Photo By Sgt. Garett Hernandez | Paratroopers of the 118th Military Police Company (Airborne), 503rd Military Police...... read more read more
FORT BRAGG, N.C. - Paratroopers of the 118th Military Police Company (Airborne), 503rd Military Police Battalion (Airborne), 16th Military Police Brigade made a splash while training at Atchley Pool on Fort Bragg. Their training prepared them for operations near deep water by learning how to prevent drowning while wearing their assigned equipment.
“Downrange [in Afghanistan] we had a few instances were we had a few [soldiers] fall into large bodies of water with their equipment still on them,” said Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Myers. “Any survival tip that can be trained to these soldiers to give them the key they need to survive something like that is a necessity,” the Lexington North Carolina native went on to explain.
The training is designed to help prevent casualties from drowning by familiarizing soldiers with the proper entry methods into a body of water and how to stay afloat, all while wearing their equipment.
The pants of the Army Combat Uniform, when used properly, can be a floatation device. The instructor demonstrated that, by tying the pant legs together and placing them around the shoulders, they can be inflated by blowing air into them.
“I didn’t know that the pants floated the way they showed us,” said Spc. Oscar Gonzales, a team leader from the 118th MP Company.
Learning such a valuable survival skill prepares soldiers of the 16th Military Police Brigade to stay safe while deployed to environments where their mission takes them around and sometimes in water.
“It was good for the soldiers to get experience pushing themselves to the limits of what they are afraid of,” said Myers.
| Date Taken: | 09.21.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 09.21.2010 11:25 |
| Story ID: | 56696 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 233 |
| Downloads: | 9 |
This work, Bragg MPs Conduct Water Survival Training, by SGT Garett Hernandez, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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