HEROES

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Soldiers in Afghanistan Get Dirty to Stay Connected

Paratroopers at Forward Operating Base Salerno here are busy running fiber-optic lines to keep critical lines of communication open.

We provide all of the connectivity for the brigade throughout the Task Force Yukon area of operation,” Collins said, referring to a sector of eastern Afghanistan about the size of Maryland. “It is a huge tasking for the smallest company in the entire brigade.”

“We have soldiers that fly out to different forward operating bases on signal maintenance, we have the help desk located in the tactical operations center, network operations, and constant troubleshooting,” ... ”We do a lot in 24 hours.”

“We have to do our job very well, because if we don’t, then everyone else can’t do their jobs,” ... “Yeah, we may get a little wet and muddy, but the bottom line is that the job has to be done.”

[The next time my IS guy complains about his working conditions...]

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