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PERSIAN GULF (August 13, 2009) - The Army has
expanded its capabilities beyond serving as just a land force;
Soldiers are capable of responding to missions in both the air and
sea.
An example of the Army's mission capabilities can be found
within the 86th Engineer Dive Team. The 86th Engineers workspace is
much different from most; the small but specialized group of
divers, who are currently deployed to Kuwait, spend much of their
time on boats and in the water.
"We are the only dive asset the Army has in the Iraq theater of
operations, to include Kuwait and the Gulf," said Staff Sgt. Weston
Cox, diving supervisor, 86th Engineers.
Since 86th Engineers are the only Army dive team in theater,
their days are filled with taking on assignments and training to
stay mission ready.
"We're busy all the time," said Cox. "It's a big mission, it's
not just Iraq, we have a mission out here in the Gulf as well, and
some of the surrounding countries. We always have guys out; we've
got people pretty much rotating in and out all of the time."
The members of the team are classified as both divers and
engineers, many of their missions consist of supporting bridging
operations, where they conduct maintenance on bridges and make sure
bridging sites are safe. Other missions include reconnaissance,
salvage missions, security swims, demolition missions and
underwater cutting, where they use electricity and oxygen to cut
through thick steel.
Due to the nature of their job, where much of the work is
conducted underwater, it is important that the divers have a
complete understanding of their equipment, keep up their
maintenance and conduct thorough checks before each dive.
The noncommissioned officers of the detachment work closely with
the junior Soldiers to make sure these steps are correct and
complete.
"There are so many pieces of equipment that you need to be an
expert on," said Sgt. Benjamin Lane, lead diver, 86th Engineers.
"As an NCO you need to be able to teach somebody who's never seen
something like a gigantic compressor, or just different pieces of
equipment that not many people know exist, how to maintain it,
repair it and know how to use it. It's fun though and keeps you
busy."
Although the NCOs have a big responsibility in teaching their
Soldiers and making sure that each dive is safe, most of those who
enter this field are given a solid base in understanding their job
to begin with.
"We are a small team, it's very specialized and these guys work
very hard to get here," said Cox.
After completing basic training those who are going into the
dive field must go through a three-week, phase one dive
training.
During the phase one training, recruits learn to become
comfortable in the water, understand simple dive physics and human
biology.
The training also incorporates a lot of running and physical
conditioning to help prepare future divers for phase two training
where they are sent to the Navy Dive Training Center in Panama
City, Fla.
Phase two training is about six months long and consists of
physics, learning the different dive systems and learning how to
work under water.
But one of the most important skills that any diver must have is
to be self-motivated.
"To want to be the best is the best way to become an Army
diver," said Lane. "Thrive on motivation and do your best work
possible, and no one can say that you did something wrong for
that."
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