Shaw Airman maintains computers in Iraq

Published March 14, 2007
By Senior Airman Holly MacDonald
20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- A laptop computer used by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations for surveillance within the perimeter of Kirkuk Regional Air Base, Iraq, recently lost all sound capability. In less than 30 minutes it was fully operational thanks to Airman 1st Class Emily Cosson of the 506th Expeditionary Communications Squadron at Kirkuk.

Airman Cosson is a client support administrator. She maintains and troubleshoots all Air Force and Army computers at Kirkuk. At Shaw, she is assigned to the 20th Communications Squadron Plans and Implementations section as a client support administrator and information manager.

"Airman Cosson's job is important to the mission because she supports personnel on base by giving superior data through computer technologies," said Staff Sgt. Kimhann Pol, Airman Cosson's supervisor at Kirkuk.

Being a 3A051 means she has a wide variety of tasks, Airman Cosson said.

"One minute you're a flight information manager creating appointment letters and such, and the next minute you can be cracking open a computer to install a new hard drive or power supply," Airman Cosson said.

Airman Cosson said her job affects many people. At Kirkuk she conducts base-wide maintenance and troubleshooting whereas at Shaw she is responsible for flight-level maintenance, she said.

"Performing my daily job to the best of my ability gives everyone else the ability to do their job as far as communication goes," Airman Cosson said. "Having a laptop or desktop computer set up in the proper format will give the Army and the Air Force a better way of meeting 100-percent mission requirements."

Taking on the responsibility of maintaining an entire base network is one of Airman Cosson's roles. She is also the squadron safety representative and gives weekly safety briefings to 65 Airmen. She also volunteers.

"Performing volunteer work affects the war in a positive way," Airman Cosson said.

She created more than 100 school supply packages for local Iraqi school children who did not have proper school supplies. "This really boosted my morale and the morale of everyone else who participated," Airman Cosson said.

"Airman Cosson volunteers selflessly every week during her time off. Because of individuals like her, a positive impact has been made to Kirkuk," Sergeant Pol said.