Expeditionary signal battalion redefines mission

Long hailed as Nevada's AT&T on the battlefield, the 422nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion recently added another priority to its mission during annual training in the forested mountains west of Flagstaff, Ariz.

An intensive effort to train guardsmen in signal operations and to refine soldier skills received more emphasis than in previous years for this Nevada Army National Guard battalion.

Although the 7,300-foot elevation didn't parallel the landscape of Iraq or Afghanistan, Commander Lt. Col. Jeffrey Hansen of Dayton said the Arizona site was selected as a halfway point between Las Vegas and Phoenix to facilitate traveling for both Nevada and Arizona signaleers.

Approximately half the battalion's soldiers came from Las Vegas, while the remainder came from Northern Nevada and the Phoenix area.

Hansen, who has spent 13 of his 18 commissioned years with the 422nd, said the battalion wanted to bring together its soldiers from Nevada and Arizona to increase soldier readiness and unit cohesiveness.

"They're getting a more balanced level of training, and then they have hands-on training," said Hansen, commenting from Camp Navajo, an Arizona Army National Guard post that first sprung up to house ordnance during World War II.

After the Guardsmen received classroom training on choosing a site based on topography, Sgt. James Strange, NCOIC (noncommissioned officer in charge) of the signal operation, said the soldiers came out to the site near the classroom, chose a good spot for a dish and set up the equipment.

Strange said the battalion set up two 16-foot dishes and two 8-foot dishes south of the billeting compound.

Rather than directly shoot and receive signals to another location miles away, Strange said Guardsmen received training by sending signals to a satellite and then receiving the signal to the same dish.

The battalion, which is comprised of two companies of Guardsmen - one each from Las Vegas and Phoenix - and a higher headquarters detachment from Reno, is preparing for a possible overseas deployment within 18 months.

While Hansen surveyed the overall process at Camp Navajo, his executive officer will be ensuring the training, security clearances, medical qualifications and family care plans are accomplished during the future months.

Maj. Michael Peyerl, a 1991 graduate of Churchill County High School, said the training went well in Arizona, and he was pleased with the teamwork displayed by both states' soldiers.

"All training has been hands-on," Peyerl said, adding his main challenges will focus on security and medical.

1st Lt. Dion Black, commander of Company A who lives near Phoenix, said the integration between the two states went smoothly.

"We feel part of the team," Black said. "They have given us everything we have needed. They are eagerly helping us activate into the battalion."

Black saw a common thread between the two states.

"We'll deploy together, and there is an unspoken willingness to work together," Black said. "That's good kudos for the troops."

Both Hansen and Black said the challenges facing Arizona are receiving new equipment and soldiers to fill the empty slots.