MEDIA CONTEST: Soldiers in an Airman's world

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  • Feature Entry 14
ACC MEDIA CONTEST --  Speaking two different languages is a part of Staff Sgt. Samuel Ridenour's everyday life.

He isn't a foreigner in an unfamiliar land, although sometimes it may feel like it.
As one of the few soldiers in the only Army unit on Robins Air Force Base he has become fluent in Air Forcese.

As an airborne target surveillance supervisor aboard the Joint STARS aircraft he acts as the eyes for his brothers and sisters serving on the ground, through communication and translation with Airmen on the aircraft down to the Soldiers in the sand.

"You basically have to learn two languages in order to properly communicate," Sergeant Ridenour said."

Attached to the 116th Air Control Wing, the 138th Military Intelligence Agency has around 100 soldiers and is a crucial link in the Joint STARS mission.

Although the Air Force and the Army are the two largest branches of the nation's military and have essentially the same goal here at the 116th -- they are as different as night and day.

"Being stationed here is just different - not necessarily good or bad," Maj. Chuck Braziel, Army deputy director of operations for the 128th Airborne Command and Control Squadron here said. "We're conditioned to perform the mission the Army way - as soldiers, and the Air Force is trained to do it as Airmen.

Some Soldiers might think being stationed on an Air Force base would be a cakewalk, but it has its disadvantages.

"Almost every Soldier who comes here is already experienced and has some rank - being at the bottom of the NCO totem pole, I have no soldiers below me," Sgt. Jeffrey Henry ATSS aboard the Joint STARS said. "It's hard for me to work on my leadership abilities - at a regular assignment I'd have team leaders and squad leaders to instruct."
The other side of the coin has its benefits.

"You gain a lot of experience working with the Air Force," said Spc. Tima Itani, ATSS. "What I would be doing at a regular Army assignment is greatly different."

Gaining experience is not the only upside of being stationed in Warner Robins, Ga.

"Warner Robins is easily one of the nicest military towns I've ever lived in -- as far as the amenities, services and local school systems," Maj. Braziel said. "It's just a nice place to be."

Other benefits from being a Soldier in an Airman's world include a different perspective on what is going on in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"There is so much knowledge you are going to have because you've seen the bigger picture by being up on the Joint STARS," Sergeant Ridenour said. "When I go back to my unit, I'll be able to educate my soldiers better so that they can see the big picture."
In constant support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom, seeing the big picture is a necessity, but can be difficult from some.

"We had a medevac called in for some soldiers who were trapped in a burning vehicle -- it was going be a while before help would arrive. The soldiers taken from the vehicle were burned badly," Sergeant Ridenour said. "On the ground the officer in charge made a call to put the soldiers in the back of a dump truck to take them to the nearest medical facility. Listening to their pleas for help -- I felt so much for them down there. We couldn't do anything but provide as much support as we could over the radio, relaying messages. It was painful for me. It still sticks in my head."

Having ground combat experience and being deployed to places such as Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq prior to working as an ATSS on the Joint STARS sometimes makes it difficult for Soldiers like Sergeants Henry and Ridenour.

"I get so edgy sometimes because you can see in your mind what's happening down there and you wish you could go down there and be involved, said Sgt. Ridenour. "You have friends down there - it sounds weird because you don't know them, but they are your brethren."

With usually three Soldiers - two ATSSs and a Deputy Mission Crew Commannder - flying on a Joint STARS mission, their main job is to work as a liaison from the Army to the Air Force but it changes once a soldier leaves Robins.

"We are considered a liaison from the Army to the Air Force on the jet," said Ridenour. "When we get back on the ground, we are a liaison from the Air Force to the Army -- showing what the Air Force's capabilities are and informing the rest of the Army of the Joint STARS mission."