Ground radio trainer keeps crews safe in Kuwait Published Feb. 4, 2009 By Susan Griggs 81st Training Wing Public Affairs KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, BILOXI, MISS. -- Deployment is nothing new for Staff Sgt. Stacy Stewart, a ground radio instructor in the 338th Training Squadron. Right now, he's on his third deployment to Kuwait, and he served in Iraq for eight months in 2003. He's also deployed to Poland, Germany, Italy and Denmark for training exercises. So what's different this time? "For the first time in my career, I'm in charge," said Sergeant Stewart, who joined the Air Force nearly 10 years ago and serves as the noncommissioned officer in charge of the Army's 70th Medium Truck Detachment S-6 at Camp Arifjan. His partner is Staff Sgt Kermit Rollins, who's deployed from Robins Air Force Base, Ga. The two NCOs are responsible for more than 500 accountable items, 72 trucks to keep road-ready with communications capabilities and $5 million of communication equipment. "S-6 is the Army equivalent for ground radio," Sergeant Stewart explained. "We're on an Army installation supporting the Army. We're using Army-owned equipment, spending Army money, and in many cases, following Army rules. The acronyms and the process to do most things are different than Air Force, so we had a learning curve when we arrived learning how the Army does business." There's no such thing as an average day for Sergeant Stewart, who's been an instructor at Keesler for four years. The pace and tempo keep the two Air Force NCOs on the move constantly. "Our responsibilities are driven by the mission," he said. "Some days the mission begins at 3 a.m. and ends at 8 p.m. On other days when there's not a scheduled mission, we arrive around 7:30 a.m. and leave at 5 p.m. We take advantage of any downtime because we know there'll be 16+ hour work days in the future." When Sergeant Stewart arrived in Kuwait in October, he and Sergeant Rollins began taking mental notes on what could be done to improve the systems already in place. They noticed the communication cables for the trucks' radios were substandard and began the task of replacing them. Sergeant Stewart is keenly aware of the importance of his duties in keeping convoy crews safe, "I know that if we slack on our job, we jeopardize the safety of the crew in the convoy," he pointed out. "It's not uncommon for these guys to get shot at or blown up from roadside bombs, and if their communications equipment isn't working properly, they may not be able to call for help. Sergeant Rollins and I have taken this job personally and work whatever hours are necessary to ensure the safety of the convoy." His most memorable moment so far was "seeing trucks returning from Iraq with bullet holes in them and everyone arriving safe, and knowing that part of the reason they're still alive is because Sergeant Rollins Rollins and I did our job." Camp Arifjan has many of the same support facilities of American bases, including an exchange, library, small clinic, recreational facilities, pool tables, telephones, an education office, a pool and several fitness centers, dining facilities and restaurants. "We sleep in what are called PCBs - nobody seems to know what that stands for," he said. "They resemble a store-all measuring approximately 50 feet by 200 feet. There are no walls or partitions inside, so we use bunk beds and wall lockers to create makeshift walls to separate one 'room' from another. "Your rank determines how many people are in your area and whether or not you share your bunk with someone," he continued. "I got lucky and ended up with one of the largest areas and only share it with two others -- all three of us have our own bunk bed to ourselves. All E-1 thru E-4 have bunkmates, and most E-5 and E-6 do not. E-7 and up have their own area to themselves." What makes this deployment the most difficult for Sergeant Stewart is that it's the first time he's left a family behind. His wife, Staff Sgt. Jamee Stewart, is also an instructor in the 338th TRS. They have two children -- Clayton, 5, and Hannah, 2. "I use e-mail and telephone to stay in touch with them, but the nine-hour time difference makes it a little difficult to talk to the kids -- 9 p.m. here is noon there, so I can usually only talk to them on the weekend when they're out of school. We've also used the Web cam a few times to see each other, but the Internet connection here is very slow which results in a lot of blurry and choppy screens." Although his six-month deployment is at the midway point, Sergeant Stewart has no problem staying focused on the mission at hand. "Keeping the communications systems in these vehicles operating at their maximum potential does nothing less than enhance the safety and security of each of our operators," he emphasized. "If our radios fail, then we have failed our operators and put lives at risk. That's our motivation to come to work every day."