Four Soldiers and a truck: 4th ID team hits road to ensure Atlantic Resolve Soldiers see Super Bowl

By Staff Sgt. Diandra HarrellFebruary 3, 2016

Four Soldiers and a truck: 4th ID team hits road to ensure Atlantic Resolve Soldiers see Super Bowl
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Sgt. 1st. Class Jeffery Stevens and Maj. Victor A. Jaffett, both members of 4th Infantry Division Mission Command Element G6, check their load prior to a weeklong trip through the Baltic states, Jan. 29, 2016. Jaffett and his three-man team loaded a ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Four Soldiers and a truck: 4th ID team hits road to ensure Atlantic Resolve Soldiers see Super Bowl
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Sgt. Josue Neary, an information technology specialist, with 4th Infantry Division Mission Command Element, loads televisions into a Hertz moving truck, Jan. 29, 2016. Neary and his team members loaded a truck with American Forces Network decoders,... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

BAUMHOLDER, Germany - Four communications Soldiers from 4th Infantry Division's Mission Command Element's (MCE) loaded up a moving truck Jan. 30 for a weeklong trip throughout the Baltic states in honor of an American tradition- the Super Bowl.

The four-man signal team filled the truck with American Forces Network decoders, dishes, televisions, cables, antennas, power inserters and splitters to ensure that 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment Soldiers operating from out stations have the opportunity to watch American Forces Network TV programming, including Sunday's big game.

"The plan is to have everything set up in time for the Super Bowl," said Maj. Victor A. Jaffett, officer in charge of the MCE's G-6 section.

Jaffett and his team traveled to Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia to install AFN broadcasts in locations where it is currently unavailable to Operation Atlantic Resolve (OAR) units.

The 4th Inf. Div. MCE is the regionally allocated division headquarters serving in support of U.S. Army Europe's OAR mission. As such the element not only has mission command of all U.S. ground forces conducting enhanced multi-national training and security cooperation activities, but it's responsible for ensuring the welfare of those Soldiers serving under Atlantic Resolve.

"The morale of our Soldiers is very important to us," said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Elizabeth T. Harris, MCE signal chief. "We are committed to helping improve their quality of life, and AFN plays an important role in that."

When stateside, it is easy to take amenities such as one's own room, cable TV or the Internet for granted. But when Soldiers deploy, those luxuries are not always readily available.

"Soldiers in these areas have been asking for AFN, saying, 'We had AFN in Iraq, why can't we have it here.' So it's great to have the ability to fulfill that need," said Lt. Col. Matthew J. Scheiffer, chief of staff, 4th Inf. Div. MCE.

"When Soldiers deploy, no matter where, it's a sacrifice," said Harris. "You're in a foreign country away from the comfort of your home. "So having the opportunity to give Soldiers a chance to relax and feel at home is a great feeling."

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