That means we did our job well. The team's dedication is not only valuable, but required, said Maj. Joe Wassel, military assistant to the secretary of defense for communications. And if we have communications problems in Tokyo at 3 a.m., we can't just run out and get whatever's needed to fix it. They are magicians sometimes, he said.
Every overseas trip is an event in itself.
From the moment, for example, that the defense secretary departs Andrews Air Force Base, Md., until he returns, the team could move 2,000 pages of classified documents. They could have done 100 telephone patches, supported 35 cellular phones and 84 movements in seven hotels. Meeting challenges has earned the team the respect of its customers, that's paramount, said Tech. William Hawkins, deputy communications adviser for the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff. He said real-time communications for the top military leaders is critical.