Warrior Alpha team takes care of business in AOR

Published Sept. 2, 2007
By Capt. Teresa Sullivan
379th Air Expeditionary Wing

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Airmen of the 379th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron's Warrior Alpha flight provide data links for reach-back support daily to enhance communication capabilities for forward operating elements.

The Warrior Alpha flight is made up of about 25 Airmen and contractors who work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, keeping all systems up and operational.

"Our day revolves around the air tasking order, but there are also preventative maintenance inspections daily to ensure all mission equipment is ready," said Maj. Kate Barber, 379th EOSS Warrior Alpha flight commander, who is deployed here from the Pentagon in Washington D.C. Some of their mission equipment includes antennas, generators, tents, data links, vans and fork lifts - making them a self-sufficient entity.
"We do everything from heating and cooling, supply, administrative tasks, to civil engineering, maintenance and equipment operation."

The flight is responsible for sending information captured via satellite to home-based support organizations for them to decipher and use on the battlefield. The newest addition to the Warrior Alpha compound is their 40-foot tower that holds a tracker to facilitate the flow of information between satellites and the information analysts.

"The tower allows for better communication capability," said the major. "Having the tower here is a sign of our permanence." Previously the tracker was positioned onto a raised pile of dirt and rocks.

Without operational equipment, this flight would not be able to accomplish the mission. To take care of that, Warrior Alpha has Airmen like Senior Airman Eliu Moreno, 379th EOSS Warrior Alpha flight electrical power production journeyman. He's responsible for ensuring there is power to the mission equipment at all times. This can be a challenge here where temperatures remain in the hundreds, the humidity is high and blowing dust settles onto every piece of equipment.

"We do daily checks of our generators, our power sources and our environmental control units and we make sure everything is running at the right temperatures," said the Airman based out of Beale Air Force Base, Calif.

For Airman Moreno, knowing that he plays a critical role in the Global War on Terrorism mission gives him a sense of accomplishment.

"It's good being a part of the big picture," he explained. "We recently went on a tour of the CAOC (combined air and space operations center) where we were able to see how our small part fits into the big picture and that's very fulfilling."

Part of the self-sustained complex is a morale and welfare tent fully equipped with a television, a ping pong table and books to keep the members of Warrior Alpha in good spirits. The flight also takes tours of various base agencies as part of their team-building efforts. Recently they toured the B-1s and visited the embassy downtown.

For Johnny Thompson, 379th EOSS Warrior Alpha flight's special repair technician, the highlight of his job is the change of pace.

"The best part about our flight is that we're never bored," said the contractor from Beale AFB. Mr. Thompson is responsible for providing technical assistance for military members on power and air conditioning equipment and also maintaining the data link equipment. "We've got a job to do and everyday it's something new and we've got a great crew that wants to learn and wants to work hard. We take care of business here."

Warrior Alpha has been up and operational at the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing since February 2006.