Photo By Staff Sgt. Patrick Moes | Sgt. Nathan Haney helps pull out Spc. Jonathan Luchak during a partnership dive on the...... read more read more
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By Staff Sgt. Patrick N. Moes
40th Public Affairs Detachment
CAMP PATRIOT, Kuwait — Many engineers work with heavy construction equipment to create new schools in Iraq or for demolition work in Afghanistan.
For an elite group of engineers in Kuwait, they see things a little differently from the rest. They go to work with an air tank on their back in the murky waters of the Persian Gulf.
"Engineers usually get to the waterline and go 'ah we need some divers,'" said Capt. Dan Curtin, commander of the 7th Engineer Dive Team. "We take the fight from there."
"The diving equipment we use is just our mode of transportation to get to work," said Curtin.
"U.S. Army Engineer divers are all engineers. We do all engineer tasks there are, except we do them wet ... and if you add water to it, then it's a whole different world."
That world has seen the 7th deploy from Fort Shafter, Hawaii, to Camp Patriot, Kuwait, in support of Third Army/U.S. Army Central.
The mission of the dive team includes providing underwater engineering capabilities to all countries in Third Army's area of responsibility, diagnosis and treatment of diving diseases and disorders and port opening and harbor clearance operations, said Curtin.
The reason the 7th has the ability to accomplish these missions with skill and poise can be summed up in one word - diversity.
"These men are trained on more individual engineer tasks than probably most engineers," said Curtin with a sense of pride as he looked at his team. "Even if you take the water aspect out of it, I think they are probably some of the more highly trained (engineers) that the U.S. Army has."
Part of this diversity comes from working with divers from different services and nationalities.
"When you conduct joint operations with other nations, you go one step beyond a demonstration of your abilities," said Curtin.
"You also display your proficiency at those tasks. This can significantly boost the confidence of those who call on you for your expertise."
The 7th did exactly that recently on the shores of Kuwait. Working with the Navy's Explosive Ordnance Disposal divers and divers from the French navy, the 7th had the opportunity to see how their diver brethren operate.
"One of the main things is you understand what capabilities you have," said Sgt. Nathan Haney, an Orange County, Calif., native, about the importance of working with foreign nations. "You network with other countries."
"They know what we can do. If they've got something that they can't handle they know who to call," added Haney.
The training opportunities are not all work, though. The divers get the chance to share diver stories and compare experiences.
"It's always a good time, Haney said. "You're always switching patches and shirts and building camaraderie. "Everyone's real eager to swap T-shirts or patches."
Whether they are exchanging T-shirts with members of foreign militaries or doing partnership dives, the common thread always remains the same.
"It doesn't matter what country your working with, diving is diving and military is military," concluded Haney. "No matter who you talk to, it's always the same story."
| Date Taken: | 05.09.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 05.09.2007 10:05 |
| Story ID: | 10298 |
| Location: |
| Web Views: | 310 |
| Downloads: | 267 |
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