Total Force makes carrier pigeons obsolete

Published March 4, 2011
By Tech. Sgt. Emily F. Alley
451st Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- In World War II, it could take a carrier pigeon about six hours to fly from London to Paris. Fortunately, communication is much faster in modern warfare thanks to specialists such as the 451st Expeditionary Communication Squadron at Kandahar Airfield.

Master Sgt. Bob Rondash, 451st AEW engineering and installation specialist, installs cables, which support phone and computer systems. He compared the hard wiring to the backbone of a communication system. Computers and phones are the nerves that branch from its installation. As a National Guardsman deployed from the 213th Engineering Installation Squadron from Stewart AFB, N.Y., he left a full time job working for a phone company, doing almost the exact same job.

"The trucks we use here are the same," he recalled.

In fact, many of the Airmen who work in the Communication Squadron are Guardsmen who left full time jobs working for phone companies and cable companies, doing nearly identical work, when they deployed. Others, from the New York and Illinois National Guard left jobs such as Chicago and New York City police officers .

Chief Master Sgt. James Pearsen, deployed here from the 217th Engineering Installation Squadron in Illinois, mentioned how struck he was by the number of National Guardsmen, who have increasingly blurred the definition of active duty.

A large portion of the 451st ECS is also built from civilian contractors, many of whom are prior military. While most Air Force deployments are completed within six months, a few of the contractors have been in Kandahar for years. Contractor Freddie Koehli estimated that in the time he's spent in Afghanistan, he's seen about eight rotations of deployed Airmen.

"This whole group provides continuity between six month rotations," Koehli nodded toward his 10-person team of contractors.

"I've personally seen five commanders," Koehli added, describing his time within the squadron.

He stressed that his team has met every deadline asked of them in that time. He vividly recalled a request to complete the new compound for the 451st AEW in time for its one-year anniversary at Kandahar Airfield. His team worked in windowless buildings without light or air conditioning and finished installation in schedule. They've seen the airfield grow and a few recall when the camps were just a pallets and dirt.

The unique challenge of working out of a base like Kandahar Airfield, the group agreed, is isolation.

"A memorable snapshot is to see an Afghan in flowing robes and sandals climb out of your truck," recalled contractor Steven Grace. "It's one of those moments that make you wonder, 'where am I?'"

There's no hardware store to get the equipment they may need. It's taken nine months to a year for supplies to arrive in the past. In order to finish some of their assignments, Koehli relies on built relationships in order to pool resources.

"I've spent 30 years in the military and this deployment has topped them all," Chief Pearson reflected as he discussed his squadron. "These guys stepped up time after time, working three shifts, whatever it takes."

The constant stream of taskings for the squadron are a reflection of the growth and activity on the base, the communication that allows other areas to function.

"Think about how spread out the Air Force is," Grace described. "This is the focal point," Koehli added "We let everyone talk to one another, get them internet. We have the big dishes here that connect them to the rest of the world."

Thanks to squadrons such as his, military units in Kandahar can communicate with commands on the other side of the ocean- and faster than by carrier pigeon.