Radio Telephone Operators, answering the Soldiers’ call Published Sept. 24, 2008 By Capt. J. Elaine Hunnicutt Nangarhar PRT Public Affairs, 3rd BCT, 1st ID BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan -- As the team is returning from a long mission, the gunner of the first vehicle in the four-vehicle convoy spots a suspected vehicle-borne improvised explosive device. The team halts. This is a tense moment, because they know their lives and the lives of civilians around them are potentially at risk as they take the steps necessary to inspect the vehicle and set up a perimeter. During this critical time, the most important call that they make is to their base for support. The person that answers the call is the Radio Telephone Operator. He is their life-line for reinforcements, for air support and for medical evacuations. Senior Airmen Blake Manuel from Louisiana and Antuoine Clowers from Charlotte, N.C. are the RTOs for the Nangarhar Provincial Reconstruction Team in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. They are responsible for monitoring communications with all convoys in their battle space, for calling in air support and medical evacuation and for dispatching Quick Reactionary Forces and Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams for Unexploded Ordnances and Improvised Explosive Devices. They keep tabs on where people are when outside the wire. "They ensure that we are accounted for and in constant contact with the [Provincial Reconstruction Team]," Lt. Col. Paul Donovan, Nangarhar PRT commander, said. "They are our life line to the assets and resources that rain down fire or bring us life support - without them we can't function," Donovan said, "They are our sentinels and ensure that we come home alive at the end of the day." "The RTOs are the critical link between the operations cell and our elements operating in the battle space; they have direct knowledge and up to date information on what is going on," 1st Sgt. John Okerson, Nangarhar PRT, said. "I monitor and track coalition forces' movement within Nangarhar Province," said Manuel. "I answer the radios and relay all information about convoys in the province to the battle NCO and captain." This pair, who are part of a multi-service team that trained at Fort Bragg, N.C., works opposite shifts in the TOC to operate the radios and a computer system called Blue Force Tracker, which monitors the movement of friendly forces within the 7,700 square-kilometer province. "The training that we received at Bragg was good and did teach us a little about the equipment, but mainly it taught us about the Army culture and mentally prepared us," Clowers said. The RTOs do not leave the wire often, but the skillsets they learned in training are vital because it helps them better understand what the team is experiencing outside the wire. It also makes communication more coherent, because they were introduced to the Army jargon and procedures in a safe environment. The PRT-owned RTOs trained with just their team, but are responsible for many lives. "I work both sides of it; I drive when I can to help out the PRT, but I am part of all of it, because I track all of the convoys within our battlespace," Clowers said. A typical day for an RTO can mean sitting in a windowless vault monitoring routine movement, but unfortunately, a typical day is also calling in "med evacs" for wounded troops on the battlefield. Both RTOs agree that the greatest benefit of the job is having a comprehensive look at the mission within the area of operation. "I like the job because I get to know everything that is going on in the province. I am the battle NCO's eyes and ears" Manuel said. "It seems like we are fighting two different wars, when I compare my last deployment in Manas with the Air Force to this," Clowers said. "Here I feel like I am on the frontlines; I get to see it up close - I know what is going on." Manuel understands the importance of his role in the mission. "I provide support when bad things happen. I coordinate indirect fire and "med evacs." If I screw up, the aircraft could go to the wrong location," he said. May 31, was the first time that I was calling in Coalition Forces Killed in Action and Coalition Forces Wounded in Action. It was shocking. I have never been that close to the action in my career, Manuel said. Gonzales admitted that he was a little surprised by the way the RTOs processed information initially, but was pleased with the results that followed. "They pay attention to everything, and I don't have to tell them over and over again how to do something," Gonzales said. "They not only remember how to do something, but they also come up with alternatives to the process that made things better for everyone." Manuel and Clowers aren't out ruck marching through villages in the Afghan countryside or fighting insurgents in the mountains, but their job is vital to the mission and they are good at what they do. "While they are almost hermits in the TOC, we have to pull them out occasionally for a breather and check on them daily; their maturity and professionalism has them operating on auto pilot," Okerson said. "We definitely have the right individuals filling these positions."