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Weather technician travels Southwest Asia

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Chuck Broadway
  • 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force/Air Component Coordination Element-Iraq Public Affairs
AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq --  Since his arrival in June, Staff Sgt. Daniel Robinson, a weather technician, has traveled to six different countries in Southwest Asia setting up and repairing weather equipment.
 
Robinson, is on his second deployment and is assigned to the 368th Expeditionary Air Support Operations Group at Al Asad Air Base. He is one of only six service members in U.S. Central Command with his skill set. Robinson said he provides invaluable support to more than 100,000 coalition troops.

The equipment Robinson installs and fixes provides weather data for all military aircraft. Pilots use the invaluable information for mission planning and execution.

"It's very rewarding knowing what I'm doing is taking care of so many people," said Robinson, who is from West Palm Beach, Fla., and deployed from Hurlburt Field, Fla.

During his travels Robinson said he spends anywhere from 30 minutes to a week at any given location depending on the complexity of the mission. His mission can span from delivering parts to set up or tear down of weather radar and pod systems.

In the last several months Robinson visited more than 10 forward operating bases in Afghanistan and Iraq. He has seen his work help missions in many different theaters of operation.

"It's a rare opportunity," Robinson said." I get to see a lot of what is going on in all these locations. Seeing how different (locations) operate is pretty amazing."

Robinson has seen it all, from established bases such as Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, to remote forward operating bases.

Seeing the living conditions at various FOBs has been a humbling experience for Robinson.

"Some places only have a few computers for morale use or service members can only take a shower once every two weeks," he explained.

After witnessing first-hand the sacrifices some of his fellow troops are experiencing, Robinson said he doesn't sweat the small stuff. He's just happy to serve.