Nevada Guard unit helps Army stay connected

KANDAHAR AIR FIELD, Afghanistan -- November mornings cast a chilly spell on this sprawling military installation.

The roar of a jet taking off from the nearby runway drowns out the daily call to early morning prayer, while gentle breezes from the north push the dust like a dancer across the narrow roads crisscrossing the base.

This field, among the main NATO bases in Afghanistan, has become a launching pad for the global war on terror.

Since 2003, Nevada National Guard units have rotated into Afghanistan, some serving as far north as Bagram Air Field, north of Kabul, to Kandahar in the southeast, 240 highway miles from the capital city.

The 422nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion, with headquarters in Reno, arrived here in March. It consists of three National Guard companies from Reno, Las Vegas and Casa Grande, Ariz., and two active-duty companies, and is among the largest Nevada Army National Guard units to deploy to Afghanistan.

Lt. Col. Jeffrey Hansen of Dayton, the battalion's commander, calls his unit the AT&T of the battlefield. It provides a wide spectrum of communication tools to many units in southern Afghanistan, including Internet, video, data, teleconferencing, and secure and nonsecure communications. The unit also supports organizations in several regional commands and provides tactical satellite dishes and switching.

"The 422nd is the largest individual signal unit in Afghanistan right now, and we make up most of the 228th Theater Signal Brigade (headquartered at Bagram)," said Hansen, a guardsman for more than two decades.

The battalion takes care of the communications within the Army's 82nd Airborne Division's area of responsibility. It also provides communications and signal support to multinational units, joint service military, civilians and contractors.

Hansen said feedback from the signal brigade staff has been positive.

"Their support has been great," he said. "This is a Guard brigade that understands the challenges we go through and our capabilities."

KEEPING THE LINES OPEN

Hansen said the battalion's signal capabilities reach outside Kandahar to many forward operating bases scattered throughout the province and accessible only by helicopter or well-planned convoy.

From a small office with bare plywood walls and windows, Hansen talked about the talent within his battalion.

"A lot of our guys do a lot of this work in the civilian world, and that gave them the incentive to make it better (here) than when they found it," he said. "It has been a challenge to us."

The battalion's reputation grew in recent months with its ability to provide communication services to units inside and outside the Kandahar fence line.

"Customer service travels through southeast Afghanistan," Hansen said, pointing toward his Nevada arm patch. "People know this. They see the patch and say you are the signal guys who work the help desk on FOBs. Because of this relationship, we have built soldier-provided support. This patch has a great reputation."

The 422nd left Nevada in January for additional training at Fort Lewis, Wash., and is beginning to wind down for its return home next month. Hansen and his command staff call this a truly "Nevada" unit because soldiers represent almost every community in the state.

Like many soldiers in the battalion, Hansen has kept in touch with his two children and friends through many ways, such as Facebook, email and Skype.

"I talk with the kids at least once week," he said, his eyes glazing with tears.

The time and distance have been an obstacle, but Hansen saw the children during a morale visit to Nevada in the summer.

"They're doing well. We're all looking forward to doing all the things we like to do when I return."

Hansen's executive officer, Lt. Col Michael S. Peyerl, spent 10 years on active duty before he left the Army and joined the Nevada Army National Guard in 2005. Peyerl, of Fallon, has worked for Hansen for more than two years and has been a big force behind the battalion's deployment halfway around the world.

BUILDING THE TEAM

The Nevada and Arizona companies worked together at Camp Navajo, Ariz., near Flagstaff, in 2009 and again a year later at the Hawthorne Army Depot. The battalion had new equipment and needed the best and brightest to operate it.

"We had a challenge. We built the entire team over a one-year span, and the team here now was built then," Peyerl said. "We got the best individuals, the best team members. No matter what we would face, we had the best people."

The signal battalion faced another challenge once in country.

"We had two additional active-duty companies (which have already left for the States) and assumed two more. We built team competence and expertise," Peyerl said. " We took every mission we were asked to do here and figured out what needed to be done and went ahead and did it."

He attributes the battalion's success to soldiers who perform similar functions with civilian companies

"We have electrical engineers who deal with power and signal needs, and a lot of guys work for cable companies. Many know how to install high-speed fiber," Peyerl said. "The overall mission far exceeded expectations because we installed the high-speed fiber throughout" Kandahar Air Field.

Peyerl said the battalion not only maintained and redesigned the network but nurtured credibility for its service. Since early November, the battalion's soldiers have been packing and working with transportation to ship equipment home.

"We' re right on track," Peyerl said.

TAKING THE PULSE

While Hansen and Peyerl watched over the overall operation of the signal battalion and its companies, Command Sgt. Major Jose A. Aragon took the pulse of the soldiers.

"Overall, it's been great," said Aragon, a New Mexico native and the unit's top enlisted soldier. "Everywhere I go, people make comments about our great soldiers."

He regularly meets with each unit's first sergeant to discuss his expectations and tell them of current or changing policies. From the sergeants' feedback, Aragon notifies the command and gives advice in handling certain situations. His communication doesn't stop with the first sergeants. During the past nine months, Aragon has spoken with scores of soldiers who feel comfortable telling him of their concerns.

"The biggest fear is going home to the unknown. A year ago it was leaving and going to the unknown," he said. "When we first got here, people were wondering, and then they got comfortable."

The personal interaction and the pre-deployment trip helped, Aragon said.

He gathers additional inspiration from being a World War II movie buff and by applying yesterday's lessons to today. He points to graphics on his computer screen that show the development of technology from those World War II days in the Pacific and Europe to the 21st century in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Aragon is convinced that the battlefield keeps improving.

"We'll always talk about technological advancements," he said, adding soldiers' abilities under pressure never change. "Our young soldiers have always been smart."

Steve Ranson is editor of the Lahontan Valley News in Fallon, where a version of this story originally appeared.