier in Las Vegas for the past 18years, said servicing the FOBs hasbeen the No. 1 challenge butbecause of transportation issues.

“The transportation could behard but something we can dealwith,” Medina said. “We needed toget people out to the FOBs but

there were rules and restrictionson flying. I got stuck at one FOB fora month because of weather, and acouple of times from threats.”

Additionally, Medina said aplane or helicopter landed at theFOB once a week.

“It was good being with theguys,” Medina said with a grin,who rocked back in his chairagainst the wall draped with anAmerican flag. “I wasn’t behind thedesk.”

Being assigned to a war zoneand especially to a FOB takesstrength and character, and Medi-

na said it’s a first sergeant’s job toensure the mission success.

“I’m here to build a company ofmentally and physically tough sol-diers to handle this deployment,and they have,” he added.

Time has now arrived for the422nd to ensure success for thenew battalion following it, andMedina said the key is to help theAlabama Army National Guardbattalion become settled at KAF.

Charley Company’s reachCharley or C Company repre-

sents the signal battalion’s North-ern Nevada interests. Command-ed by Capt. Gordon Steinmannand his 1st Sgt. Julio Guerrero, theunit is a heavy switch companyresponsible for three CommandPost nodes and a “triple s” or sin-gle shelter switch. Like BravoCompany, the Washoe Armorybased company scattered itsguardsmen throughout RC-S andRC-West to FOBs to provide com-munications. Steinmann said partof the mission has been to usecopper for computer hook-up andfiber wire for Internet connec-tions.

“Now we have Harris radios,satellites and Internet, all veryimportant over here,” he explainedwhen taking several people on atour of the equipment yard. “Wehave moved past the old greenphone. The evolution of technolo-gy has taken us around the globe,both with secure and nonsecureinformation.”

When a new building nearscompletion either at KAF or at aFOB, for example, Steinmann saidthe signal company builds thedrops for communication andprovides fiber optics. Then, thesoldiers test the classified andunclassified signals that arereceived by satellite dishes.

Steinmann said the companybegan fielding new equipment in2009 to meet the needs of the

modern-day battlefield, anupgrade from the Army’s Cold Wardays with the former Soviet Unionand its Iron Curtain allies.

“Intel requirements now travelaround the battlefield instanta-neously,” Steinmann explained.

Since the signal battalionbridged communications insouthern Afghanistan Steinmannsaid the mission has been “awe-some” in what the soldiers aredoing for communications. Notonly is Charley Company and theother units responsible for suc-cessful communications but theyare also teaching other units — aswell as their own personnel — howto deal with Help Desk issues.

“It’s wild to see a NationalGuard expeditionary signal battal-ion accomplish its mission verywell,” he said. “Amazing how sol-diers step up with little training.”

After deployment to KAF andonce soldiers installed equipment,Steinmann said guardsmen expe-rienced overheating with theapparatus, but he said they figuredout a way to cool the equipmentwith air conditioning in order tocomplete the job.

Communications at BagramAlthough Alpha Company hails

from Casa Grande, Ariz., andreceived most of its peacetimeguidance from the Arizona ArmyNational Guard, soldiers said the422nd has been a good adminis-trator despite the unit setting upshop at Bagram Air Field, almost300 miles north of Kandahar.

Some of its operation, though,remained at KAF, primarily inmaintenance

Additionally, the companyreports to a National Guard signalbrigade from South Carolina,which is also at Bagram.

“They let us run the showbecause we are so independent,”1st Sgt. John Cummingsexplained. “Anything higher,

though, and the commanderworks with through the 422nd.

“We’re providing communica-tion data for computers and tele-phones,” said Cummings. “Wehave a various number of FOBsand task forces to serve ... we havea lot of bosses and people.”

While the main body associatedwith the signal battalion primarilyservices southern Afghanistan,Cummings said Alpha Company’sarea of operation covers all of RC-East. Cummings said soldiersappreciate doing a mission thatrequired the unit to use signalequipment.

“For us, that’s been a ‘true-bluesign’ of a mission where everyoneis training,” he pointed out.

Sgt. 1st Class Albert Amadorpointed out the training per-formed with the battalion and thetwo Nevada companies gave theArizona soldiers a better insightinto the Afghanistan operations.He said overall battalion trainingat the Hawthorne Army Depot 135miles south of Reno in 2010 gavethe company a true picture of thedistance required to complete theoperation successfully.

“We got here and knew what toexpect,” he said.

Cummings concurred: “Wehave some great command leader-ship, a common sense, level-head-ed approach to situations.”

Now, the company is in re-deployment stage, attempting toclean equipment and prepare thepieces for customs inspection.

Overall, Leimandt said thedeployment has been successfulfor not only HHC but also for theone Arizona and two Nevada com-panies, a thought echoed by thebattalion executive officer, Lt. ColMichael S. Peyerl, a ChurchillCounty High School graduate.

“I say as a team, collectively,and the mission given to us, noother signal battalion did it asgood as we did,” he said.

DESTINY SOUTHWEST ASIA

Companies provide battlefield communications

Steve Ranson / LVN photo1st Sgt. Elizabeth “Lizy” Leimandt, left, of Carson City and Staff Sgt. Michael Raviart of Gardnervilleensure that Headquarters and Headquarters Company of the 422nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion(ESB) take care of soldiers’ needs during their Afghanistan deployment at Kandahar Air Field.

The machinery that keeps the operation running

Steve Ranson / LVN photoAlpha Company of the 422nd Signal Battalion has been based atBagram Air Field since March. Pictured, from left, are Sgt. 1stClass Albert Amador and 1st Sgt. Jim Cummings. The company isout of Casa Grande, Ariz., but assigned to the Nevada battalion.

Steve Ranson / LVN photoCapt. Bryan Schuster, left, and Sgt. Azsha Ortega are serving withBravo Company, a Las Vegas unit assigned to the 422nd SignalBattalion at Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan.

Steve Ranson / LVN photoCharley Company, one of the companies assigned to the 422nd Signal Battalion in Afghanistan, iscommanded by Capt. Gordon Steinmann, left. The company’s first sergeant is Julio Guerrero.

Friday, December 9, 2011 lahontanvalleynews.com • 17

Morale among Nevada Guardsmenwho are serving in Afghanistan at

Kandahar Air Field remains high.

Soldiers are performing thecommunications jobs forwhich they were trained.

One thing, though,looms when they

return home.

Department of Defense photo

NOJOBSNOJOBS

Friday, December 9, 201118 • AFGHANISTAN lahontanvalleynews.com Friday, December 9, 2011 lahontanvalleynews.com AFGHANISTAN • 19

Guardsmen haveskills but faceNevada’s highunemployment

BY STEVE RANSON


KANDAHAR AIR FIELD, Afghanistan —Sgt. Stephen Belcher is the face of the NevadaArmy National Guard in Afghanistan.

So is Staff Sgt. Craig Shean of Incline Village.And so are soldiers like Kristina Litle and

James Eddings — both Las Vegas staff ser-geants — and many more who are servingoverseas like Gardnerville’s Michael Raviart, astaff sergeant with Headquarters and Head-quarters Company (HHC).

While their camaraderie at Kandahar AirField bonds them together as soldiers, a com-mon denominator will affect them when theyreturn to Nevada in January from their year-long deployment.

What binds these soldiers and scores likethem is that they will be unemployed whentheir boots hit the ground in the Silver State.

Since the 422nd Expeditionary Signal Bat-talion left Reno in January for two months oftraining and then deployed to Afghanistan,Uncle Sam has gainfully employed these sol-diers.

What happens next?The future, though scares all of them.“I don’t have a job to go back to,” said the

29-year-old Belcher, who lives in Logandale, ashort 45-minute drive from Las Vegas. “Mywife doesn’t work, and we have three childrenages 6, 3 and 1.”

While Belcher and his fellow guardsmenare counting down the days to returninghome, the notion of soldiers not having jobsweighs heavily on him.

“Many of our soldiers will be unemployedwhen they return home,” he explained.“Though we have many skills and abilities toprovide the employment market, it will still bedifficult to find employment.”

But the strong desire to be home with fami-ly keeps Belcher focused. Articulate with hischoice of words and expressions, he said thethought of being home with his wife and chil-dren makes him anxious to compensate forlost time.

The latest, unofficial estimates taken of thetwo Nevada companies and HHC assigned tothe signal battalion indicate that 40-50 per-cent of the soldiers in each unit — or about140 soldiers total — do not have a civilian jobwaiting for them.

Because of the unemployment guardsmen

are facing when they return home, Sen. HarryReid, D-Nev., Gov. Brian Sandoval and CalebCage from the Nevada Office of Veterans Ser-vices have pledged their assistance.

Capt. Gordon Steinmann, commander ofCharley Company at the Washoe Armorynorth of Reno, said the poor economy is caus-ing soldiers to seek extensions in Afghanistan.

Because of that, he is encouraging soldiersto look for jobs now and obtain more informa-tion before leaving to Nevada.

Steinmann said he was encouraged whenSandoval visited the battalion in August andsaid he would work on a veterans outreach forjobs.

1st Sgt. Rodney Medina of Bravo Company,the lone Las Vegas unit in the 422nd, said bat-talion personnel including him are workinghard to set up its soldiers for success and helpthem find jobs.

“We’re giving them classes for résumé writ-ing,” Medina said. “I’ve been looking at thewebsites to see what jobs they can apply for.We are going to give them all the tools. As aleader I like to give them the tools, and thenthey go to run with them. It’s tough love. Notonly do we train them to get by in the Guardbut also get them out in the real world.”

Medina, a postal carrier, said he would hateto see the soldiers waste their knowledge ifthey can’t use it.

“It would break my heart if they don’t takewhat they learn out here and take it to thecivilian world,” lamented Medina. “Some,though, have been proactive. One of the sol-diers is interested in nursing.”

Although nursing may not be in the samejob cluster as a cable installer, Medina said atleast the person is looking toward future jobopportunities and what field may be hiring.

The lack of jobsLikewise, Shean, a tactical communication

NCOIC (noncommissioned officer in charge),has spent eight years in the National Guard.He had previously been employed as a projectmanager in construction jobs but thoseopportunities have disappeared during the

poor economic times.While in Afghanistan, Shean has been busy

perfecting his communications work. He saidit has been a challenge trying to get the localAfghanistan people to understand technology.

“They can do it, but it will take time,” Sheansaid.

He added the high point of his deploymenthas been working with Coalition partners inorder to make communications work alongthe units and out to Forward Operating Bases(FOBs).

“It’s one team, one fight,” he said.Yet, he has anxieties about returning home

to Nevada in January. In fact, he would like to extend his deploy-

ment with another unit, the only sure way forhim to receive a paycheck.

“I am going home with no job and going toNevada with 13 percent unemployment.” hesaid, his voice growing a little more agitated.“Something is to be said of staying in a warzone to have a job.”

Shean grew a little more intense with hissubsequent responses. On top of having nojob waiting for him, he will not have the samehome to go to. The Incline Village guardsmansaid he and his wife are in the process ofobtaining a divorce.

“I am going home,” Shean said. “There’snot a lot of joy for me when I climb off theplane,” he said. “When the commander says‘Dismiss’ — dismiss to what?”

Litle is finishing her third tour but her sec-ond to Afghanistan. The Las Vegas residentalso deployed to Iraq, and she was also able toextend some tours.

“Each tour is different,” said Litle, who isserving in the training section (G-3). “I haveseen how progress has changed everything.”

Litle has been in the military since her firstdeployment almost seven years ago, but she— along with many others — may not be ableto extend because the U.S. Army is cuttingback on tours.

“I don’t have a job in Vegas,” she said. “I’mlooking at Reno and Carson City, but mostjobs are on the East Coast.”

Litle said an alternative would be to attendcollege because most employers insist on theapplicant having a degree.

“That’s a roadblock,” she pointed out. “I amcertified in IT (internet technology) jobs, andqualified with all my certifications. OJT (on thejob training) is the best experience, but manyemployers want a degree.”

Litle said she has been applying for jobssince October but with no luck.

Likewise, Eddings has served on multipledeployments, three with signal units and theother with the 1864th Transportation Compa-ny out of Henderson.

While in Afghanistan, he has served as theunit movement officer at a Forward OperatingBase. He will be unemployed unless he canremain at Kandahar.

“I have no job to go to,” echoed Eddings.“The last job I had was before the thirddeployment. I was laid off (as a driver)because of the economy. I have no wife and nokids but I help support my sister and mom.But I have enough to take care of them.”

Raviart, an operations NCOIC with Head-quarters and Headquarters Company, hasbeen busy while in Afghanistan. Once hedeparts Afghanistan and returns home, theDouglas County guardsman said he wants topursue full-time opportunities with the Neva-da National Guard either in Carson City orReno.

Prior to deployment Raviart performedADOS or Active Duty for Operation Support,which resulted in him having short tours foralmost two years. Now, Raviart isn’t so sure any

ADOS tours await him.“The economy is terrible,” he said, shaking

his head.Spc. Damien Celaya has mixed feelings

about returning home. His salary has helpedsupport his family in Las Vegas, but he won-ders what the future will bring.

“I like being here; it’s a different opportuni-ty here that have given me a ‘heads up’ on myfuture,” said the 27-year-old Celaya, who alsoserved on a deployment in 2009-2010 with the221st Cavalry Regiment, also from Las Vegas.“It would be nice to extend, but family comesfirst. I need to find something to provide formy family.”

He has a wife and two daughters, one a 3-and-a-half-month-old girl who was bornwhile Celaya was at Kandahar.

While his second tour to Afghanistan hasn’tbeen as intense as the first, he said the countryis still dangerous. Instead of conductingpatrols, Celaya, instead, has worked at CampMercury, the temporary home of the 422nd.Being on base, though, has helped Celayaadvance himself by earning addition certifica-tions in the communications field.

“My key goal is to find something in the jobmarket,” he said, adding after the last deploy-ment he also struggled to find a job.

Looking aheadSgt. Mark Bell of Henderson had joined

Celaya on the 221st deployment. He worked inmilitary intelligence and provided informa-tion to the command.

The married father of five children said in aperfect world, he would love to be home. Bell,though, was in construction until jobs begandisappearing in southern Nevada.

“I did construction work and worked allover the U.S.,” he said. “I’ll find something.”

One of the oldest guardsmen in the compa-ny, Bell joined the Nevada Army NationalGuard four years ago at the age of 36. He saidhis wife has been supportive, and during thedeployment, Bell said his oldest son has donean “excellent job” in helping at home.

It is Staff Sgt. Adam Fenner’s desire to usemilitary benefits for education and eventuallyobtain a college degree.

“I want to get an education,” said the 27-year-old soldier who is completing his fourthdeployment and also served in the U.S. MarineCorps in Iraq after the 2003 invasion. “I’m look-ing at the economy, and any job requires abachelor’s degree.”

Fenner has completed three semesters inbetween deployments, but he doesn’t worryabout the future. Fenner said he has time tothink about the future, but if he could extendhis deployment in Afghanistan until the econ-omy improves, he would do so.

Although his tour is nearing an end, Fennerremains upbeat and said he learned muchwhile assigned to the 422nd.

“I like the unit as a whole,” he said. “Ilearned a lot with the guys here. I made a fewnew friends … money is a plus. The 422nd hastaken care of us. There’s no glamour or glitz buta mission.”

Spc. Katelynn Till of Las Vegas is a cableinstaller for one of the Nevada companies, andsince March she has improved and added skillsto her resume.

“I run copper into the buildings and prepareit for installation,” she said.

Till said her job was challenging at first, butonce accustomed to it, she said “it was a pieceof cake.” She also worked with the Canadiansand said it was interesting to see how soldiers

from a different country run their operation.“I am pretty satisfied, and I learned a lot,”

she said. “It’s been a great learning experience.”Like others, though, Till has no job waiting

for her, but she will start over again and eitherlook at new job opportunities or apply to a col-lege.

Spc. Lance Daluson echoed Till’s concerns.He has installed cable and copper wire and

has taken classes to earn certifications.“I am learning for after deployment,” said

Daluson, who grew up in the Philippines butwas naturalized a U.S. citizen at Camp Mer-cury four months ago. “I hope to get a job inwhat I am doing here.”

Daluson also took a class on writingresumes in addition to enrolling in othercourses while at Kandahar.

“I have learned almost as much as I canabout cable,” he said, “but I definitely want totake more classes (on new subjects) if theycome out.”

Having a skill setChaplain 1st Lt. T.C. Houston said he is con-

cerned about the unemployed soldiers whoreturn to Nevada.

“The unemployment rate for vets is increas-ing,” said Houston, a Colorado Army Nationalguardsman assigned to the 422nd.

Houston said when the soldiers returnhome, he hopes many of them can take advan-tage of job fairs and show prospective employ-ers what they learned during deployment.

“They know being a vet gives them a skillset,” he added.

Soldiers find uncertainty in job market after deploymentDESTINY SOUTHWEST ASIA

Steve Ranson / LVN photoWhile at Kandahar Air Field, Nevada soldiers like Spc. Lance Daluson, left, and Spc. Katelynn Till have refined their skills inthe communications field.

“The latest, unofficial estimates taken of the two Nevadacompanies and HHC assigned to the signal battalion indicatethat 40-50 percent of the soldiers in each unit — or about 140soldiers total — do not have a civilian job waiting for them.”

Staff Sgt. Craig Shean Staff Sgt. Adam Fenner Spc. Damien Celaya Staff Sgt. Kristina Litle Sgt. Mark Bell Staff Sgt. James Eddings

Steve Ranson / LVN photo1st Sgt. Rodney Medina of Bravo Com-pany (Las Vegas) of the 422nd Expedi-tionary Signal Battalion, said both theArmy and National Guard are trying tohelp soldiers improve themselves for thejob market.

Sgt. Stephen Belcher displays an awardhe received from the Romanian army.

Page designer — Michael Higdon

Friday, December 9, 201120 • AFGHANISTAN lahontanvalleynews.com

VVeetteerraannss DDaayy aatt KKaannddaahhaarr

Besides honoring servicemenand womenwho served orare serving theircountry, the sol-diers of theNevada ArmyNationalGuard’s 422ndExpeditionarySignal Battalionspent Nov. 11 asanother work dayat Kandahar AirField.

The training shop (S-3) held aMusubi Night. Chief cook EdVallejos, a Guardsman for 16

years, served as main chef. The1991 Fallon grad rolled spam(no sushi here, folks) withpacked rice and a seaweed

wrap. I hesitated for a bit inwanting to try one, but I relent-ed. Not bad ... other soldiershad a karaoke night, while oth-ers played cards or attended aBBQ hosted by an active U.S.Army unit.

On Nov. 12, about 25 Nevadasoldiers participated in a funrun to promote breast cancerawareness.

The run ended at the Board-walk, a square of businessesoffering food courts, telephonecards and souvenirs.

While there in November, Isaw the KAF command placingsod in the middle section of theBoardwalk.

Later that night, MWR(Morale, Welfare and Recre-ation) presented its version ofAmerican Idol. Contestantsentertained a packed house,and each singer received a cri-tique from one of three judgesincluding Spc. Robert Diehl ofLas Vegas, a guardsman whohad never deployed in his eightyears with the military until Jan-uary.

Diehl, who owned his own DJand karaoke business in LasVegas until the economy souredon him, announced the morn-ing run and recognized the topcontestants.

“I always did unit events,”

Diehl said of the time back inLas Vegas, and because of that,MWR authorized him to bringhis gear. “I have done over 100shows at KAF.”

Those around him say Diehlhas been a big hit with his per-sonality and great radio voice.

When his equipment beganto wear out, Diehl said thetroops rallied and donatedalmost $10,000 for new equip-ment.

Diehl, though, said when hereturns, he wants to enroll incommunity college and pursuehis dream of becoming an actor.

Many soldiers commented onthe hundreds of Vets Day mes-sages they received on multipleFacebook sites. They were very

fortunate to have the supportfrom family and friends backhome. For me, it was an honorto be with fellow Guardsmen onthis special day.

While many soldiersreceived recognition on Veter-ans Day, I also received onefrom my 20-year-old daughterwho practically grew up duringmy career in the Nevada ArmyNational Guard until I retired in2009. I shared this messagebefore, but it is worth repeatingagain, especially for those whonever had the opportunity todeploy to either Bosnia, Iraq orAfghanistan:

“I just wanted to stop by andsay thank you for everything thatyou have done for this country. It

doesn’t matter if you were Na-tional Guard, noncombat, andnever deployed, because you werestill a soldier. You trained andstayed behind and watched yoursoldiers get deployed and madesure their deployments were assmooth as it could be. You alwaysenvied them, because they got todeploy and you couldn’t. I stilldon’t even know why being in awar zone, even as a civilian, fas-cinates you. I love you with all ofmy heart and I couldn’t haveasked for a better dad and hero.You’re the greatest man to everwalk on this planet and I’m soproud to call you my father.Happy Veterans Day to my hero.”

LVN EditorSteve

Ranson

Preparing for Musubi Night

The Boardwalk

Spc. Robert Diehl spins the tunes.

Army courses provide additional certificationsin communications

BY STEVE RANSON


KANDAHAR AIR FIELD, Afghanistan —Classes aren’t mandatory, but soldiers fromthe Nevada Army National Guard, othermilitary personnel assigned to KandaharAir Field (KAF) and civilians are recognizingthe importance of taking certificationcourses to help them look for employmentonce they return home.

Such a place is the Institute of Technolo-gy University or “Signal U” — a small, butmodest campus of two modular units hous-ing four classrooms at Kandahar Air Fieldthat began offering instruction 18 monthsago.

Courses at Signal U are helping studentslearn more about their assigned job special-ties and leadership. No one is more excitedabout the university and its mission thanCapt. David Raines, the 422nd Expedi-tionary Signal Battalion’s liaison to theschoolhouse and information managementofficer. Since the battalion arrived inAfghanistan in March and soldiers begantaking classes, he said students haveenrolled in more than 3,000 courses.

“These classes are all self-funded, and wegive 25 percent of the seats to nonmilitary,”Raines said.

Raines, who still retains his North Caro-lian accent, shows the exuberance of anadmissions officer in promoting the pro-grams. Classes are full, day after day.

It is Raines’ responsibility to scheduleclasses and manage funding for the classes.

According to Raines, who plans to obtainhis master’s degree in information manage-ment once he returns home, most classesare computer generated, but several in-

structors teach other courses. Among theclasses eligible for certification are securitycommunications and network classes.

For example, Raines said a Cisco Certi-fied Network Assistant class is worth two tothree semester credits.

“The Army is meeting the technologicalstandards in the civilian industry,” Rainespointed out. “Each one of the certificationsequates to a higher paying level job in theU.S.”

Sixteen students are eligible to take twocourses a week.

Matthew J. Cummings, a voice and rout-ing instructor with the U.S. Army TrainingSupport Division at Ft. Gordon, Ga., will beteaching a course during the next cycle ofclasses.

With Cummings becoming the thirdinstructor, the retired Army communica-tions specialist said Signal U will be able toexpand the number of classes and add stu-dents.

Among the classes, he said, in which sol-diers will be able to earn certification areWarfighter Information Network (tactical),routing courses designed especially for sig-nal soldiers, and Microsoft courses.

“Soldiers get a lot out of it,” Cummingssaid of Signal U’s instruction.

Similar programs are also offered at Ft.Carson, Colo; Ft. Riley, Kan.; and Ft. Camp-bell, Ky.

Sgt. Adrian Felix of Las Vegas is a firmbeliever in Signal U.

“The courses at the Signal University, for

me, are an introduction to the IT careerfield, the career field that I fully intend topursue in the military, as well as in the civil-ian world,” Felix said. “I have no shameadmitting that I do not have employmentto look forward to when I make it back toHenderson, but the certifications that I’mearning here and the education that I’mpursuing when I make it home ... well, withhard work and discipline over a long periodof time, finding employment will not be anissue.”

Felix, though, said this is his seconddeployment, and if he cannot find a job inLas Vegas, he may seek another tour inAfghanistan until the economy improves.

“So I look at these classes as a small foun-dation to huge opportunities that I’ll havein the future,” he said.

Felix added the 422nd is encouragingsoldiers to take classes and improve them-selves.

“The battalion and especially the leader-ship in my section have been incrediblysupportive of soldiers taking classes andfurthering their education,” he explained.“They force you to make it your priority, asit should be.”

Signal U offers soldiers an opportunity to improve

Steve Ranson / LVN photosThe Institute of Technology University, or “Signal U,” gives soldiers an opportunity toearn more certifications in communications.

“Signal U” provides numerous courses.



Steve Ranson / LVN photos Spc. Kenneth Wheeler, left, and Sgt. Edsel Vallejos carry priority mail boxes to a sorting area near the422nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion’s main area.

Sgt. Edsel Vallejos, a Churchill County High School graduate who lives in Reno, reaches for boxes out of aHumvee. Vallejos is the 422nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion’s postmaster.

Spc. Samuel Alameda of Las Vegas unloads mail fordistribution.

Battalion’s mail unitreceives hundreds ofpackages, letters

BY STEVE RANSON


KANDAHAR AIR FIELD, Afghanistan — Through rain,sleet or snow, the mailman delivers.

For Sgt. Edsel Vallejos, a Churchill County High Schoolgraduate serving in Afghanistan, this mailman has alsoadded war zone.

Assisted by a small crew of two specialists from Las Vegas— Samuel Alameda and Kenneth Wheeler — Vallejos servesas the Mailroom NCOIC (noncommissioned officer) and isresponsible for ensuring the mail is delivered to the unitsand individuals in a timely manner and that outgoing mailreaches the processing facility at KAF for transportation tothe United States.

Vallejos is postmaster for the 422nd Expeditionary SignalBattalion of the Nevada Army National Guard.

Everyday, Vallejos and his assistant mailmen drive to acollection point, pick up the parcels and letters and returnto the battalion headquarters. It then takes several hours tosort the mail into stacks, one each for the three companiesand the other from Headquarters and Headquarters Com-pany. Company representatives pick up the bundles fortheir respective units. He said senders prefer priority mailbecause it can be insured and tracked.

Vallejos, who joined the U.S. Army out of high school,said many people — which include strangers — write lettersto the soldiers. Once the mail leaves a Nevada post office,Vallejos said the average time to arrive in Afghanistan isabout one week to 10 days.

“Our average load is winding down, but we are still expe-riencing more mail around the Christmas holidays,” saidVallejos, who graduated from high school in 1993. “Mostly, Iam seeing priority mail and packages from Amazon. Every-one shops online.”

During previous annual trainings, Vallejos served as anadministrative clerk, but when the battalion needed a post-master, the 16-year veteran of the Nevada Army NationalGuard stepped up.

Sorting and delivering mail is not new for Vallejosbecause in civilian life, he works for the U.S. Postal Serviceand has held many different positions. When he returnshome to Northern Nevada, Vallejos will distribute the mailto carriers and also work the counter at the Sparks office.

Vallejos said the battalion does not receive too many let-ters because soldiers and their families usually communi-cate through Facebook, email or Skype; however, he saidsome senders include letters inside the packages.

National Guard postmaster‘delivers’ to his fellow soldiers

Area residents havemajor responsibilities‘behind the scenes’

BY STEVE RANSON


KANDAHAR AIR FIELD, Afghanistan —These soldiers remain in the backgroundduring most operations, but they providean invaluable service in keeping the battal-ion afloat during its deployment.

They work in such areas as personnelrecords, transportation and intelligence assoldiers assigned to the 422nd Expedi-tionary Signal Battalion, which has beendeployed to Kandahar Air Field in south-ern Afghanistan since March.

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Billie McFar-land’s section takes care of every soldier’spersonnel file and ensures evaluations,pay information and any awards recom-mendations are filed accordingly.

“Our section deals with promotions,finances, legal, medical and mail,” saidMcFarland, a mother of three who lives inFernley and has been with the NevadaNational Guard since the late 1990s.

McFarland joined the battalion in Octo-ber, coming from the state’s personnelbranch to assist the 422nd. She has spentmost of her 19-year military carrier in per-sonnel administration.

Prior to deployment, she said the S-1 orpersonnel service support arm of the bat-talion — assisted by the Nevada Guard’sstate office in Carson City — processedsoldiers for their tour to Afghanistan. Onthe flip side of deployment, McFarland’ssection except one or two soldiers willleave Afghanistan about two weeks beforethe battalion’s main body departs and willthen assist in the demobilization of the422nd when the main body arrives on theEast Coast at Ft. Dix, N.J..

She said soldiers will be examined bythe medical branch and receive counsel-ing on their integration back in a noncom-bat situation.

Sgt. 1st Class Gertrude Montando ofReno said the personnel section has beenchallenged during the 10-month deploy-ment. Although the section assists theNevada units with their files, she said theactive Army companies attached to the422nd have a different system.

Overall, she said the S-1 section hasovercome, in one way or another, theproblems. But Montando said the deploy-ment has made the staff of 15 closer.

“This team achieved goals, and this isthe best team ever,” she said. “We are like alittle family and try to do things together.”

McFarland agrees but also credits herother family for “being there.”

“Without the support of my three chil-dren, I would have never made it throughthis deployment,” she said.

Staff Sgt. Matthew Fenn, also from Fern-ley, is the battalion’s Movement NCOIC.The S-4 section is responsible for ammu-nition, fuel, food, water, maintenance,

materials, engineering and transportation“I coordinate the movement for the

entire battalion,” said Fenn, a guardsmanfor eight years.

Fenn arrived in Afghanistan after themain body and was assigned to his currentposition. He submits requests for flightswith the aviation office and coordinatesthe travel of personnel and equipment.

I work with the Regional Command –South (Kandahar) and flight operationsand anyone who will help move a piece ofequipment for us,” Fenn said. “I theninform the command where they (person-nel) need to be.”

Fenn completed his tasks to arrange forthe battalion to travel to the United Statesseveral months ago, and once the 422ndarrives in the U.S., he said additional workmust be done to fly companies to theirrespective home stations.

“At the demob (demobilization station),I don’t now what the process will be,” Fennadded.

Fenn, though, knows the trip backhome will take more than a day.

“It’ll be a long trip back, but we are allused to long flights,” he said.

The day-to-day signal operations is apriority for 1st. Lt. Richard Cohen of Reno,the battalion’s network officer.

“We’re dealing with the largest strategictactical environment in the world,” saidthe Reno soldier. “We support thousandsof users.”

The 422nd ESB is responsible for pro-viding communications — both secure

and nonsecure — to military units insouthern Afghanistan. On one hand, hesaid operations take care of the users atKAF, and how tactical operations involvethe forward and contingency operatingbases with connections and transmissionfrom both satellites and microwave linesof site. Cohen said the network mustremain functional among the various sitesand units.

What makes Cohen’s section unique isthat it’s manned by both civilian contrac-

tors, who have in-depth experience inInternet technology and communica-tions, and military personnel.

“It’s a huge asset to have them herewhen we have issues,” he said of the con-tractors.

Furthermore, Cohen said local con-tracting companies such as North IslandResearch and Afghan Wireless Communi-cations Company have been invaluable.

“They play a key role in providing thebackbone in infrastructure,” Cohen said.

Battalion sections responsiblefor ‘behind the scenes’ ops

Photos by Steve Ranson / LVN photosChief Warrant Officer 2 Billie McFarland of Fernley and her staff have been spending countless hours preparing files for the422nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion’s redeployment to Nevada.

ChiefWarrantOfficer 2BillieMcFar-land ofFernleyand Sgt.1st ClassGertrudeMontan-do ofRenotake abreakbeforegoing todinner.

485th Military Policemenguard detaineesat Parwan

BY STEVE RANSON


CAMP SABALU-HARRISON,Afghanistan — In a remote sec-tion of Bagram Air Field in north-eastern Afghanistan lies one of themost state-of-the art internmentfacilities in Southwest Asia.

Administered by CombinedJoint Interagency Task Force 435,the Detention Facility in Parwan(DFIP) at Camp Sabalu-Harrisonprovides for management of adetainee population capable ofreaching 2,400 individuals.

The camp was named in honorof Army Col. James W. Harrison Jr.and Master Sgt. Wilberto SabaluJr., who were both killed by Tal-iban infiltrators to the AfghanArmy outside the Kabul prisonnamed Pol E Charki in 2007.

Although joint military forcesguard the majority of detainees,Afghanistan Army soldiers guard acellblock of approximately 400 de-tainees.

According to Navy Lt. RichardS. Chernitzer, CJITF-435 publicaffairs officer, the DFIP is thelargest detention facility in thetheater that allows for secure,humane and effective manage-ment of the detainee population.He said it also allows willing de-tainees to participate in groupactivities, educational and train-ing programs.

“The detention facility isequipped with modern medicalfacilities, an on-site family visita-tion area, video teleconferencingcapability, large recreation areas,vocational-technical training andeducation classrooms, and addi-tional space to conduct legal pro-ceedings,” he added.

Chernitzer said DFIP was builtat the Bagram Air Base because itwas easy to move detainees fromthe old facility to DFIP, which wasbuilt in 2009 and opened in 2010.

The old facility was torn downafter the transfer to the DFIP wascompleted.

“The DFIP is operated by U.S.military members from Army, AirForce, Navy and Marine Corpscomprising the guard force, med-ical and legal support fields,”Chernitzer explained. “In addi-tion, more than 1,000 fully trainedANA (Afghanistan Army) guardsare working within the DFIP, andmore than 300 ANA guards areconducting academic training andon-the-job training.”

The detainee process“Detainees are afforded a per-

sonal representative to representthem before their detainee review

boards,” said Chernitzer. “Theyhear all unclassified evidence heldagainst them during their de-tainee review board and have anopportunity to present their ownevidence at such boards. Theseboards differ from what is termeda ‘hearing’ in that their purpose issolely to determine if they meetthe criteria for continued deten-tion.”

Chernitzer said the JAGs ( JudgeAdvocate General’s corps ) are partof the process, a detainee reviewboard.

“Criteria for detention at theDFIP does not involve ‘guilt’ or

‘innocence,’ but rather a determi-nation based upon evidence thatdetention is necessary to mitigatethe threat the detainee poses tothe government and people ofAfghanistan, the U.S. and its coali-tion partners,” Chernitzer pointedout. “Detainees no longer consid-ered a threat are released as soonas practical. More than 1,000detainees have been releasedfrom the DFIP or transferred toGIRoA (Government of the IslamicRepublic of Afghanistan) custody.About 536 of those were releasedat about 100 Afghan-led releaseshuras.”

Furthermore, Chernitzer saidindividuals at the U.S. operatedportions of the detention facilityare held pursuant to the Sept. 18,2001, Authorization for Use of Mil-itary Force, as informed by the lawof armed conflict (LOAC), ratherthan prisoners held under Afghancriminal law.

The difference is important,Chernitzer stressed, due to thelegal implications attached to thedifferent systems of detention.

Detention of the enemy duringwartime is not for criminal pun-ishment and therefore does notrequire that individuals be

charged or tried in a court of law.It is a matter of security and mili-tary necessity and has long beenrecognized as legitimate underinternational law.

1st Lt. Robert Kolvet of Fernley,commander of the 485th MPCompany, said the security mis-sion has been good, and the sol-diers are doing well with theirassignments.

“I am proudest of the environ-ment in which they work. Moraleis high, and the brigade is general-ly happy with what we’re doing,”Kolvet said.

After the MPs deployed fromReno in August and spent twomonths refining their soldier skillsat Ft. Bliss, Texas, Kolvet said thecompany was ready for the de-tainee operations.

“The training experience atBliss gave us a snapshot,” heexplained. “The OPTEMPO (oper-ation tempo, or the rate at which aforce can engage in operations ofa given size) was higher than Iexpected because so many thingswere going on.”

While at Ft. Bliss, Kolvet saidtrainers directed the soldiers’ fo-cus toward administration andlogistics and detainee operations.

Once at DFIP, the MPs beganworking alongside security per-sonnel from the other services.According to CIJTF-435, the ArmyAir Force, Navy and Marine Corpsprovide servicemen and womenfor the guard force and the med-ical and legal support fields. Fur-thermore, the training involvesAfghan forces, and, according toChernitzer, it is the task force’sgoal that more detainee opera-tions come under Afghan control.

Mission’s importance for MPs1st Sgt. Steve T. Lawrence of

Fallon said this assignment isimportant for the 485th, a compa-ny that originally began in Fallonalmost five years ago and thenrelocated to Reno during thespring of 2009.

The assignment is simple,” hepointed out. “Keep the bad guy inthe detention facility to eliminatetheir activity on the battlefield.The message is quite simple aswell: We are charged with the care,custody and control of the insur-gents picked up on the battlefieldand who are doing harm to inter-national forces. We don’t drawconclusions. We keep an openmind and remain impartial to thesituation.”

Cpl. Lucas Six of Carson Cityconcurred.

“With any person we are guard-ing, we don’t have access to de-tainees,” he said. “But we “We tryto keep an open mind and notmake conclusions.”

Yet, he said the MPs see theinteraction among the detaineesin different cells and discover whohas the power and who hasn’t.

Friday, December 16, 2011 lahontanvalleynews.com AFGHANISTAN • 19

U.S. Government photoBefore detainees were housed at the Detention Facility in Parwan, the yard stands empty afterconstruction.

Nevada National Guard providessecurity at detention facility

See Parwan, Page 20

Friday, December 16, 201120 • AFGHANISTAN lahontanvalleynews.com Friday, December 16, 2011 lahontanvalleynews.com AFGHANISTAN • 21

Spc. Christopher Bushey ofReno said it is important thedetainees remain at DFIP and arenot allowed to return to the generalpopulation and cause more dam-age to the Coalition forces or theirown people.

“My message to those who don’tunderstand our role here is that weare only trying to help a country inneed,” he said. “Helping others iswhat makes America a greatnation. It is important for the peo-ple of the U.S. to be supportive ofthe American troops followingorders.”

For most of the MPs assigned toDFIP, Lawrence said they are eitherguarding the cellblocks or escort-ing prisoners from one area toanother.

Both Kolvet and Lawrence saidthey feel confident in their soldiers’abilities to provide guard andescort duty while at DFIP. Law-rence said many soldiers have lawenforcement backgrounds, and themajority of MPs come from theReno-Sparks-Carson City area andabout a fourth hail from southernNevada.

Lawrence, a former NevadaArmy National Guard first sergeantof the year, said the soldiers,including himself, also had someapprehension about the assign-ment after their arrival.

But he said those fears have dis-sipated.

“Fear of the unknown was veryhigh for me, extremely anxious toget our mission underway after allthe time and efforts we put into thetraining aspect,” he added.

However, complacency, whichweighs heavily with Lawrence, maybe the hardest task facing the sol-diers.

“We are charged with the care,custody and control of some forthe most dangerous people on theplanet and becoming complacentcould lead to major errors in oursystem,” Lawrence stressed.

1st. Lt. Glenn Rigdon, though,said he had no fears or anxietyprior to deployment. Rigdon, whogrew up in Douglas County andattended high school in Minden,works for the Nevada HighwayPatrol in the Las Vegas area. Rig-don’s 10 years in the Navy gave himan inside view on worldwideevents, especially during his par-ticipation in Desert Storm andSouthern Watch.

“All of us volunteered for serviceand many of us volunteered todeploy with the 485th MilitaryPolice Company, so we were men-tally prepared for the deployment,”Rigdon said. “Our mission is vital. Iwouldn’t have volunteered to comehere if I didn’t think it was. I believethe few willing to serve over hereare preventing many from beingforced to serve back home. Wemust confront the enemy herebefore they strike again at home.”

Staff Sgt. Timothy Brady, who is aguard force commander and squadleader at DFIP, said the training inboth Nevada and Texas allowed thesoldiers to be prepared for whatev-er they encounter.

“This mission to Parwan is ex-tremely important,” Brady said.“Those detainees need to be tried.They are terrorists — runningweapons, laying down IEDs (im-provised explosive devices). Weneed to get them out of the main-stream where they can’t give harm.”

For Staff Sgt. Igenacio Gonzalez,guarding prisoners is nothing newto him.

“For me, it’s identical. This iswhat I do in law enforcement,”Gonzalez said. “I work as a guardfor the Douglas County Sheriff’sOffice, but there are slightly differ-ent rules here.”

Nevertheless, Gonzalez, whoserved as a guard at Guantanamoin 2003 with the active Army, saidhe is confident in their work atDFIP.

“Our training was pretty good,and that makes me feel confident,”Gonzalez said. “But I am also look-ing forward to seeing somethingother than detainee operations.”

A new career twistOfficers like Rigdon, though, see

the deployment as something newin their careers.

Sgt. 1st Class Elbie Doege, adeputy with the Nye County Sher-iff’s Office in Tonopah, said the mis-sion is going as well as expected

and he’s “learning the ropes.”“The detention facility differs as

far as restricted movement, and theincentives detainees get are similarto the civilian prisoners backhome,” he added.

Sgt. Beatrice Hallberg, a long-time resident of Fallon, is one of 19females assigned to the DFIP. Thereare also three married couples.

“I worked real hard in recruitingfemales when we came out here,”

she said. “It’s important to havediversity.”

A member of the 485th MPCompany since it began; Hallbergis the unit’s Reading NCO (non-commissioned officer). She said

her position is an extension ofwhat she did when the unit drilled;however, because of the environ-ment in which the company is cur-rently operating, she said it’s diffi-cult to complete some tasks. Her

No. 1 priority, though, is taking careof soldiers and their families inNevada.

For her part, Hallberg spenthours learning more about Af-ghanistan and its people.

“In preparing to come here, I didsome research on where we weregoing,” she said. “We had sometraining on cultural awareness.When we came here we don’t wantto step on people’s beliefs and tra-ditions.”

Lawrence said Afghanistan, awar-torn country for centuries andits people have been abused forcenturies.

“There are some amazing andbeautiful scenes, and the people ofAfghanistan are gracious and cer-tainly want better for the children,”the first sergeant added.

Many guardsmen said theyhope to create a new legacy for the485th MP Company. PreviousNevada MP companies guardedprisons in Iraq. A detention facility,though, is different.

“First, it is important to notethat we do not operate prisons butrather detention facilities,” Cher-nitzer explained. “The distinctionis important because we are de-taining people from the battlefieldpursuant to Authorized Use of Mil-itary Force, as informed by the lawof armed conflict (LOAC), ratherthan prisoners held under Afghancriminal law. The difference isimportant due to the legal impli-cations attached to the differentsystems of detention.”

Overseas missions helpMost 485th soldiers, however,

said overseas missions havehelped them with this deploy-ment. In 2009, the 485th rotatedsoldiers in and out of the Domini-can Republic to assist with hu-manitarian projects. In 2010, theMPs flew to Haiti after the devas-tating earthquake to help withsecurity.

“Any and all training that the485th has conducted or been apart of has led us to this point intime,” Lawrence explained. “Mostuniformed personnel preparetheir lives for an opportunity todisplay their training in combat.We are no different,” Lawrencesaid.

Hallberg said the overseas de-ployments to Hispaniola helpedprepare the company for its com-bat role.

“Some of the soldiers havebeen here longer, and they feelcomfortable,” she said. “We havehad experiences and leaders whohave taken us to these countries.The leaders created a lot of confi-dence.

A former Fallon soldier whonow lives in Reno said the Haitimission was much more thangoing to a foreign country.

“Getting to know the soldiersand their capabilities and themissions prepared us and theleaders,” said Sgt. 1st Class DonWelch. “From a soldier’s stand-point, I see what a foreign coun-try looks like and the need tolearn about their culture. Haitiwas a nightmare because of theearthquake, but the situationhelped the soldiers adapt to anaustere environment. Compared

to Haiti, there are better stan-dards for soldiers and the Afghanpeople.”

Guardsmen said they areacutely aware of the poverty theysee in a foreign country.

Brady said the Dominican Re-public and Haiti missions wereimportant for the soldiers.

“A significant number of our18- to 22-year-old kids haven’tbeen anywhere. They don’t un-derstand what poverty is,” Bradyexplained. “So people who arepoor look at their wants andneeds and they’re the same. “

Brady said the young soldiersunderstand the conditions betteronce they see it.

Most military policemen mar-vel at the similarities betweenAfghanistan and Northern Neva-da. Snow-capped mountains sur-round Bagram much like the Sier-ra Mountains and Virginia Rangeencircle Reno.

“The mountains are somewhatbigger here than back home,”Bushey said in awe.

“Very mountainous, not a badplace. It’s really similar,” addedSpc. Scott Hoffman of Reno.

Rigdon, however, had secondthoughts on the two countries:“Geographically, Nevada is verysimilar to Afghanistan. In fact,this is where chukar originatefrom. I laugh every time our com-mander jokes that we are notreally in Afghanistan, but we’resecretly transported to a remotebase near Area 51.”


PARWANFrom Page 19

Steve Ranson / LVN photoStaff Sgt. Don Walsh, a former Fallon resident now living in Reno, sands next to one of the cells at the Detention Facility in Parwan,Afghanistan. Walsh is a member of the 485th Military Police Company of the Nevada Army National Guard.

1st. Lt. Robert Kolvet of Fernley, left, and 1st. Sgt. Steve T. Lawrence of Fallon, ensure the day-to-day operations of the 485th Miliary Police Company run smoothly at the Detention Facility in Par-wan, Afghanistan.

Steve Ranson /LVN photoSgt. Beatrice Hallberg and 1st Sgt. Steve T. Lawrence, both from Fallon, are assigned to the 485thMilitary Police Company of the Nevada Army National Guard. The MPs are providing security at theDetention Facility in Parwan, Afghanistan.“My message to those who don’t understand our

role here is that we are only trying to help a countryin need. Helping others is what makes America agreat nation. It is important for the people of theU.S. to be supportive of the American troopsfollowing orders.”

— SPC. CHRISTOPHER BUSHEY

“Most uniformed personnel prepare theirlives for an opportunity to display theirtraining in combat. We are no different.”

— 1ST SGT. STEVE T. LAWRENCE

Friday, December 16, 201122 • AFGHANISTAN lahontanvalleynews.com

Tight securityfocuses on truckdrivers, content

BY STEVE RANSON


KANDAHAR AIR FIELD, Af-ghanistan — The starry night pro-duced the occasional sound of atruck passing outside the fenceline, the stillness shattered by a jettaking off from the nearby landingstrip.

A full moon silhouetted thelandscape leading in all directionsfrom Kandahar Air Field. Yet, thefenced area of an entry controlpoint on the edge of KAF hasbecome one of the most danger-ous sections at the sprawling basein southern Afghanistan.

Vigilant guards allow no pedes-trian traffic, only the entrance ofdelivery and 18-wheeler cargotrucks coming into the installationto unload their goods. A multi-national, multi-service securityforce works the control point 24/7.Because of security, the militaryprohibits still or video photogra-phy inside the ECP and mandatesthat all military personnel and visi-tors wear body armor and helmet.

Spc. William Frias, a soldier withthe 422nd Expeditionary SignalBattalion headquartered in Reno,knows the dangers of the controlpoint all too well. The Las Vegasguardsman serves as the noncom-missioned officer in charge(NCOIC) of the containment areafor both vehicles and drivers,many of whom are coming intothe area after a long drive fromPakistan.

One thing is noticeable,though. Every driver is a male.

“We share security with theBulgarians, the other host nation,”explained Frias who moved tofrom Chicago to southern Nevadawith his family several years ago.

While American forces patrolon foot, the Bulgarians scan theentire area — inside and out —from a control tower, keeping awatchful eye on each and everymovement from the enteringtrucks. Cameras and visual sur-veillance are present everywherewithin the ECP. During the day, theBulgarians take the lead in per-forming the truck checks.

“The delivery vehicles arebringing in food and (bottled)water,” said Frias, who works a 12-hour night shift and constantlymoves from one section to anoth-er during his shift.

Furthermore, tankers cominginto the ECP must be empty. Friassaid once inside KAF, the Army fillswater into the tankers which arethen transported to forward oper-ating bases.

Another restriction exists.Frias said drivers can’t haul

gravel into the ECP because of tworeasons: Soldiers or Marines can-not easily search through it, andremnants of explosives could stillexist in the crushed rock.

“If the dogs smell anything,EOD (Explosive Ordnance Dispos-al) comes in from KAF … even ifwe suspect anything with explo-sives,” he said.

Frias revealed some nights canbe stressful, not only with search-es but also when the alarm for arocket attack blares out from theelevated speakers.

“We don’t go to the bunkers, wego to a fighting position. We pro-tect the foreign nationals.”

A driver entering the ECP mustcomplete a methodical procedureand then wait hours to receivefinal approval to enter KAF. Frias,who volunteered for the duty, saidthe procedures help weed outdrives who may not be “friend-lies.” Frias said other soldiers orMarines will check a driver’s

paperwork and identification andverify the purpose of his trip.Then, each guard performs a visu-al scan on all stopped drivers, not-ing only one man per vehicle.Frias also acknowledged that mostdrivers know basic English, but aninterpreter stays at the mainbuilding waiting to be called.

Frias said scores of trucks lineup outside the gate, and duringthe several months he has beenthere, he said no one has tried toram the gate; however, if a driverdecides to chance it, Frias said hewill be met by force.

Soldiers like Frias rely on theirinstincts, and the Las Vegasguardsman has had plenty ofpractice. The 36-year-old soldier isnearing the completion of histhird overseas tour, the first oneoccurring in Iraq almost threeyears ago.

Frias takes pride in what theguards are doing at the ECP. Dri-vers pull their vehicles into thefirst section of the ECP, climbingout of their trucks and showingguards their paperwork. If thepaperwork is in order, they drivetheir trucks to a holding area andthen wait for approval from Frias’guards to proceed through anoth-er point where X-ray equipment

scans the content.It’s the unknown that keeps

Frias and others on the edge.“Here, danger comes to us,”

Frias said.Once the drivers complete the

X-ray process and wait for clear-ance, Frias said they remain in asheltered holding area and haveample water and food. A sleepingarea is also available to them.Before entering the shelter, eachdriver submits to an eye scan andsearch.

“If they are here for a while, theyhave to feel comfortable,” Friassaid, pointing to a sleeping area inthe back of the shelter. To one sideof the bedding are three driversplaying cards. “They can bunkdown, they have a prayer area.”

The shelter’s availability is first-come, first serve, and entire pro-cessing time, according to Frias,depends on the time of day andthe number of drivers comingthrough the ECP. Processing couldtake as long as 12 hours.

Nevada guardsmen, though,shrug at the possible danger.

Spc. Jerry Rupert of Las Vegashas been at the ECP for almostfour weeks.

“It’s not too bad out here,” hesaid. “Nothing bothers me.”

Henderson resident Spc. Jo-seph Colligas agrees.

“I was assigned to it,” he said ofthe extra duty. “But I have no anxi-ety. We’re pretty well protected,and it’s not too bad. It could beworse.”

Fellow soldier Spc. SydneyCosten has been at the ECP sinceearly October.

“It’s been surprising OK,” shesaid, standing in front of a smalltrailer. “At first thought we wereperforming bomb checks, but weneed to get the job done. The firstday I was nervous, but OK after-ward. The routine makes us feeleasier.”

Like Rupert, she volunteeredfor the assignment.

Also assisting the Nevada ArmyNational Guard soldiers is MarineCorps Sgt. D.J. Walsh, a C-130mechanic from Cherry Point,N.C., who volunteered to serve atthe ECP. Now serving his thirddeployment to the country, Walshsaid both services have good peo-ple working the checkpoint.

“I love it. I’d rather be here thanfixing planes,” the Florida nativesaid of the security mission.

Frias said the Marines havebeen invaluable in working withthe guardsmen.

“The Marines here at KAF areaviation. For them to do thecheckpoint is exciting for them,”he said.

Nevada Spc. Visith Tang, whohas been with the Guard’s cableoperation since 2004 and com-pleted two tours to Iraq duringthat time, has taken his responsi-bilities to another level. In hisspare time, he is learning the lan-guage of the Afghanistan people,Pashto, something he began amonth before the 422nd ESBarrived in the country in March.

“I’m getting used to certainthings in the language,” he ex-plained from a perch overlookingone of the initial checkpoints.“The language has given meanother dimension to talk to thepeople and know of their prob-lems. It makes me more apprecia-tive of the Afghan people.”

As the Nevada guardsmen be-gin to wind down their tour inAfghanistan and responsibilitiesat the ECP, Frias said he hasn’tnoticed too many changes at theircheckpoint since Pakistan closedsome trucking routes into thecountry.

“I haven’t seen much of a differ-ence yet … these people need tomake their money,” Frias said.“They still make it here with noproblems. I haven’t seen any slowdown.”

Entry Control Points: On the edge of danger

Staff Sgt. Adam Fenner / LVN photoLahontan Valley News Editor Steve Ranson, center, toured an entry control point at Kandahar AirField, Afghanistan, in mid-November. U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. D.J. Walsh, left, and Nevada ArmyNational Guard soldier Spc. William Frias are part of the security detail at the facility.

BY STEVE RANSON


KABUL, Afghanistan — Mass Communications Specialist 2 (MCS2) OliviaGiger looked at her deployment to Afghanistan as a challenge to work withboth domestic and international news organizations.

It was an opportunity she could not pass up.Subsequently, Giger took a leave as a public affairs specialist/photogra-

pher from Naval Air Station Fallon to enhance her career to work for the ISAFJC (International Security Assistance Force Joint Command) Media Office onthe military side of Kabul International Airport (KIA), 11 miles from city cen-ter.

“I'll take what I learn here and use it there (at Fallon),” said Giger, whoattended the Brooks Institute of Photography. “I have learned a lot.”

Giger, a 2000 high school graduate, said the relationship between pubicaffairs at NAS Fallon and ISAF are very different. For example, she and theISAF public affairs staff were dealing with media representatives from at leastnine different countries in mid-November including the South Koreans,Japanese, Germans, British and Americans.

Before media representatives can enter Afghanistan and cover the NATOmilitary operations, they must apply to the Afghanistan government for a visaand then submit their credentials as bona fide journalists to ISAF.

“We make sure the media has everything they need coming into the coun-try,” explained Giger, who enlisted in the Navy in 2006. “The RC (RegionalCommand) will issue invitational travel orders (within country).There are alot of things to do like keep them safe in the country, and (confirm) they havehealth insurance. We’ll make sure they have an Afghanistan visa and makesure they are from an accredited news agency.”

Giger said ISAF deals with freelancers, but those journalists must also beaccredited by an agency or news organization.

It’s an intricate process for Giger and her fellow journalists to take care ofvisiting media and their needs to obtain certain stories.

Once media organizations have received approval to enter the countryand visit units, journalists usually arrive at the Kabul International Airport’scivilian terminal. They then hail a taxi and proceed to the main military com-pound where they proceed through several checkpoints and wait for an ISAFrepresentative to pick them up and take them to the installation. From there,ISAF arranges for transportation depending where the journalists need to goto gather information for their stories.

“They have to feel safe and accommodated,”she added.

Preparing for KabulGiger arrived in Afghanistan in September after finishing three weeks of

combat training at Ft. Jackson, S.C., with other servicemen and women head-ed overseas. She considered it “boot camp all over again.”

“The drill sergeants understood we have been in the military for awhile,”she said.

During the training at Ft. Jackson, Giger said she refined her marksman-ship skills with both the 9mm pistol and M4 carbine and convoy operationswhile wearing heavy body armor which she said, added about 30 pounds.Once she arrived at Kabul, Giger said she received instruction on Afghan cul-ture and base operations and learned about ISAF public affairs procedures.

“I was training with the PAO (public affairs office) and was still learning forabout two weeks until I had a grasp on my job,” she said.

Chief Petty Officer Dawn C. Montgomery, who was the NCOIC (noncom-missioned officer in charge) until she left Afghanistan in November to returnhome to Florida, took Giger under her wing.

“She was a huge help, and I learned a lot from her,” Giger said.Even with all the training, Giger said she was not expecting her first

encounter with the violence in Kabul so soon after her arrival. On her sixthday in country and the first day of driving, bombs exploded in Kabul near theISAF compound.

“As we were driving towards the back gate at ISAF headquarters we werestopped, and I was directed to ground guide (get out and walk in front) the

vehicle through the compound,” she said. “I gotout of the vehicle, stopped to talk to the driver soI knew where we were going, and began guidingus to the gate.”

Stopped behind the gate, Giger heard the firstexplosion about 30 yards on the other side. Sheand her driver reached the gate as guards were closingit for security reasons.

“Had I not stopped to ground guide, we would have beenoutside the compound during the attack,” she said.

They then headed toward the main gate.“By the time we were in the center of the compound, I

had heard five more explosions,” she said. “The blastswere surrounding the compound. I got back in thevehicle and we decided to wait it out, thinking it wouldbe over soon. We eventually were directed to the DFAC(dining facility), where we waited through the night forthe fighting to stop.

“At least there was food there,” she said.For the most part, life at Kabul has been rather isolated.“I'm lucky because I’ve found a good group of people

here. Most of us realize that we are not in this alone, and wesupport and encourage each other,” Giger said. “Everyonein my office shares their care packages so when one of usgets a package no one feels left out. Especially during theholidays, things can get lonely, but I make sure I’m keepingin touch with friends and family back home so that helps alot.”

Giger, though, said some of her deployments out to seahave been worse than her time spent at Kabul. Although thestress level has been higher in Afghanistan, she said it has beenbalanced with better communications and better living condi-tions.

Deployment a good decisionGiger considers her deployment to Afghanistan as one of her

best decisions.“I have learned so much in three months about the Navy PAO

community and working with the Army,” she said. “It's been aninvaluable experience in how the Army looks at the mission.”

When Giger decided she wanted to deploy, she asked her boss, ZipUpham, if she could go.

“He said it’s slow here, and make the most of your time in the Navy andtake advantage,” she recollected.

“I was a little surprised at first, but with current requirements from theNavy to fill IA (individual augmentee) positions, most sailors feel they need todo their part,” Upham said.

He said Giger was fortunate to line up an IA spot in the media field, whichwill benefit her.

“Her exposure to joint and Coalition will give her a much broader under-standing (of international public affairs) as opposed to her previous-ly being on a ship or serving at NAS Fallon,” Upham said.

Prior to coming to Fallon, Giger was a mass communica-tions specialist on the aircraft carrier USS George Washington.

Upham said Giger is an extremely capable journalist.“She is well suited for telling the Navy story and perfectly

suited for the ISAF staff in Afghanistan and telling the militarystory there as well,” Upham added.

When she leaves Kabul and returns to NAS Fallon, Giger will have about ayear remaining at the base. In the meantime, though, the Carmel, Calif.,native has also been working on an Officer Candidate School application andappearing before a board consisting of lieutenant commanders and higher.

“It's busy out here,” she said “I might feel crazy taking on this opportunity.So many people are taking advantage of their contacts out here.”



NAS Fallonjournalist works

with internationalmedia at Kabul

Final reflectionson Afghanistan

Poo Pond Humor hasn’t quite disappeared on the

battlefield near Kandahar Air Field.Although KAF is like a

city, the tourist attractionsare almost nonexistentexcept for Poo Pond.

The pond is nothingmore than an open-air pitto treat raw sewage flowinginto the man-made hole.

Soldiers have erectedlifeguard stands there andplaced plastic flamingosalong the shore and nearbiohazard signs. On awarm, breezy afternoon,the aromatic smells emitting from PooPond permeate the crisp Afghan air fromone end of KAF to the other.

The Poo Pond site is well known amonglocals. The military exchange even sells T-shirts commemorating KAF’s only touristsite.

I was tempted to buy a T-shirt, but theexchange did not have my size. Next visit.

FloodingLas Vegans would have commiserated

with the soldiers assigned to KAF. On myfirst day at the military base in southernAfghanistan, the afternoon showers arrived,and the rain kept pouring down onto thedry earth. Because of problems with thedrainage system, the water began to over-flow the drainage pipes and culverts andkept rising to 3 to 4-feet deep in some areas.

The road separating the 422nd Expedi-tionary Signal Battalion’s main compoundand the housing area was under about 3-feet of water and required wading from oneside to another.

Vehicles became stuck in the ditches,and the only reliable transportation on thebase was done in a Humvee.

The rookies Leaving the United States for their first

deployment to a war zone has been an eye-opener for soldiers in the 422nd Expedi-

tionary Signal Battalion at Kandahar AirField.

Spc. Linda George of Sparks is a humanresource specialist.

“I learned more here in my specific train-ing,” George said of her deployment thatbegan in March. “It’s been a good experi-ence.”

George enlisted in the Nevada ArmyNational Guard while still in high school.One summer she reported to Basic CombatTraining at Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo., and thefollowing summer to her specialized train-ing at Ft. Jackson, S.C.

George said if the opportunity arose, shewould deploy again.

Her future plans, though, call for her toapply to the University of Nevada, Reno andenroll in a pre-medicine program,

Spc. Ismael Diva of Las Vegas has beenworking with the movement section.

“This is a unique experience. This wasn’tthe job I trained for,” Diva said. “The origi-nal person in movement needed help,”

Since March, Diva has met many differ-ent people and has been involved in 5Kruns and other events,

Another Las Vegas resident, Spc. BrandiWright, works in unit supply.

When she finished with her specialtytraining, Wright was asked if she wanted togo to Afghanistan. She said yes.

“It’s a lot dustier here,” she said. “Ithought the roads would be paved.”

Wright said she didn’t realize so manysoldiers from different countries wereassigned to Kandahar.

Spc. Robert Diehl, an Atlanta native whorelocated to Las Vegas, is serving his firstdeployment.

“I have been learning new skills,” Diehlsaid.

During his time in Kandahar, Diehl andothers have been building decks at some ofthe command areas.

Meanwhile, Spc. Kenneth Wheeler of LasVegas said he keeps busy all day at KAF.

“It feels like I live her,” he said, grinning.While on deployment Wheeler said he

has been able to take some of the money hehas earned and saved his father’s house.

“I am real protective of family,” he said.“But the hardest thing is being away fromfamily.”

CorkscrewsLeaving Kandahar to Bagram Air Field

was a one-hour flight aboard a prop-driven30-passenger plane. The entire flight tookan hour, but the real thrill was landing atBagram.

The plane began a corkscrew landingwhere the rotation aircraft spirals down-ward like a power drill for about a minute ortwo and then the pilot straightens out theplane before landing.

Spc. Jason DisneyBAF has a strong Fallon connection. I

never gave any thought to the name ofBAF’s main street until my driver and I spot-ted a sign.

It was a tribute to Spc. Jason A. Disney ofFallon. Disney, as many of you will recall,enlisted in the Army in 1999 and deployedto Afghanistan’s Bagram Air Field in Novem-ber 2001, two months after 9/11. Sadly inFebruary of 2002, Disney was killed in anaccident at BAF.

The sign commemorated Disney, whowas a member of the U.S. Army’s 58thMaintenance Co. The narrative stated Dis-ney died as a result of an industrial weldingaccident on Feb. 13, 2002. Furthermore, the

wording stated Disney contributed to therestoration of many buildings still usedtoday, and that he created security gatesand made picket line pounders used byCoalition forces at BAF.

The final words said Disney is “missed byhis friends and fellow soldiers in Task ForceWarrior.”

KabulAfter leaving Bagram in a convoy to the

military side of the Kabul International Air-port, I spent two nights in tent city, a dedi-cated area of about two dozen tents used astemporary housing until military and civil-ians are able to leave. In my case, leavingwas taking a plane from Kabul to Bahrain.

My stay at the military compound hadbeen extended for a day because of flights.My outgoing flight to Bahrain was cancelledfor Friday. The next available flight, though,was Saturday, or so I hoped.

I had booked the entire trip through atravel agency that I had used when I srvedin the Guard. Edward Kordowski, the travelspecialist who arranged the initial itinerary,worked around the clock to ensure I wasable to leave Kabul one way or another.

During the course of three days, a flurryof emails were sent to each other trying toarrange another flight or go through Dubai.

The final day at Kabul was a waitinggame and also the second experience ofentering and completing the securitygauntlet at Kabul International Airport. Itdoes test one’s nerves and patience.

I called for a taxi, which is “Americanfriendly,” and he took me to the airport.Travelers who complain about a full bodyscan would throw a tantrum over here ...but at the point of a rifle.

After completing the security checks, Iwas introduced by the cab driver to anAfghan Army officer, who assisted me to theinternational terminal. Afterward, he askedme for a “gift” for helping. When I asked himabout the “gift,” his response was “No gift,no flight.”

In 28 years service with the U.S. Army,National Guard and Army Reserve, Lahon-tan Valley News Editor Steve Ranson neverdeployed to a war zone before he retiredtwo years ago; however, as a civilian jour-nalist, he had an opportunity to visitAfghanistan and two of the Nevada ArmyNational Guard units that were deployedthere.


A very unique experience on the world’s other side

Steve Ranson / LVN photosThe lone tourist attraction at Kandahar Air Field is Poo Pond.

SteveRanson

Muddy water as deep as 3-4 feet flood-ed Kandahar Air Field on Nov. 10.

A sign honoring Fallon’s Jason Disneywas erected at Bagram Air Field.

Every day life in Kabul.

MC2 Olivia GigerSteve Ranson / LVN photo

Friday, December 23, 2011 lahontanvalleynews.com NAVY TRAINING • 19

Fallon became the Navy’s premier training site on July11, 1996, as a result of BRAC, the Base Closure and Re-alignment Committee, when many operations transferredfrom NAS Miramar, which became a Marine Corps basefor its aviators.

Thus, Strike University, the Naval Strike Warfare Center,TOPDOME (Carrier Airborne Early Warn-ing Weapons School) and TOPGUN (NavyFighter Weapons School) unified into thecurrent day NSAWC. The Seahawks Weap-on School was added 13 years ago to givehelicopter pilots additional tactical train-ing, and the Airborne Electronic AttackWeapons School (AEAWS) Growler TacticsInstructor course, which welcomed its firststudents earlier this year, began to providetraining to the fleet’s Electronic AttackSquadrons with techniques, tactics andprocedures to ensure aviation superiorityin the electronic attack and air-to-airarena.

Fallon’s role in aviation extends to WorldWar II when the Navy needed inland basesto train their pilots and to avoid Japaneseattack. The airfield’s importance declined after the war butregained is importance in January 1972 when the base wasupgraded to a major command.

“In the ’70s, it came into its own with fairly wide openspaces,” said Rear Adm. John W. Miller, former NSAWCcommander. “Since then, the base trains pilots to conduct

strike missions.”Miller implemented the final phase of the Growler’s

school at NASWC. The 1979 U.S. Naval Academy graduateis currently one of the top military experts who is familiarwith the training at the Fallon facility. Miller, who becameNSAWC commander in April 2010 and relinquished com-mand in October, has been on both sides of training, both

at NSAWC and at U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet in Bahrain.

The training syllabus“The fleet drives us,” said Miller in explaining how

instruction works at NSAWC. Miller said the admiral in charge of the

Carrier Air Group aboard an aircraft carriersends daily reports — one to the 5th Fleet’scommanding admiral and the other toNSAWC — on the air wing’s operations.According to the admiral on the aircraft car-rier, Miller said he will discuss where thegaps are with the equipment or tactics.

“The report says, ‘This is what we didtoday,’” explained Miller, who has accumu-lated more than 3,500 flight hours and 1,000arrested landings in the F-14 Tomcat. “Theylet us know the tactical environment inwhich they are operating, and this allows usto adjust our syllabus (for future training).For example, pilots are doing more closeurban support now, and it is a critical part ofour syllabus.”

Rear Adm. Craig S. Faller, commander of Carrier StrikeGroup 3, conducts his operations from the aircraft carrierUSS John C. Stennis, which has been conducting opera-tions in the Arabian Sea.


Main Photo: Navy pilotsrefine their tactical skillsat the Naval Stike andAir Warfare Center atNAS Fallon and then usethose skills overseas,like this pilot preparingto land on the aircraftcarrier USS John C.Stennis in the ArabianSea.Steve Ranson / LVN photo

TRAINING TAKES OFF IN

FALLON

Naval Strike and Air Warfare Centertrains aircrews for military missions

BY STEVE RANSON | Lahontan Valley News

“The strengththat Fallon has is

a place for theentire air wing to

come togetherand to be able to

train.”— VICE ADM. MARK I. FOX

The training begins here.Just mention Fallon to any Navy jet pilot, and his eyes light up. Either he has

recently trained at Naval Air Station Fallon or knows someone who did.

Tucked away in the central Nevada desert is the Navy’s Naval Strike and Air Warfare

Center, home to the greatest tactical aviation training in the world.

Continued on next page

Friday, December 23, 201120 • NAVY TRAINING lahontanvalleynews.com Friday, December 23, 2011 lahontanvalleynews.com NAVY TRAINING • 21

“This allows us to get tremendous feed-back on what we are doing,” Faller saidfrom his office onboard the aircraft carrier.“My job is to orchestrate, align and oversee.

A Pennsylvania native who assumedcommand of the strike group in May, Fallergraduated from the Naval Academy in 1983and has commanded two ships during thepast decade. Since the Stennis deployed sixmonths ago, Faller said NSAWC providesconstant feedback on what the aircrews aredoing and how NSAWC can meet the needsof Faller’s aviators.

Consequently, Miller said his office isconstantly talking with not only with 5thFleet but also the other fleets around theworld. He also visited 5th Fleet to talk per-sonally with Vice Adm. Mark I. Fox, Miller’s

predecessor at NSAWC.“I try to go to all the fleets and get feed-

back from them,” Miller explained. “Therelationship with both the West and EastCoast fleets is good. If they see somethingthat is not right, they will ask us to adjustour training.”

Faller said he has constant discussionwith the new NASWC commander, RearAdm. Marc C. “Cyrus” Vance, and key in-structors who give him insight into whatthey expect.

‘Crown Jewel’ for flyingFox knows too well that Fallon is the

crown jewel in the desert for Navy aviation.The Texas native commanded NSAWC in2009 and 2010 before leaving for his new

position. Prior to coming to Fallon, much ofFox’s time was spent deploying to and oper-ating in the U.S. Central Command area ofresponsibility.

“The strength that Fallon has is a placefor the entire air wing to come together andto be able to train,” Fox said from hisBahrain office. “The air wing is a remark-able team of different pieces that cometogether to a greater whole.”

Then aircrews return, debrief and learnfrom their mistakes.

“It validates what you do know and cre-ates opportunities for your people to stepinto leadership roles. Fallon is useful toStrike for leadership training.”

That was the case with a carrier air wingslated to deploy with the in June for the Per-

sian Gulf. The wing trained at Fallon inOctober and November 2010 and thenreturned in March for four weeks. Millersaid the training was fresh in everyone’smind from pilots to support crew beforethey shipped out to the Middle East.

“So I consider Naval aviation in particu-lar — and the Navy in general — to be theultimate,” added Fox, who served as com-mander of Carrier Strike Group 10 aboardthe aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman.

Nevada’s unique environmentWhat makes the training so unique in

Nevada carries over to air wings sailing tothe Persian Gulf and to their various roles in

Map image from Wikipedia Images, fair use image

SAUDI ARABIA

Bahrain U.S. Navy 5th Fleet

IRAQIRAN

YEMEN

OMAN

Pacific Gulf


Steve Ranson / LVN photoVice Adm. Mark I. Fox, former commander of the Naval Strike and Air WarfareCenter, now commands the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet in Bahrain.

“Aircraft support crews must be prepared for both missions. The primary iswar fighting, the secondary is humanitarian like the earthquakes and tsunamis

in Indonesia and Japan … We use the same principles for both.”— REAR ADM. JOHN W. MILLER, Former NSAWC commander

The F/A-18F Super Hornet sees extensive flying at the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center at NAS Fallon and overseas. It has been used by fleet squadrons for at least nine years. LVN photo

Friday, December 23, 201122 • NAVY TRAINING lahontanvalleynews.com

OverviewThe Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center (NSAWC) at

Naval Air Station Fallon is the center of excellence fornaval aviation training and tactics development.NSAWC provides service to aircrews, squadronsand air wings throughout the United States Navythrough flight training, academic instructionalclasses, and direct operational and intelli-gence support. The command consists ofmore than 130 officers, 250 enlisted and500 contract personnel. NSAWC flies andmaintains F/A-18 Hornets, F-14 Tomcats and SH-60FSeahawk helicopters.

MissionNSAWC is the primary authority on training and tactics

development. NSAWC provides training, assessment, avi-ation requirements recommendations, research anddevelopment priorities for integrated strike warfare, mar-itime and overland air superiority, strike fighter employ-ment, airborne battle management, Combat Search andRescue, Close Air Support, and associated planning sup-

port systems. The command is also responsible for thedevelopment, implementation, and administration of sev-eral courses of instruction while functioning as the Navy

point of contact for all issues relating to the Air Com-bat Training Continuum. Additionally, NSAWC is the

Navy point of contact for all issues related to theFallon Range Training Complex.

Command StructureNSAWC consists of nine departments. Per-

sonnel Resources (N1) oversees administrativefunctions, supply, security, automated information sys-tems, and first lieutenant. The Intelligence Department(N2) provides support to air wing training in Fallon as wellas to fleets and battle groups based all over the world.Operations (N3) manages scheduling for aircraft, aircrew,the training ranges, and keeps aircrew log books andrecords. The Maintenance Department (N4) maintains allNSAWC aircraft, including parts and supplies, managesthe loading, unloading and storage of ordnance, andmaintains aircrew flight equipment.

Plans, Programs and Tactics (N5) is involved in tactics

development and assessment for tactical aircraft andSH-60 helicopters, program management and participa-tion, mission planning, and inter/intra-service liaison.

The C41/C2W Department (N6) provides graduate-level command, control, communication, and computerintelligence and battle management training to E-2 air-crew, and joint inter-operability training to naval warfarecommunities, U.S. Air Force, and NATO commands.

The Training and Standardization Department (N7)instructs graduate-level strike-fighter employmentthrough the “TOPGUN” Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor(SFTI) course. It also conducts the Strike Leader AttackTraining Syllabus (SLATS) and Senior Officers Course(SOC); and manages air wing power projection training.

The Range Department (N8) oversees and managesthe usage, maintenance, and operation of equipment inthe Fallon Range Training Complex (FRTC), including theAdvanced Data Display System (ADDS). Finally, the Oper-ational Risk Management/Safety Department (N9) man-ages air-and-ground related safety programs as well asmedical training programs.

Source: U.S. Navy

NAVAL STRIKE AND AIR WARFARE CENTER

supporting ground troops in Afghanistan.The Silver State’s environment of desert andmountainous ranges is serving as a goodtextbook for training.

“Nevada has many attributes,” Millerpointed out. “The terrain makes training thatmuch better because it looks like Afghan-istan, and Afghanistan has a lot of places10,000 to 12,000 feet in elevation. Strafingmountains in Afghanistan may have beenperfected at NSAWC. Helicopter crews dooperations at 10,000 feet at night. Pilots ingoggles show what they may do in Afghan-istan to look for a downed pilot.”

Fox concurred, saying Nevada is ideal fortraining pilots because of the similar envi-ronment.

Furthermore, Miller said about 80 percentof the training ordnance dropped by jets atone of NAS Fallon’s four ranges accounts for80 percent of the Navy’s expended ammuni-tion. Miller also said the ranges have an airelectronic sweep to provide feedback and toforce pilots to face air-to-ground and air-to-air threats as they would overseas.

Making tough decisionsMiller said NSAWC’s intent is to expose

crews to tactical situations that force them tomake decisions on critical situations.

“Air interception evolved over the lastdecade since I have been flying,” said Miller,who flew the FA-18 Super Hornet, which isboth a striker and fighter. “Neither Iraq orAfghanistan posed an air threat. We(NSAWC) do all facets from jamming fromthe ground to the electronic jamming oftheir system. With surface-to-air threats, wetrain pilots of the threat using old Soviet sce-narios or replicas.”

From there, Miller said NSAWC instruc-tors have the ability to record and review

each aircrew’s reactions.“We simulate the firing of a weapon and

see if the action they take is enough to defeatthe missile,” Miller said, adding the audiodata shows what the crews did to an enemy’ssystem.

Training for any mission and any sce-nario, however, requires an extensive num-ber of hours. Miller said a one-hour flight, forexample, could require 12 or more hours ofplanning, three or more hours of advancedbriefings and as many as four hours of de-briefing.

“The critique starts with the full groupand works down to the specific crew, and weevaluate how each did. We critique the train-ing, not the individual. It’s a great atmos-phere to critique the actions and not get per-sonal. That’s what it’s all about.”

Fox said the NAS Fallon ranges provide anenormous training area that is unparallel.

“The instructors and adversaries of theNSAWC staff provide the highest caliber ofinstruction,” said Fox, who described his rolenow as 5th Fleet commander as being on the

receiving end of a jigsaw puzzle.“It flows real easy but takes an enormous

amount of focus and effort,” he added.

Teaching toolsThe Joint Tactical Control System has

developed into one of the most importantsimulated teaching tools for pilot training atFallon. The system has certified joint andCoalition pilots for the past decade.

Miller said, for example, any ground forcemay call for support, hook up with a jet’screw and proceed with instructions. Subse-quently, Miller said a procedure is in placewhere tactical air control knows what to sayto the crew.

Fox said ground troops in Afghanistan areasking the Navy for help. Aircrews in realtime, Fox said, are providing support for boththe soldiers and Marines.

“One-hundred and fifty crews trainedhere last year,” Miller explained. “They spenda lot of time working out to perfect the pro-gram. We have a very robust program, a veryrobust standardization program. We also had

evaluators come out and assess.”Fox said the military is seeing an in-

creased emphasis on joint training.Many air wings training at NSAWC also

bring a Marine Corps squadron except theStennis will not have the Marines onboardduring deployment. Besides aircrews, Foxsaid ground units can also refine their tac-tics. When he was NSAWC commander, hesaid the Marines wanted to conduct opera-tions replicating distances between groundunits.

“That helps drive logistics and communi-cations,” Fox said. “It’s remarkable to see allthis training come together and have peoplewho never met each other and never prac-ticed before, but on the day of the event, thesystem is effectively bringing aircraft fromthe carrier and flying hundreds of miles.”

Instruction in Joint Terminal Attack Con-trollers (JTAC) is also important at NSAWC.This is a course available to officers and en-listed from every branch of the service ex-cept the Coast Guard. Only experiencedoperators in each field are able to enroll inthe 30-day course.

Most operators come from the SpecialOperations Command. Although there areother special operations in the services, themost well known are the Army Green Beretsand Special Forces, Air Force Special TacticsOperations, U.S. Marine Corps Reconnais-sance and the Navy Sea Air Land (SEAL).

The JTAC course includes military mem-bers who are in combat forward areas, andthe instruction refines their abilities in com-bat situations. The majority of the operatorsneeding this training comes from these spe-cial operations units..

Key challenges the military faces are train-ing and qualifying core military personnel toemploy joint surface-to-surface and air-to-air supporting fire.

When aircrews train with the system,Miller said it’s important NSAWC doesn’tpresent country specific threat; instead,instruction centers on major combat opera-tions training to large threats or to the typeof threat or fight or to an overseas contin-gency. If something unexpected occurs,Miller said the air wing becomes a firstresponder.

“Aircraft support crews must be preparedfor both missions,” he said. “The primary iswar fighting, the secondary is humanitarianlike the earthquakes and tsunamis inIndonesia and Japan, the earthquake in Haitiand the floods in Pakistan. We use the sameprinciples for both.”

Miller wanted to make two points regard-ing the JTACS training:

“We touch the war fight every single day… by judging the fight by how well the airwing does in their fight and how well we doin our jobs. What is taught in Fallon allowsthe aviators and sailors to be successful.”

Steve Ranson / LVN photoRear Adm. John W. Miller commandedNaval Strike and Air Warfare Centeruntil he relinquished command in Octo-ber.

Steve Ranson / LVN photoRear Adm. Craig S. Faller, left, talks to a crewman on the flight deck of the air-craft carrier USS John C. Stennis. Faller is the commander of Carrier Air Group 3,which is deployed in the Middle East.

MCC Christopher Shimana / NSAWC photoThe Joint Close Air Support buildingprovides instruction for special warfareoperators.

MCC ChrIstopher Shomana / NSAWC photoThe Naval Strike and Air Warfare Cen-ter at NAS Fallon originated when dif-ferent training schools unified underone command in 1996.

BY STEVE RANSON


JUFFAIR, Bahrain — Bahrain. aland where the tradition of the Mus-lim world meets the 21st century.

It is a land of high-rise buildingsand modern freeways, but thecountry — the smallest in the Arabworld — is also an oasis in the midstof searing heat and desert althoughNovember temperatures make thearea feel more like San Diego andnot Phoenix.

Additionally, the U.S. Navy’s 5thFleet — which patrols a vast areaconsisting of 2.5 million squaremiles — makes its home here aspart of the Naval Support Activity ofBahrain. The base changed handsin the early 1970s.

“The base used to be a Britishport,” said Lt. Frederick Martin,media officer for the 5th Fleet. “Butthere is still a heavy UK (UnitedKingdom) population here, andmany not affiliated with the mili-tary.”

The 5th Fleet was initially estab-lished at Bahrain in 1944 during thewaning months of World War II.Once the war ended, the U.S. Navydeactivated 5th Fleet, thus transfer-ring operational control to the

Commander, Middle East Force(COMMIDEASTFOR). During Des-ert Storm in 1990-1991, the 7th Fleetbased in Japan oversaw many of theoperations of the area. By 1995,though, the Navy reactivated 5thFleet, replacing COMMIDEAST-FOR. Vice Adm. Mark Fox, formercommander of the Naval Strike andAir Warfare Center at Naval Air Sta-tion Fallon, took command of 5thFleet during the summer of 2010.

Martin, a Marquette Universitygraduate who has served in theNavy for six years, said 5th Fleetworks alongside Coalition nationsin an area including the PersianGulf, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Omanand the western parts of the IndianSea. He said 5th Fleet encompassesaircraft carriers and destroyers al-though there are other ships thatmake up the permanent force.

Martin said approximately 5,000military and civilians call NSABahrain home. Most sailors as-signed to 5th Fleet are here on aone- or two-year tour.

“This is strictly a Navy andMarines operation, but there arerepresentatives from other forces,”Martin said.

For example, he said the Britishand Australian navies represent the

second largest naval force in theregion. Martin also said the missionshere are to provide regional security,stop piracy on the high seas andwork alongside other nations.

Before the United States beganits war with Iraq in 2003, 5th Fleetsaw an increase in the number ofships in the region, but afterward,the number of vessels declined.However, 5th Fleet, which oversawwar conducted in Iraq, is stillresponsible for the war in Af-ghanistan and has aircraft perform-ing combat missions there.

Although the Iranian navy has alarge presence in the Gulf, Martinsaid the interaction between theIranian and U.S. navies is one ofprofessionalism.

While NSA Bahrain was a tempo-rary stop, the real mission of thistrip to the Middle East came onboard the Nimitz-class nuclearpowered aircraft carrier USS John C.Stennis, named for the late senatorfrom Mississippi. According to itsfact sheet, the Stennis and its

embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing(CVW) 9, have the mission of con-ducting sustained combat opera-tions in a forward deployment. Withthe end of the Iraq War, the focus isnow on Afghanistan, primarily inthe southern provinces to includeKandahar.

The fact sheet also states the airwing consists of eight to ninesquadrons and attached aircraft arethe Navy F/A-18 Hornet, EA-6BProwler, MH-60R, MH-60S, and E-2C Hawkeye. The aircraft carrier'slength measures 1,092 feet.

The aircraft carrier is a city initself with upward to 6,000 sailorsand aviators on board during adeployment.

The carrier is based in Bremer-ton, Wash., while the air wing is sta-tioned at Naval Air Station Lemoore.No Marine Corps aviation assets areon this deployment.

Prior to deployment in July, CVW9 trained at NSAWC in October/November 2010 and then returnedfor four weeks in March.

Wednesday, December 28, 201114 • U.S. NAVY 5TH FLEET lahontanvalleynews.com Wednesday, December 28, 2011 lahontanvalleynews.com U.S. NAVY 5TH FLEET • 15

U.S. Navy photoThe main gate for Naval Support activity at Bahrain, home of theNavy’s 5th Fleet.

F/A-18 Super Hornets begin to circle around the USS John C. Stennis in preparation for landing. Steve Ranson / LVN photo

5th Fleet’simportancein the Gulf

The mission of USSJohn C. Stennis and herembarked Air Wing is toconduct sustainedcombat air operationswhile forward deployedin the global arena. Theembarked Air Wingconsists of eight to ninesquadrons. Attachedaircraft are the F/A-18Hornet, F/A-18E/FSuper Hornet, EA-6BProwler, E-2C Hawkeye,and MH-60S Seahawk.

The Air Wing candestroy enemy aircraft,ships, submarines, andland targets, or laymines hundreds ofmiles from the ship.USS John C. Stennis'aircraft are used toconduct strikes, supportland battles, protect theStrike Group or otherfriendly shippingvessels, and implementa sea or air blockade.The Air Wing provides avisible presence todemonstrate Americanpower and resolve in acrisis.

The ship normallyoperates as the center-piece of a Carrier StrikeGroup commanded by aflag officer embarked inUSS John C. Stennisand consisting of four tosix other ships. USSJohn C. Stennis' twonuclear reactors giveher virtually unlimitedrange and enduranceand a top speed inexcess of 30 knots. Theship's four catapultsand four arresting gearengines enable her tolaunch and recoveraircraft rapidly andsimultaneously.

The ship carriesapproximately 3 milliongallons of fuel for heraircraft and escorts,and enough weaponsand stores for extendedoperations withoutreplenishment.

USS John C. Stennisalso has extensiverepair capabilities,including a fullyequipped AircraftIntermediate Main-tenance Department, amicro-miniature elec-tronics repair shop, andnumerous ship repairshops.

For defense, in addi-tion to her Air Wing andaccompanying vessels,USS John C. Stennishas NATO Sea Sparrowshort-range, surface-to-air missile systems,Rolling Airframemissiles (RAM), thePhalanx Close-inWeapons System (anextremely rapid firing20mm gun) for cruisemissile defense, andthe SLQ-32 ElectronicWarfare System.

— U.S. Navy

THE MISSION

BY STEVE RANSON


ABOARD THE USS JOHN C.STENNIS — Even the weathermenhave a special seat on board theaircraft carrier USS John C. Stennisas it conducts its mission in theArabian Sea.

Two Naval Strike and Air War-fare Center forecasters are current-ly serving on the Stennis with asmall weather detachment and areproviding the most up-to-dateinformation from the Persian Gulfto the Arabian Sea and overland toAfghanistan.

The Fleet Center Weather Cen-ter Strike Detachment falls underthe Fleet Weather Center in SanDiego and consists of 10 militaryand one civilian forecasters. ChiefPetty Officer Harold Kuykendallsaid the detachment has beenassigned to the Stennis.

Kuykendall volunteered for thedeployment although he was veryfamiliar with the role of the carrierair wing assigned to the Stennis.

“I came with the carrier air wing(CVW 9) when they deployed,”Kuykendall said, who is originallyfrom Virginia. “I give them specificforecasts and water and environ-ment information. Everything onthe ship revolves around theweather.”

Forecasters run special comput-er programs that give them andthe air wing the most accurateinformation at the time. Further-more, Kuykendall said weather-men must be able to assist with themission planning and executionand give specific information sothe air wing can perform itswartime mission.

Both Kuykendall and AG1 Jere-my Hoke, also from Fallon, areboth extremely familiar with theterrain the pilots flew over at Fal-lon and what they are now flyingover in southern Afghanistan. Thesimilarities are striking.

“The base may not be the same(in elevation), but B-17 (Bravo 17

range east of Fallon) could be thesame (as Afghanistan) although it’shigher in elevation,” Kuykendallpointed out.

Flying in the high desert in bothcountries, Kuykendall pointed out,involves navigating over ruggedmountain peaks and valleys thatrapidly rise thousands of feet inelevation. NAS Fallon’s Bravo 17range has an elevation exceedingmore than 4,000 feet above sealevel with the peaks toweringbetween 9,000 to 10,000 feet.

The Kandahar Province ofsouthern Afghanistan could bemistaken for central Nevada.

According to the Afghanistangovernment, “This region of Af-ghanistan is made up of highplateaus and sandy deserts. Thesoil here is very infertile, exceptalong the rivers in the southwest.This desolate region covers about50,000 square miles. The averagealtitude of this area is about 3,000feet. Kandahar, which lies at anelevation of about 3,500 feet,enjoys a dry, yet mild climate. Sandstorms are not unusual in thedeserts and arid plains of thisregion.

Hoke, who said the deploymentis part of his job, said Fallon fore-casters can relate to the higherterrain. Because of prior deploy-ments to the Middle East, Hoke isalso familiar with the hot, dustyand dry climate of Iraq, which hesaid resembles many parts ofNevada.

In addition to keeping tabs onsouthern Afghanistan’s weather,Navy forecasters coordinate withthe U.S. Air Force for checking onthe climate over land. On the seas,though, Hoke said Navy forecast-ers must be cognizant of the watertemperatures and humidity in thewaters in which the aircraft carrieris operating.

Both forecasters agree Fallon’straining area is invaluable.

“There are very few places for acarrier air wing to train for realworldwide operations,” they said.

Fallon weathermenperform key role onStennis deployment

Steve Ranson / LVN photoNaval Strike and Air Warfare Center forecasters Chief Petty OfficerHarold Kuykendall, left, and AG1 Jeremy Hoke have been deployedon board the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis since summer.

BY STEVE RANSON


ABOARD THE USS JOHN C. STENNIS — Threesailors on board the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis

formerly lived in Churchill Countywhen they were assigned to Naval AirStation Fallon, and all of them stillreminisce about the good times theyhad there.

For Command Master Chief CaseyForsch, though, the deployment onthe Stennis was his final assignment asa sailor assigned to Carrier Air Wing(CVW) 9 from NAS Lemoore. Herecently retired after a long, distin-guished service, and he and his familyhave now relocated to West Virginia.

The memories of Fallon, though,are still clear in Forsch’s mind as heserved at the naval air station from2006-2008.

“Every sailor involved in carrier avi-ation has visited Fallon at least twice,”Forsch said. “Hardly any day Fallondoesn’t come up in conversation. Theytalk about the tactical missions, break-fast at Jerry’s, dinner at the Wok.

Forsch, though, had an opportunityto return to his former duty stationbefore deploying to the Middle East onthe Stennis. When assigned to NASFallon, he was the command masterchief, the top enlisted sailor on base,for two commanders.

When air wings come to Fallon fortraining, Forsch said temporary dutyat the Naval Strike and Air WarfareCenter is a dress rehearsal for a cruise.

“If you can show leadership in Fal-lon, then you can do it overseas,” hesaid.

Fallon’s small size and quaintness,according to Forsch, gives the city aunique charm not found near too

many Navy bases,“This is the only place on God’s green Earth where a

CMC could go and talk to the district attorney and askhim how the sailors were doing,” Forsch said, addingthat District Attorney Art Mallory wanted to help theNavy achieve its mission. “You can’t recreate Fallon.”

Even though Forsch has retired 2,800 miles from Fal-lon, he has another reason to maintain strong ties tothe area.

He has a son attending the University of Nevada,Reno.

“He loves it there,” Forsch said.

Michelle KempLt. Cmdr. Michelle Kemp still owns a house in Fal-

lon. She was an instructor in the Carrier Airborne EarlyWeapons School from 2006-2009.

“I was on the instructor side of training and knowhow difficult it is to train over here (in the ArabianSea),” she said.

Kemp said she enjoyed her time in Fallon and calledher job at NSAWC as one of the most rewarding in theNavy.

Kemp has been in the military for 15 years, 11 in theNavy and the remaining time in the U.S. Army. Shearrived on board the Stennis on July 1 as the new quali-ty assurance officer.

She is keenly aware of how the pilots are conductingtheir missions over Afghanistan.

“The fighter guys are doing well, better than expect-ed,” she said.

Annette McGeheePetty Officer 1st Class Annette McGehee dreams

often of her Fallon days.She and her husband, who was also in the Navy, own

a house at Walker Lake. They also have a young daugh-ter.

“Fallon is a great town, but there is so much to dooutside,” she said. “It was thrill to go back in thespring.”

McGehee said she was hoping her next duty stationwas a return to Fallon, but that didn’t materialize.Instead, the 12-year veteran said her next tour will takeher to Washington, D.C.

Stennis sailors have fondmemories of NAS Fallon

CommandMasterChiefCaseyForsch

Lt. Cmdr.Michelle

Kemp

PettyOfficer

1st ClassAnnette

McGehee

JUFFAIR, Bahrain — Bahrain, home of the U.S.Navy’s 5th Fleet is an important country for providingstability in the Gulf region.

My six-hour overnight flight inearly November that left from Lon-don arrived in Bahrain on time, cul-minating a 31-hour odyssey fromFallon to the Middle East.

Going through immigration be-came a nightmare and added to thelong trip.

Mention the word journalist, andauthorities develop fear.

Arriving at Bahrain — at first —looked like I was landing in Las Vegas. Sandstonebuildings dotted the desert landscape with patches ofgreen popping alongside the approach path; however,the airport looks more like Reno’s.

Based on the information provided to 5th Fleet inOctober, I was approved for a media credential toenter the country and to board the aircraft carrier USSJohn C. Stennis for a two-day trip in the Gulf.

Filling out forms and submitting them was easy.Same with 5th Fleet receiving them.

Immigration had to verify with the Ministry ofInformation’s office that I and other journalists hadarrived. My arrival was on an important religious holi-day, so the immigration officer, who kept assuring me“everything will be OK,” tried for two hours to contactthe ministry official who had some clout.

Being classified a journalist comes with a restrictivelicense in Bahrain. It is against the law to take photo-graphs of any building, of any person, of any thing inthe kingdom. I was told journalists can be arrested forviolating the kingdom’s laws.

Finally, two hours later, the approval came throughfor me to proceed to customs, where I picked up myluggage. Before leaving customs, another stoprequired officials to check my camera equipment, andI had to request an importer’s license because Ibrought into the country a camera, laptop and taperecorders. I needed the paperwork to re-enter thecountry after the visit the Stennis.

To reach the aircraft carrier, I flew the COD (carrieronboard delivery) plane, which is used to deliver mail,people, etc. from Bahrain to the Stennis. The flighttook about four hours.

The daily flight of a P-2 “Greyhound” to the aircraftcarrier wasn’t as bad as all the hype, but for a first timerider, it did leave a somewhat jarring impression onlanding. Take off from the carrier deck, on the otherhand, was like being shot out of a cannon. The flight toBahrain took two hours, a far cry from the first-dayflight when the Greyhound had to make a stop in anunnamed but American friendly Southwest Asiancountry (I am not allowed to name). A delay ensuedwhen the crew noticed fluid leaking from the nosegear. After a quick military repair and assessment, wewere in the air for the final two hours to the ship.

Vice Adm. Mark Fox, commander of 5th Fleet, wasamused with my COD flight.

“CODs aren’t very sexy, but they bring the parts,mail and people,” he said.

The trip to the USS John C. Stennis was excellent. Iinterviewed and talked to many people who haveeither trained or lived in Fallon, and their impressionsof the area and support from the community ranks asA+. I was surprised at the number of currently sta-tioned Fallon personnel who have been deployed withthe aircraft carrier. The operations aboard the aircraftcarrier, which is a small city and airfield at sea, left mein awe, especially the time I spent on the flight deck.

Steve Ranson, LVN Editor

Bahrain, the USS Stennis

Steve RansonLVN Editor


Wednesday, January 4, 201212 • CVW-9 lahontanvalleynews.com Wednesday, January 4, 2012 lahontanvalleynews.com CVW-9• 13

Carrier Air Wing 9 trained atNaval Strike and Air WarfareCenter before embarking on

the aircraft carrier USS Stennis

Clockwise from top right: At Flight Deck Control, AMCS Warren Carroll maneuvers color-coded miniature replicas of the jetsand helicopters to give flight crews a better idea where to position aircraft on the deck of the USS John C. Stennis. A crew-man wearing red from the crash, ordnance and rescue team stands by after a helicopter lands on the deck of the USS Sten-nis. A SH-60S Seahawk helicopter hovers near the aircraft carrier in order to provide search and rescue in case a jet crashesinto the ocean. The E-2C Hawkeye is assigned to an airborne early warning (AEW) squadron from Point Magu, Calif. A P-2Greyhound begins its approach to the aircraft carrier. The Greyhound, or sometimes referred to as a COD (carrier onboarddelivery), brings mail, supplies and personnel to the carrier.

Carrier Air Wing Nine (CVW-9) is a United

States Navy aircraft carrier air wing based at

Naval Air Station Lemoore and currently is

attached to the aircraft carrier

USS John C Stennis,which

deployed to the Middle East in July.

The tail codes of aircraft assigned to

CVW-9 is NG.

CVW-9 trained extensively at Fallon,

beginning with October/November 2010 and

then returning to Fallon in March 2011.

Many missions flown by F/A-18 Super Hornet

pilots are over Afghanistan in support of ground

troops from both the U.S. Army and Marine Corps

and NATO forces. The Lahontan Valley News had

the opportunity to visit the air wing and the USS

Stennis in November.

The CVW-9 was commissioned

on March 26, 1952, making its first

tour aboard USS Philippine Sea in Jan-

uary 1953 participating in operations at

the close of the Korean War. From 1954 to

1958, CVW-9 made an Around the World

Cruise aboard USS Hornet and two Western

Pacific deployments aboard USS Oriskany and

USS Ticonderoga.

Steve Ranson / LVN photos

An F/A-18 Hornet makes its approach for landing during the early afternoon.

The flight deck of an aircraft carrier has spe-cialized equipment that helps ensure the safetakeoff and landing of dozens of aircraft eachday.

CatapultEach of the four steam-powered catapults

can send a 48,000-pound plane 300 feet – fromzero to 165 mph in two seconds. On eachplane’s nose gear is a T-bar that locks into thecatapult’s shuttle and pulls the plane down thecatapult track.

Arresting CablesFour steel cables are stretched across the

deck of an aircraft carrier. The tailhook, a hookbolted to an 8-foot bar extending from the bellyof the aircraft, catches one of the carrier’s fourcables, bringing the 150-mph plane to a stop inabout 320 feet. The cables are set to stop eachaircraft at the same place on the deck, regard-less of its size or weight.

ElevatorEach of the four deck-edge elevators can lift

two aircraft from the huge hangar bay to the4.5-acre flight deck in seconds.

MeatballThis bank of lights along the side of the

landing area helps pilots determine whetherthey are high or low as they approach the ship

to land. A horizontal row of fixed green lightsintersects a vertical array of red and yellowlights. All lights are always illuminated, and aFresnel lens system allows pilots to see only thelight that corresponds to the glide path they aretaking to the ship.

Flight Deck ControlCrewmembers maintain a scale model ver-

sion of the actual flight deck and the ship’shangar bay on the flight deck level of theisland. Miniature airplanes with tail numbersare placed in positions that correspond to eachreal aircraft’s location..

Source: U.S. Navy

The flight deck

Friday, January 6, 2012 lahontanvalleynews.com • 17

Randi R. Brown/U.S. Navy.

ABOARD THE USS JOHN C. STENNIS —

The distinct smell of seabreeze wafted over the carrierdeck as the hull divided the water, positioning the shipfor night operations.

Bright lights from the carrier illuminated the flight deck dur-ing these flights. The cabin lightson board the Nimitz classnuclear-powered USS John C.Stennis danced lightly in thenight sky, leading the way for theaircraft carrier to travel peaceful-ly in the Arabian Sea, the occa-sional stillness periodically shat-tered by F/A 18 Super Hornetscatapulting off the deck or flightcrews yelling instructions to oneanother.

Inside the ship, though, asnight begins to fade, aircrewsand their commanders begin toready themselves for another dayof executing their missions half-way around the world. Most ofthe responsibility falls on the airwing commander.

Carrying out the missionThe veteran Navy captain

rocked slightly back in his chair. Itwas late at night after 15 hours ofplanning, executing and oversee-ing his carrier air wing fulfill its mission.

Although he was tired, the air wing commander still exhibit-ed the excitement of flying as he did almost 30 years ago whenhe first pinned his wings on.

Capt. Dale “Woody” Horan feels as comfortable on the air-craft carrier USS John Stennis as he does taking his pilots fortraining at the Naval Strike and Airfare Center at Naval Air Sta-

tion Fallon.Coming to Fallon always brings new challenges for Horan,

who assumed command of Carrier Air Wing 9 (CVW-9) and itsnine squadrons earlier this year.

“I feel very much at home,” Horan said, explaining he hasbeen to Fallon at least seventimes for instruction and con-ferences. “It’s always a challengeflying there but interesting andeffective.”

Before CVW-9 and the Sten-nis deployed to the Middle Eastin July in support of OperationsNew Dawn and Endearing Free-dom, the entire wing trained atFallon in October and Novem-ber 2010 and then again for fourweeks in March. The finalmonth of instruction for Horanand his crew members primari-ly centered on the mission ofsupporting the troops inAfghanistan.

During the latter part of thisyear, though, the Stennis wasoperating somewhere in theArabian Sea.

Based on prior lessonslearned and NSAWC adjustingits syllabus to meet the needs ofboth the carrier air wing and

U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet 5th Fleet,which is based in Bahrain, Horan said the syllabus allowed forCVW-9 to prepare for their latest mission.

“We prepared (in Fallon ) for what we are doing here,” Horanexplained, “and that is to support the troops and learn about

Lessons Learned atFALLON

DESTINATION SOUTHWEST ASIA

Carrier air wing trains for battleSTEVE RANSON | Lahontan Valley News

ABOVE: The aircraftcarrier USS John C.Stennis (CVN 74)picks up speed.Stennis and herembarked Carrier AirWing 9 are conduct-ing exercises at seaon a regularly sched-uled deployment. Continued on next page

The USS John C. Stennis deployed to the MiddleEast in July.

“We prepared(in Fallon ) for

what we are doinghere and that is tosupport the troops

and learn aboutthe terrain. Thespace provides alarge amount of

airspace for us torehearse this

evaluation with alot of airplanes.”

— CAPT. DALEHORAN

Friday, January 6, 201218 • ON THE STENNIS lahontanvalleynews.com Friday, January 6, 2012 lahontanvalleynews.com ON THE STENNIS • 19

the terrain. The space provides alarge amount of airspace for us torehearse this evaluation with a lotof airplanes,” he said. “Tie that tothe landscape, the mountainoushigh desert is similar here to whatwe see there (Nevada). They(NSAWC) put the right people inthe right places to teach us theright skills and tactics.”

During the four weeks CVW-9trained at Fallon, Horan said pilotswere required to fly many sortieswithin a short time schedule andto simulate their reactions if mis-siles were fired at the jets. Further-more, the pilots practiced usinglaser-guided bombs.

“All that was done here (overAfghanistan) was achievedbecause we honed and perfectedour skills at NSAWC,” Horanadded.

NSAWC has been the school-house for most Navy pilots goingto war, and Horan is appreciativeof the training that allows aviatorsto be tactically “above the rest.”

NSAWC listens to the air wings,”

Horan emphasized several times.“They send a package to you ask-ing for weaknesses and strengthsand then they tailor the syllabus.There they can make us crawl,walk and then run.

Horan said each phase’s out-brief reveals strengths and theneeds for improvement, and thenNSAWC asks for feedback after theair wing deploys to its areas ofresponsibility.

“Naval aviation takes the centerof excellence very seriously,”Horan described. “The right skillssets makes this a career-enhanc-ing environment, and it’s impor-tant to carry out the heritage ofwhat this place teaches. The bestthing the air crews learn fromNSAWC is to understand howcomplex the missions are and howmuch discipline and effort theyneed to do it right.”

Horan illustrated his point.“If the pilot is allowed to drop a

bomb, he must do it safely andaccurately. It is not easy but thecurriculum helps you understandthe process. Fallon gives you thetools to make that challenge.”

After the carrier air wing returnsto Lemoore and the Stennis con-tinues its journey to Bremerton,

Wash., Horan knows he will bereturning to NSAWC, yet he doesnot know when.

“The strike group has a certainarea of readiness to maintain overa period of time, and we may havethe opportunity to go back to Fal-lon,” he said. “A shorter refreshercalls for crews in a readiness stateto refresh their skills. The base andair wing have a great working rela-tionship and everybody is workingtoward the same goal.”

Pilots praise preparationCmdr. Kevin McLaughlin com-

mands a storied Strike FighterSquadron, VFA-14 or the “Tophat-ters,” assigned to NAS Lemoore.Pilots fly F/A-18E Super Hornetsfor the U.S. Navy’s oldest activesquadron that was formed a yearafter World War I ended.

“I thought the training wentwell,” McLaughlin said, referringto the two phases of training forthe air wing, October/November2010 and March. “It’s tremendoustraining for Navy aviators, andthey (NAS Fallon) have the bestranges.”

When McLaughlin returned toFallon after a near decadeabsence, he said the training is

evolving every year to meet theneeds of air wings.

“It’s like night and day,” he saidof the training, which hasimproved from the lessons learnedfrom Iraq and now Afghanistan.

“Their very comprehensive syl-labus deals with current situa-tions, and the scenarios are morerobust,” he pointed out, noting thesimilarities with Joint Air Control.“It’s exactly the same over here —

the way we’re talking to them (con-trollers) and interacting withthem.”

Yet, he said pilots train like theyfight. According to McLaughlin,who was an instructor at NSAWCand Navy Fighter Weapons Schoolwhere he taught graduate leveltactics from 1998-2001 to bothF/A-18 and F-14 combat aircrews,harder training helps pilots avoidfrom being shot down.

FALLONFrom Page 17

“Fallon simulated the threatharder there. Training to harderthreats benefits al of us down theline,” he said.

McLaughlin, though, said thetraining at Fallon is not the samesince it represents different thingsto different people; however, hesaid the Strike Fighter Readinessprogram, which focuses on thesquadron, allows the air wing to“mesh together” during the long

days of training.“The days are as long here

(Middle East) as they were there inFallon,” he added.

Another pilot, Lt. Mathew “Klip-py” Klopper of VFA-192 attendedtraining at NSAWC in March as didhis fellow aviators from the “WorldFamous Golden Dragons,” an F/A-18C Hornet fighter squadron sta-tioned at NAS Lemoore.

The instruction at NSAWC,according to Klopper, is makinghim a better pilot.

“The scale on what’s happening

here dictates the complexity ofwhat they are setting up (atNSAWC),” Klopper outlined. “Westudied our weapons systems atFallon and experienced somethingunique.

Klopper said the hands-onexperience at NSAWC also pro-vides more learning — a confi-dence builder as he calls it — thatcannot be totally obtained fromclassroom instruction or books.

We couldn’t possibly be doingall the training here,” Klopper said,referring to the flying in the middle

of the Arabian Sea. The early spring training in Fal-

lon, though, made an impressionon the four-year Navy pilot.

“March ... the sky was clear butcold. The climb there was nothinglike I had seen before. The moun-tainous terrain has helped me overAfghanistan,” Klopper explained.

Klopper also had to land at theKandahar Air Field because ofmechanical problems and noticedanother similarity between KAFand NSAWC, the long runway.

Overall, the training at NSAWC

has made Klopper a better pilotaccording to him.

“I couldn’t do the job withoutthey do,” Klopper said of theNSAWC instructors. “The perspec-tive they have is great.”

When pilots like Klopper finisha mission over southernAfghanistan, Rear Adm. Craig S.Faller, Commander, Carrier StrikeGroup Three, seeks feedback.

“Commanders pick one or twoindividuals (pilots), and they

Steve Ranson / LVN photoA pilot waits for further instruction before his F/A-18 Super Hornet is catapulted off the deck.

Steve Ranson / LVN photoFlight deck crew members wait for Super Hornets to perform pre-flight checks before taking off from the USS John C. Stennis.MCS3 Benjamin Crossle / U.S. Navy photo

Carrier Air Wing 9 Commander, Capt. Dale Horan salutes before launching from the Nimitz-class aircraftcarrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) the day the U.S. military pulled out of Iraq. Horan was one of thefirst pilots to conduct missions over Iraq at the beginning of the conflict.

Steve Ranson / LVN photoAn F/A-18 Super Hornet takes off from the deck of the USS John C. Stennis.

“If the pilot is allowed to drop a bomb, hemust do it safely and accurately. It is not easybut the curriculum helps you understand theprocess. Fallon gives you the tools to make thatchallenge.”

— CAPT. DALE HORAN


come to warfare commanders’meeting,” Faller said. “We havethem debrief us and provides con-text to all leadership on the ship.They provide constant feedback towhat we do. We’re very attuned towhat’s going on here, too, to meetthe needs of the warfighter.”

Army captain has integral dutySailors aboard the USS John C.

Stennis easily recognize Capt.Chad Richardson when he travers-es the ships tunnels. They know hehas a special mission while the air-craft carrier performs its mission inthe Arabian Sea.

First and foremost, Richardsonis not a Navy captain with the fulleagle insignia but a deployed Armycaptain who serves in the Okla-homa Army National Guard advis-ing the aircrew on the needs sol-diers on the ground in Afghanistanhave.

“Every day I am asked, ‘What’sthe Army doing on board a ship?’”

Only a handful of the sailorsknow of Richardson’s job.

Richardson is a ground liaisonofficer or GLO. GLOs are Army sol-diers who have previously servedon the ground in the designatedcombat zone. Most GLOs havefirst-hand experience working inwar zones, giving them a uniqueperspective to help guide the mis-sions and, in this case, coordina-tion efforts between the Navy pilotsand the soldiers and Marines inAfghanistan.

Vice Adm. Mark Fox, command-er of 5th Fleet and former NSAWC

commander before Rear Adm. JohnW. Miller, former NSAWC com-mander who left Fallon in October,said he endorses the military serv-ices working tightly together suchas Richardson assisting aboard theStennis.

“It struck me as commander ofNSAWC there was an appetiteamong joint partners who wantedto come in and do joint trainingwith the air wing,” Fox recollected.“A fewer number of ground troops,for example, have been expandedbecause of the ability to supportthem on the ground with aircraft.”

Fox said the Marines then want-ed to have operations to replicatedistances between ground unitslike the Army.

As with this small contingent ofArmy GLO personnel, four soldierswere selected from their overseasunit, the 45th Infantry Bridge com-pany, and traveled to Qatar fortraining. Two were then sent to air-craft carriers (Stennis and the USSGeorge H.W. Bush) and two on theground, one each at Kandahar andBagram, 30 miles northwest ofKabul. Most of the 45th InfantryIBC deployed to Afghanistan, butRichardson said soldiers are alsoconducting a mission in Kuwait.

Richardson said primary com-munications go through a tele-phone-like CENTREX system, andthen works closely with the JointTactical Area Communications Sys-tems (JTACS).

“We get information as to whatthe ground troops are doing, andthen JTACS sends graphics of theground troops, and we produce theimagery.”

Based on the informationgleaned from reports and imagery,Richardson said aircrews can then

provide support from the air andtake out targets. The current area ofoperation for the jets taking offfrom the Stennis is over southernand southwest Afghanistan in areasoccupied by Marines or soldiers.

Richardson said ground troopsmay also do a battle assessmentand determine which targets havebeen destroyed or are still standing.

“We’ve mostly been around Kan-dahar and Kabul (to the east), butwe’re primarily in the south. Period-ically they go out east, but rarely.”

Richardson, unknown to almostevery sailor on the Stennis, bringssolid credentials to his position onthe Stennis. He completed a JointForward Observer class at Ft. Sill,Okla., and trained in Close Air Sup-port; furthermore, Richardson’scamouflage uniform hides anotheraspect to his background. He spentsix years in the Navy, four on activeduty and two in the Naval Reserve.

After Richardson left the Navy,he obtained his college degree andjoined the National Guard, wherehe completed Officer CandidateSchool and attended branch train-ing in field artillery at Ft. Sill.When the Stennis begins her longreturn journey to the UnitedStates, Richardson will depart theaircraft carrier and hook up withhis unit, more than likely inAfghanistan.

Once his 13-month deploymentends, Richardson will return toTexas where he is a civilian firefight-er and paramedic. He drills with the180th Cavalry in Durant, Okla.

Helicopters’ SAR missionsHelicopter training aboard the

Seahawks at NSAWC takes onadded importance on the Stennis.

What impresses Horan as a carri-

er wing commander is the intensityof the mountain flying course inNevada. Instruction is like an insur-ance policy: It’s good to have butone hopes never to use it.

“They take aircrews and makethem survivors,” Horan said. “Theyhave to use equipment, signalingdevices and radios ....”

Horan said the rescues fromother crews become interesting,especially with the risks that areinvolved in a life and death situa-tion.

“If you do something silly, youcan get them killed,” he said.

Miller said every helicopter crewmust practice SAR with the airwing.

“At Fallon, we’ll take an air crewfrom the wing and put them highon the range,” Miller said. “It is coldand dark and lonely. We knowwhere they are, but they don’t knowexactly where they are, but theyhave an idea. It’s a complex mis-sion. It’s a complex mission, andthat’s why we practice it. We foundout in Libya when you need a com-bat SAR team, you need it rightaway.”

Like pilots training for the Hor-nets, Horan said the instruction forhis helicopter crews has been justas important. He specifically notedthe simulation of a threat environ-ment and how NSAWC places hos-tile forces on the ground to offerresistance to helicopter crews.

Lt. Adam Moffit concurs.Moffit, an MH60S pilot with the

“Eightballers” of Helicopter SeaCombat Squadron (HSC) 8 in SanDiego, said he completed exercisesin Fallon by working with the SEALs(Sea, Air and Land) teams duringthe fall training and deploying theNavy’s elite special operations force

from the helicopters. He said thetraining helps in preparing for anytime of operation.

He said both day and night oper-ations were invaluable and allowedthe helicopter pilots to work on

their proficiencies.“It’s confidence

building for theentire chain ofcommanders,”Moffit said.

The crews alsoworked with NASFallon’s Search andRescue (SAR),learning moreabout rescues andnight operations.

“Here, it is pure over land. Overseas, it is both overland and overwater,” said Miller, who is tem-porarily assigned to the Pentagonawaiting his new assignment.“There’s a great deal of standardiza-tion with SAR. You could take a cou-ple crews from NSAWC and severalfrom the base and they all knowwhat to do.”

Miller said every helicopter crewthat comes to NSAWC for trainingmust refresh SAR skills in case aeither sailor falls off a ship or isblown off the flight deck or if enemyground forces shoot down a pilot.He said NSAWC trains helicoptercrews in combat SAR to pick up avi-ators either plucking them from thesea or land.

LVN Editor Steve Ranson trav-elled to the Middle East in Novem-ber where he spent time at 5th Fleetand in Afghanistan.

Page designer - Michael Higdon

Friday, January 6, 2012

STENNISFrom Page 19

Lt. AdamMoffit

Steve Ranson / LVN photoA SH-60S Seahawk helicopter makes preparation to land on the flight deck after conducting a mission near the USS John C. Stennis.

20 • ON THE STENNIS lahontanvalleynews.com

Training’s effectivenessNow, will come the true test of

how effective the syllabus workedfor CVW-9 and what improvementsmay occur for the next carrier wingthat flies into the high desert.

Furthermore, having NSAWCcommanders converse with theCarrier Strike Group helps in thefollow-up to benefit all concernedparties as this step connects the lastline in completing the full circle thatbegan with the first training in Fal-lon 14 months ago.

As for CVW-9’s final report, cur-rent NSAWC commander, RearAdm. Mark A. “Cyrus” Vance saidthe CVW-9 commander will briefthe Carrier Strike Group Three com-mander, Rear Adm. Craig S. Faller,before any final report is sharedwith personnel in Fallon. Vance alsoknows what challenges face boththe carrier air wing staff andNSAWC instructors. From Septem-ber 2008 to September 2009, theMontana native commanded Carri-er Strike Group Three aboard theJohn C. Stennis, the same positionFaller currently holds.

“My job is to orchestrate, alignand oversee,” Faller said in Novem-

ber when the Lahontan Valley Newsvisited the aircraft carrier in the Ara-bian Sea.

Besides the Stennis and its airwing, Carrier Strike Group Threeconsists of a guided-missile cruiserand three guided-missile destroy-ers, all based in San Diego. TheStennis’ home is Naval Base Kitsap,Wash.

Vance said the Carrier StrikeGroup admiral works closely withthe aircraft carrier’s captain, andalso with the other ships’ warfarecommanders and the air defensecommander on board the cruiser,the USS Mobile Bay.

Arrival in the GulfOnce in the Persian Gulf, Vance

said the Carrier Strike Groupreceives direction from 5th Fleet.

“We get our overall directionfrom them,” Vance said.

Vance said the current CarrierStrike Group Three has had a majordeployment ranging from its pres-ence in the Persian Gulf and adja-cent bodies of water to providingsupport to the missions in Iraq andAfghanistan and counter-piracy.

During the past month, the Sten-

nis has been inthe world spot-light:

• An E-2C Hawkeyefrom Airborne EarlyWarning Squadron 112out of Point Magu, Calif.,conducted the final sortieover Iraq that ended navalsupport for Operation NewDawn.

• Iran warned the United Statesthat an American aircraft carrier(Stennis) must not return to thePersian Gulf as the Iranians prac-ticed operations to close the Straitof Hormuz if more sanctions wereimplemented:

• A missile destroyer, the USSKidd, rescued Iranian fishermensouth of Yemen who had been heldhostage by pirates.

Not only does Vance understandthe role of the carrier air wingaboard the Stennis but he alsounderstands the importance ofreceiving feedback from currentCVW-9 commander, Capt. DaleHoran, whose VFA squadrons arebased at NAS Lemoore.

Assessing the overall mission“After deployment is real time,

Vance said from his office atNSAWC. “That’s when the air wingtalks to us about their mission. TheCarrier Air Wing 9 commander(Capt. Dale Horan) will come hereto debrief the NSAWC staff and helpus make adjustments.”

At stake will be the effectivenessof close air support, familiarizationof terrain in relationship to areas ofresponsibility (AOR) like Afghan-istan, helicopter search and rescuetraining and instruction for ord-nancemen and other personnel.

Although the CVW-9 staff’s visitwill be short but intense, the con-stant evaluation and re-evaluationis a normal yet necessary process.

“Most importantly, NSAWC isinterested in any changes to our airwing curriculum that would helpwith the missions faced by thereturning air wing,” Vance pointedout. “Those changes are very im-portant to NSAWC, and we willchange the training as required toaddress any shortcomings the CAGidentifies.”

Vance said the evaluation pro-cess before the CVW-9 commanderand his staff arrive in Fallon hasbeen ongoing aboard the Stennisfor the past five months. A harmo-nious relationship must exist be-tween the CVW-9 commander andCapt. Ronald Reis, commander ofthe Stennis.

“There must be a familiar rela-tionship with the ship and carrierair wing. The carrier air wing’s com-mander and the ship’s captain setsthe tone,” Vance, a 30-year Navyveteran, said. “The ship is the host,the air wing the visitor, and theymust work as a team.”

Constant changesVance, along with former

NSAWC commanders Rear Adm.John W. Miller and Vice Adm. MarkI. Fox, are constantly aware ofchanges during a deployment andhow 5th Fleet in Bahrain andNSAWC are both apprised ofchanges or concerns and whatmust be done to rectify those prob-lems.

For example, when Vance served

as commander of Carrier StrikeGroup Three, he remembers a situ-ation involving the fusing ofweapons. After a few suggestionswere made, Vance said the air wingand Stennis commanders success-fully resolved the problem.

Another issue that occurred atsea and was rectified by NSAWCinstructors occurred several yearsago. Vance said the pilots aboardthe Stennis encountered some dif-ficulty in nighttime strafing. Basedon the input NSAWC received,instructors offered a short-termsolution and then over timeNSAWC standardized nighttimestrafing to increase effectiveness.

“We can turn focus and haveinstructors develop a tactic and doit very rapidly,” Vance said.

Before he relinquished com-mand of NSAWC in October, Millersaid the instruction is crucial.

“What is taught in Fallon allowsthe sailors to be successful,” said

Miller, who once served as com-mander of Carrier Strike Group 11on board the USS Nimitz at thesame time Vance was on the Sten-nis.

Likewise, Fox finished a stint ascommander of Carrier StrikeGroup 10 on board the USS HarryS. Truman before coming to Fallonin 2009.

Once Fox settled into his newposition as NSAWC commander,the first air wing that came to Fal-lon for training was the one fromthe Truman; then, the same airwing came back a second timebecause of a schedule change.

Fox, who has been in Bahrain formore than a year, considers Fallonand its training ranges as the crownjewel of Navy aviation … before theair wing deploys and when itreturns for additional training aftera half-year or longer tour.

“No other place like Fallon givesyou that training,” he said.

The fullcircle ends atNAS FallonCarrier Air Wing 9’s command willassess its deployment training at

NSAWC sometime this spring

BY STEVE RANSON | Lahontan Valley News

W arm days and cold nights give a spring-likeappearance to the Lahontan Valley ...although January’s frosty breath greets

each and every commuter heading toward the base.Yet, in about three to four months the commander of

Carrier Air Wing 9 (CVW-9) returns to the Naval Strikeand Air Warfare Center to brief the command andinstructors on the pluses and minuses of its deploy-ment to the Middle East which is nearing an end withthe arrival of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson to theMiddle East.

Since July, CVW-9, which has aircraft based at threedifferent naval installations in the West, embarked onthe aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis for a seven-month tour that also included air support for Opera-tion Enduring Freedom over the skies of southernAfghanistan.

Tactical instruction and refinement for the Califor-nia-based air wing occurred much earlier at Naval AirStation Fallon’s NSAWC during two intensive trainingtimes: October/November 2010 and March 2011.

16 • NAVY TRAINING lahontanvalleynews.com Friday, January 13, 2012 lahontanvalleynews.com NAVY TRAINING • 17

Steve Ranson / LVN photoRanges on Naval Air Station Fallon land are crucial for carrier air wings to become more proficientbefore deploying.

MCC(AW) Christopher S. Shimana / U.S. Navy photoAs commander of the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center, Rear Adm. Mark A. Vance ensures deployed carrier air wings succeed in their mission when deployed such as CVW-9 when it returns to Fallon sometime this spring.

U.S Navy photoRear Adm. Mark A. Vance, commander of the Naval Strike andAir Warfare Center at Naval Air Station Fallon, knows how crucialmissions are for both the carrier air wing and strike group. Vanceserved as a Carrier Strike Group Three commander on board theaircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis in 2008. In this photo,Vance, center, arrives on board the missile-guided destroyer USSKidd.

Friday, January 13, 2012

Page designer: Michael Higdon

Destiny Southwest Asia

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