THE TENSION: Soldiers in Iraq Keep Watchful Eye in Sky

An Aerostat flies above the forward operating base, Feb. 12, to provide camera surveillance and reconnaissance both on and off the base. Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain, Multi-National Division -Baghdad, operate Aerostat cameras here and are training 94th Brigade Support Battalion Soldiers to take on operation of the Aerostat. (Photographer: Spc. Grant Okubo, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Public Affairs.)

Focus on Defense:

FORWARD OPERATING BASE RUSTAMIYAH, Iraq, Feb. 16, 2008 -- Situational awareness is key to defense strategy, which is why keeping an eye on the surroundings, both on and off the base, is vital to Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers of 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division.

One tool Patriot Brigade Soldiers use for surveillance and reconnaissance is the Aerostat. At first glance, one might think he or she was looking at the ‘Goodyear’ blimp when seeing the Aerostat in the sky. This is no blimp, however, and it serves a much higher purpose when it comes to security.

The function of the Aerostat is to give Soldiers ‘eyes-on’ in any situation on or off the forward operating base, said Pfc. Wesley Martin, an Aerostat camera operator assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment. Martin, a Sioux City, Iowa, resident, explained that the Aerostat is one of many essential tools used for locating improvised explosive devices and facilitating route reconnaissance. Soldiers from 2nd Bn., 30th Inf. Regt. are preparing Soldiers from 94th Brigade Support Battalion to take on responsibility of being the eyes in the sky over FOB Rustamiyah, he said. Essentially, the Aerostat gives Soldiers greater visibility of any situation that otherwise they might not normally have, explained Martin.

The Aerostat requires a great deal of detailed attention, continued Martin, but teaching 94th Bde. Spt. Bn. Soldiers how to operate the Aerostat has been fairly simple. “It seems like a lot of information at first, but once you actually get hands on, it goes pretty quick,” commented Martin.

It takes at least two Soldiers to operate the Aerostat’s camera during a 24-hour period, explained Sgt. Daniel Gilbert, a Fort Valley, Ga., Soldier assigned to Co. B, 94th Bde. Spt. Bn. as a motor vehicle repairman.

Becoming a camera operator was a major career change for Gilbert.

“I’m a mechanic, and I’m working on a camera,” he said, laughingly.

However, the challenges of learning to operate Aerostat’s cameras have not been huge adjustments for Gilbert. As long as an operator has some knowledge of how to operate a computer, it isn’t too difficult to grasp, he stated. The controls on the Aerostat are user friendly to operate he explained.

One human quality required to effectively operate the Aerostat camera is patience, Gilbert believes. Staring at a monitor for long periods of time can take its toll on a Solider, said Gilbert. That is why at a minimum they operate in teams of two, so camera operators can give each other breaks, he continued.

The Aerostat, its cameras and its operators are very important for base security and for convoys traveling nearby. It can help save lives, said Gilbert.

(Story by Spc Grant T. Okubo, 4th Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office, 10th Mountain Division.)