Eaglehorse Squadron Border Personnel and
Activities
Reaction Force was staffed with each
new 24 hour border mission team. It consisted of an E6
with at least a three man crew manning an M113. They
attended the morning briefing, drew ammunition and remained
in or near their M113 parked opposite the Border Operations
Center for the day. The border camp OIC would call this
force to alert and conduct an inspection once during the
day to insure readiness. The camp siren system signaled
the alert. In the event of loss of communication with a US
element on the border or any other border related
emergency, the Reaction Force was called out and prepared
to move. Communication related problems could normally be
fixed by the stand - by jeep deploying to high ground
between Camp Lee and the border to serve as a relay.
Regimental Border Operations,
however, had its own border readiness inspection program and
would, on occasion, visit OP Sierra and direct the team to
not answer standard radio checks. They would then time the
period between the loss of communication and the arrival of
the Reaction Force. Inspections of this type continued
through at least 1979. As new equipment was fielded to the
Eaglehorse, the M113 was replaced by an M3.
Stand-By jeep
and driver were used by the
camp OIC to monitor and assist the border observation
mission. The driver attended the morning briefing. OP
Sierra was visited at least twice per day by the OIC to
inspect readiness and to feed the team. US patrol also
would be fed at least once and any other units on the trace
were checked. The jeep was also used to establish
observation along the border as the situation demanded.
Border
Operations Center
at Camp
Lee provided quality control and oversight of the patrols
and OP's along the border. The center, staffed by an
E6, E5 and junior enlisted runner, maintained radio
communication with all border deployed troops. As spot
reports came in by FM or land line, they were placed in
written format, reviewed for completeness and passed
via unsecure line to the Squadron Border Operations Center
at Daley Barracks. The center also maintained an
accurate situation map to monitor "who / where / what"
in the Eaglehorse sector and a "time-event" log of all
significant border activities. The tour of duty was 24
hrs; the NCO's remained awake, the runner could rest if not
otherwise employed. Often, the camp OIC would "sit in"
at the Operation Center to maintain full awareness of
the border mission status.
Squadron Border
Operations Center
Located in a secured space adjacent to the S2 shop at Daley
Barracks, the Squadron Border Operations Center maintained
radio and land line communication with the Camp Lee
operations center. The SBOC was staffed 24 /7 in
eight hour shifts by an E6 and E5. They received spot
reports and other information from Camp Lee,
reviewed for completeness and passed the reports to
Regimental Border Operations in Fulda expeditiously
via land line. They maintained logs, situational maps
of the border area and drafted daily and weekly
consolidations of US patrolling activities and spot reports.
They maintained FM and AM radio links to Fulda.
Border Camp
Custodian: This
position was filled as necessary to provide
NCO oversight to the administrative aspects of the day to
day operations of Camp Lee. Usually filled by an E6 or
E7, the custodian had quarters at the camp but usually spent
weekends in Bad Kissingen. The custodian
checked on the HHT medics and wheel vehicle mechanic at the
camp, identified and repaired facility related
problems and coordinated with Facility Engineers at Daley
Barracks for problems beyond his capabilities.
He assisted in the transfer of the camp from unit to unit.
Squadron Border
NCO: Usually an
E6 or E7, this NCO was a key player in the instruction,
coordination and quality control efforts of the Eaglehorse
squadron border mission. This was a demanding
position requiring complete knowledge of all aspects of the
border mission. He operated independently with a
driver to teach, inspect and assist the unit currently
assigned to Camp Lee as well as train select personnel
of the next unit in rotation. He interacted on a daily
basis with squadron staff, the border unit and West
German border observation and policing units. The
Border NCO reported to the Squadron Border Officer.
The Squadron Border
Officer: was a special staff position filled as
necessary, reporting to the SXO on all border camp and
surveillance operational and administrative issues.
The position was normally filled by a first lieutenant or
captain. The Border Officer was responsible for the
activities of the Border NCO, the custodian, staffing and
operations of the SBOC. He worked to coordinate with
and assist units, squadron staff, Regimental Border
Operations and outside civil, military and
German agencies with an interest in the Eaglehorse border
surveillance mission, facilities and real property.
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