the fort huachuca - MediaSpan

10A
The Scout
we are proud Americans first.
But, for all that the Asian/Pacific Americans have strove and sacrificed
— there remain many challenges to overcome: Vincent Chin, a Chinese-
American, was beaten to death while celebrating his bachelor party
because his murderers thought he was Japanese — they received a suspended
sentence and a $3,000 fine; Dr. Wen Ho Lee, a Chinese-American,
was wrongly fired from Los Alamos National Laboratory because he allegedly
looked like a Chinese spy; Balbir Singh Sodhi, a Sikh-American,
was gunned down at his Mesa gas station shortly after 9/11 — his killer
claimed it was revenge for 9/11; Maya Lin, a Chinese-American, endured
hate mail and racist taunts after her design won the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial competition; and a uniformed Korean-American U.S. Army
Major is stopped on the steps of Congress after briefing members of the
House Select Committee on intelligence and asked by an Army lieuten-
THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2010
Army testing faster network
connections for deploying units
By Staff Sgt. Paula Taylor
NETCOM/9th SC (A) Public Affairs
Many Soldiers know computers, and the network
they connect to, play an integral part in the
Army’s daily operations. Being able to quickly
log onto that network, open an e-mail program,
and instantly send a message across the area
of operations can be a long, drawn-out process
when relocating a unit in and out of theater. To
some, it may seem as simple as sticking a Common
Access Card into the reader and typing a
personal identification number, but for the sig-
CourteSy photo
embers of the 72d Expeditionary Signal Battalion set up equipent
in preparation of the 5th Signal Command’s participation
n Operational Validation I last year in Germany. OPVAL I helped
ave the way and tested the capabilities that are in place for this
ear’s OPVAL II.
Let’s honor, celebrate …
From HONOR, Page 2A
nal Soldiers responsible for ensuring everyone
in their unit has access to the vast network, a
lot must happen behind the scenes — or at least
it used to be a lot of work.
Thanks to an upcoming operational validation,
initiated and overseen by the 9th Signal
Command (Army), logging on to the Army’s
network may soon be faster and easier than
ever before.
“For anyone who has served in a deployable
unit, especially in a brigade combat team, the
[process of getting Soldiers online] can be a
nightmare,” explained Sgt. 1st Class Ira Atencio,
United States Army Communications-Electronics
Command COMSEC (communications
security) Logistics Activity.
Atencio, who was formerly assigned to the 4th
Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, as
the senior systems data integrator, explained
what his unit went through to stay connected
as they deployed to Iraq and redeployed back
to Fort Bliss, Texas.
“Our computers were part of the Fort Bliss
domain,” Atencio explained. “Upon arriving in
Kuwait, we had to join the Kuwait/Central Command
domain,” he said. “This meant I had to
baseline, which literally means wiping the entire
hard drive, and re-imaging the computer with
the specifications set forth by the Directorate
of Information Management in Kuwait. I had
to then drop off the computers at the DOIM,
no more than three at a time, so they could get
scanned. If they passed the scan, then my computers
were added to the domain. If not, I had
to correct the problem, then take it [computer]
back to the DOIM for rescanning. The usual
turnaround was 24 to 48 hours. We also had to
have each user fill out a user request form to get
access to the domain. This also usually took 24
to 48 hours,” Atencio said.
“Upon being deployed to Iraq, the process of
baselining and submitting user requests was
repeated to join the Iraq/CENTCOM domain
and for our own 4th BCT domain. When we redeployed
to Bliss, the entire process of joining
their domain was played out again. The wait
was usually a week,” Atencio added.
The 9th Signal Command is taking the concept
of “Train as You Fight” to a new level. Under
this new process, when a unit deploys, Soldiers
will simply unplug from the wall, put their
laptop in the rucksack and arrive in theater,
without ever having to baseline or even getting
a new e-mail address.
“There will be no baseline required, no new
accounts — nothing — it’s exactly as it was when
they got on the plane,” said Steve Roberts, G-3
operations, 9th SC (A). “Soldiers will contact the
nearest network enterprise center for helpdesk
trouble tickets and drive on as if they were at
home station.”
Atencio said he thinks the plug-and-play
model would significantly reduce the workload
for signal Soldiers working in an automations
section because it would allow commanders to
get to work immediately and not have to wait
on a computer that has to be added to a new
domain. This, he said, would also ensure each
installation has the same specifications, regardless
of where a Soldier is stationed, worldwide.
To test the concept, the 9th SC (A), working
with their subordinate unit, the 5th Signal Command
in Germany, called on the help of the 75th
Fires Brigade from Fort Sill, Okla.
The Soldiers and their computers from the
75th Fires Brigade will unplug at Sill, fly to
Germany and plug back in, said Roberts.
“We have started the data replication process,”
said Roberts. “Grafenwoerhr, Germany,
will represent the [combat] environment.”
If the test is a success, the 9th SC (A), the unit
responsible for the Army’s computer network,
will begin the planning stages to ensure all units
know the steps needed for the plug and play
process. The OPVAL was scheduled to officially
be completed on May 9.
“Although this process is a few years from
being Army-wide, the 9th SC (A) is leading the
charge in the enterprise transformation process,”
said Roberts.
ant colonel which country he is from. I can only conclude that educating
my fellow Americans about Asian and Pacific Americans is a full-time,
365-day observance — not one month a year.
So, now you understand why I am offended when the word “American”
is left out of “Asia Pacific American Heritage” banners and flyers, and why
I feel disrespected and patronized when I see a poster of an Asian country
or a Pacific island, or a photo of a foreigner. Asian and Pacific Americans
want to celebrate being American — we’re proud and patriotic — and,
we’re red, white and blue — just like you!
Note: Since immigrating five generations ago, my family has served in
all four services and in: Pearl Harbor — wounded, World War II — as a
“Yankee Samurai”, U.S. Occupation of Japan, Korean War, Vietnam War,
and Desert Shield/Storm. I, retired Col. Dr. Kim, and three of my brothers
are among the first Korean-Americans to graduate from the U.S. Military
Academy, the U.S. Naval Academy and the U.S. Air Force Academy. My
nephew, Mitchell, will enter the US Air Force Academy this summer — the
first of the next generation to serve.