Hello all,

new to the board. I have been a part of the ANG for 3yrs in a Red Horse Squadron in the utilities field. I'm looking to join a Combat Comm sq. as 3C0X1. My civilian career is in IT sys admin(unix)and network admin and I have many years of experience. I joined the RHS because it was close to where I live, but now I'm just tired of utilities. Just came off a deployment ,and while there I had to fill in for our only comm guy because of his family emergency.

But, is there anyone here who is in a combat comm sq who can fill me in on what I will be getting into? Is it like Red Horse (combat engineer, self sufficient in deployed environments,etc)?

Thanks in advance

Irbomani, I have been in Combat Comm in the Alabama ANG for 23 years. Combat Comm is pretty much self-sufficient. Once things are setup and running you are pretty much just waiting on something to break. It is really busy while you are getting services setup. You will be setting up servers, firewalls, email accounts, etc...

thanks marks971. I don't know how familiar you are with Red Horse, but we have a reputation of deploying alot and being in "dangerous" situations (bare base buildup). Opposite of us are Prime Beef which maintain the bases we build. Is combat comm more like Red Horse or prime Beef?

From a comm perspective, yes. It's common for one of the combat comm squadrons to setup the communications infrastructure of the said bare bases above. Not all deployments are like that though just like RH and PB. You could end up just going on an AEF rotation to Qatar or some other established base.

As a 3C0 you'll be dealing with NCC heavy and possibly lite. With your experience you'll do great.

What is NCC heavy and lite?

Combat Comm = not doing your job unless you are deployed. So expect to deploy a lot. Not like SPECOPS or anything, but if you aren't deployed, you are training and preparing to deploy.

I love it.

I was Combat Comm at Tinker (3d CCG) for 6 1/2 years and you don't really appreciate it until you've been out for a while. I went to teach and am currently at an Air Control Sq unit...and I miss Combat Comm. Good for me - I'm going to a Combat Comm unit in Guam right after Thanksgiving.

Basically, you go into a bare base and set up initial Comm for the airfield and all supporting agencies on the base. We wire the base up w/ voice and data comm. You train for a tactical unsecured environment - meaning supporting own security, digging/manning DFPs, Base Recovery After Attack procedures, grid sweeps, and the whole bit. On Tinker, we use to call ourselves the AF's ARMY (before 9/11). We were the ones on base that were running around the woods shooting each other (along w/ the base SF personnel) and driving Big Green Trucks through the mud practicing convoy ambush procedures (prior to 9/11).

If you like that kind of thing - then you'll like it - I loved it.

Now, when we deployed for Southern Watch, it was always to PSAB or Al Jaber and the bases were set up and we were there maintaining the comm. Combat Comm is suppose to be temporary comm until permanent fixtures could come in...that was all out the window during Southern Watch - our vans were there for over a decade. When the war kicked off, we had people in Afghanistan securing airfields (one in particular jumped out the back of the plane locked and loaded while the plane was still rolling on the runway...did a grid sweep and started setting up the site.)

Good stuff - better than fixed comm where you just sit in a room, mop the floor, and do a PMI every day and that's it. I'd rather pack up and go somewhere.

This question isn't combat com specific, but what type of upgrade training is available for com?

Not sure I undestand your question? I can answer it in a couple of diff ways. What are you looking for? The levels of qualifications, equipment?

You will be training on the last commercial Cisco Switches, Servers and Routers. Learning about networking and building and managing firewalls and establishing accounts.

Dharris75,

I mean what additional training is available after tech school. In utilities we can get 5-level and 7-level training in Fire suppression, ROWPU, etc.

We don't have anything like that. You learn on whatever radios are at your base. The equipment you work on is VERY diverse due to our merging of AFSCs and you could work in a tactical unit like Combat Comm/ACS, or a fixed terminal, or telemtry...but in career progression, it's all the same...just an assignment.

We don't shred out or anything.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by DHarris75:
Combat Comm = not doing your job unless you are deployed. So expect to deploy a lot. Not like SPECOPS or anything, but if you aren't deployed, you are training and preparing to deploy. [QUOTE]

Dharris75, are you guard or active?

Can any guard Combat Comm guys give tell me a little about their deployments?

Thanks in advance,

~Lateef

Sorry for the delay - don't check this board everyday.

I am active.

Hello, could use some guidance and info about combat comm. I'm a 3c0 going into a combat comm squadron in guam. Any advice on deployments or the training im going to be getting into?

Hey - I'm at that unit in guam you are headed to.

I don't get to this board that often (not really hoppin). When are you coming here - or are you here now? LOL

hey im heading to a combat comm sq for my first assign as a brand new butter bar. i asked for this assign i love the mission. can any of u seasoned vets gimme some advice.

quote:

Originally posted by lrbomani:
Can any guard Combat Comm guys give tell me a little about their deployments?

Thanks in advance,

~Lateef

Air Guard Combat Comm for about 15 years. Deployed to Operation Desert Shield/Storm to Al Kharj Air Base, which is what became PSAB. We were the Communications unit for the largest airfield in theater. We built up our own compound and the tents we worked in. The tents we slept in were built by CE prior to us arriving. We dug our own bunkers, filled our own sandbags, and pulled shifts at our own checkpoint. Deployment lasted for 7 months. We handled the voice and data for all units on the base.

Deployed in 2002 to Kyrgyzstan and stepped in on top of an active duty unit. We meshed with them until they left, then we got stepped on by another guard combat comm unit and meshed with them until we left. Voice and data for the whole base which included U.S. Air Force, Army, Marines, and French Army, South Korean Air Force, Australian, and Italian Air Forces. We didn't handle any security duties and did not even carry weapons with us on that deployment.

Peacetime deployments included a lot of war games with the marines and army in Savannah, GA a lot, and a great deployment to White Sands Missile Range in NM one year. Also several trips to Alpena, Michigan, Biloxi, MS, and war games with the active duty forces at Shaw AFB.

Started my air force career as an active duty fixed comm guy. Hated it. B O R I N G. Loved everything about combat comm. Lots of fun combat training scenarios and just got a much better grasp of how everything works together because you're involved in all of it in combat comm, but only in your littls specific part in fixed comm.