MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- -- Antennas, wires, tents and humvees were tested to warriors’ standards as Marines of Company A (reinforced), 8th Communications Battalion, II Marine Expeditionary Force, completed their week-long field exercise here, May 17.

The exercise gave junior Marines the opportunity to familiarize themselves with MEF communications architecture and equipment before their upcoming deployment to Iraq.

1st Lt. Robert W. Featherstone, the wire platoon commander of Co. A, 8th Comm. Bn., and officer-in-charge for this exercise, said four sites, or “nodes”, were positioned throughout here, Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., and at Marine Corps Auxiliary Landing Field in Bogue, N.C.

“The purpose of this exercise was to set up and maintain communications nodes as well as command and control architecture,” Featherstone said, describing individual sections that make up a node, which include single channel radio, technical control, data, terrestrial transmissions and satellite transmissions.

“We were able to test our communication abilities on the MEF level during set up,” Featherstone added.

Enabling proper communication involved surveying the correct ground positions and azimuth set by a site chief beforehand. Platoon noncommissioned officers then led their junior Marines that set up and monitored each area essential for sending and receiving information.

Cpl. Tiffany Nicole Lay, a radio operator with Single Channel Radio Platoon, Co. A, 8th Comm. Bn., trained her junior Marines in satellite communications.

“Our area of responsibility was to set up satellite voice with an omni-directional antenna and run a (radio frequency) cable to the mobile radio communication (MRC-145), or radio humvee,” Lay said.

“Our vehicle powers the MRC-145 fixed to it, so monitoring involves starting the humvee once every hour to power the equipment and continue transmitting data,” Lay added.

Although the setup was created in a smaller proximity for training purposes (normally two-to-three miles), Lay explained how hands-on field training was important for the junior Marines to understand basic assembly and disassembly.

“Our training is going well, and I feel like we’ve covered a lot of ground,” Lay said. “This week, we even had a Marine set up and establish communication on his own during his first field-op.”

Other sections of the company, such as the Terrestrial Transmission Platoon, required a team effort to set up and breakdown, as they assembled and monitored a multi-channel troposphere transportable radio, or TRC-170.

The platoon utilized an OE-468 antenna group that links ground-to-ground communication to other nodes.

The TRC-170 set up and disassembly involved fast-paced Marines that moved equipment, generators and cables exactly where they needed to be, said Cpl. Joshua Rogers Sr., the TRC-170 assistant communications chief.

Monitoring the signal level, power output and data transmission during the operation could be done by Marines inside the unit, he added, pointing out that keeping a “green” reading and not a marginal reading in the TRC-170 is ideal during operation.

Rogers expressed the importance of training in the area he helped to maintain.

“In addition to training the Marines with set up, I think troubleshooting is very important for them to know, because when they run into an issue of losing communication while in Iraq, they’ll be able to pinpoint the problem quickly,” Rogers said.

Problems personnel could encounter between units become less likely. Junior Marines like Lance Cpl. Enrique Martinez, a ground mobile forces operator with Co. A, 8th Comm. Bn., said cross-training with other platoons is an effective way to pinpoint a problem faster.

“Knowing a little about everyone else’s job helps us find out where a problem lies exactly,” said Martinez, who conducted his second field operation with the battalion and is preparing for his first deployment.

“Everyone has a part to play, and it’s important for everyone to keep functioning because it’s possible that if one goes down, then everyone goes down,” he added.

In accordance with plans carried out by the battalion leaders, the Marines planned, installed, operated and maintained a MEF control communication and computer architecture. This training provided II MEF communications Marines the final opportunity to train and refine required skill sets to support the upcoming Operation Iraqi Freedom rotation, operations and potential missions as set forth by the II MEF commanding general.