Alpha 67th’s FOB Shank Team Adjusting to Deployment Shank’s team is split into two groups: Outside Plant/Inside Plant (OSP/ISP) and Help Desk. Together, they provide the installation and administration services for the network systems which keep the base connected and communicating. Soldiers assigned to the Technical Control Facility’s (TCF) Help Desk monitor the myriad systems which comprise the network infrastructure required to keep every Soldier and civilian at Shank patched into history’s most heavily connected conflict. Alpha company’s Soldiers—this deployment being many of their first—eagerly embrace the chance to immerse themselves in the network management roles the army has trained them for. The aim here is costumer service above and beyond the expected standard: Rapid, Reliable, Flexible. Whether programming switches for integration within the network, or ironing-out technical difficulties on the client’s end, the team takes that mission to heart. The bulk of the Shank team—seven out of fourteen Soldiers—is assigned to the OSP side of the fence, and for good reason: FOB Shank promises to be one of the enduring bases in Afghanistan, and is rapidly escalating its capabilities to match that role. Alpha’s Shank detachment works at the forefront of these efforts, putting in the hard labor and technical expertise needed to lay the groundwork for Shank’s sprawling network infrastructure. For Soldiers at Shank, their environment is possibly the greatest obstacle to a successful deployment. The obvious culprits here are the heat and elevation. Temperatures can easily exceed over one-hundred degrees, making dehydration and heat related injuries an ever present danger. Moreover, sea level at Shank is some eight-thousand-plus feet higher than the Soldiers are accustomed to, coming from Georgia. All in all, even the simplest of tasks can become a grueling ordeal in these conditions. Despite this, Alpha’s gators continue making great strides at Shank—both toward the accomplishment of their mission, and in terms of personal improvement. The team has seized the opportunity presented by a focused environment free from many of the distractions of life back home to advance themselves and their careers in a number of ways. Specialist and Private alike have completed the mandatory level one SDD (Structured Self Development), a forty hour course designed to ease the transition from lower-enlisted to non-commissioned officer. Additionally, many endeavor to use their time overseas to obtain the college credits needed for a degree. For others, valuable certifications in fields of technical expertise, such as Security Plus, are their goal. The idea is that every Soldier should come back from this deployment better than when they left. And there is little doubt that this will be the case—both in mind and body. The PT with team Shank is no joke, and not simply because of the high altitude. Six days a week the Alpha company Soldiers wake up wondering which muscle group will come under attack next. More often than not, it’s all of them. The team’s leadership leads by example when it comes to PT and is always willing to go the extra mile to motivate a Soldier who needs it. As for the Soldiers themselves, they pine for ‘300’ and every burn-out pushes them a point closer to that ultimate goal.
Posted on: Fri, 19 Jul 2013 08:45:24 +0000
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