Photo By Sgt. 1st Class True Thao | Army Sgt. Tyler J. Ditkanas, a native of Platteville, Wis., and a member with the...... read more read more
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BARAHONA, Dominican Republic – Fresh water is an important resource. It is used in many everyday things such as cooking, cleaning, hydration and most important of all survival; and in some situations a difficult resource to acquire. Having access to that fresh water can be difficult depending on the location, but for the U.S. service members participating in Beyond the Horizon 2014 (BTH) in Barahona, Dominican Republic, the 753rd Quartermaster Company out of Green Bay, Wis., is enabling that access from a local well.
The 753rd is providing potable water to service members assigned to Task Force Larimar participating in BTH, a humanitarian and civic assistance mission, in which engineer and medical units are building schools, medical clinics and providing medical care to local citizens. However, without this essential resource, the mission might not be possible or in jeopardy.
“Our mission here is to provide water support for the Forward Operating Site Iguana,” said Army Staff Sgt. Jesse Veeser, non-commissioned officer in charge with the 753rd.
The 753rd is using a Tactical Water Purification System (TWPS), which uses a reverse osmosis technology capable of purifying an average of 1500 gallons of water per hour, allowing the purification unit to make water readily available to the members of Task Force Larimar.
The 753rd's expertise in the field allows them to better understand their role in the mission, and the importance of providing potable water to everyone participating in it. With engineer and medical units out in the unforgiving hot sun all day, water sources are placed at each site to ensure that the service members have access to fresh water.
“Our mission is extremely important, especially the drinking part,” said Veeser. “If I see soldiers to a point where they are really exhausted, I tell them to drink water.”
Participating in BTH last year at El Salvador helped the 753rd prepared for this year's mission. Set in a similar environment, the purification unit knows what to expect and how to perform their mission here.
“Last year's mission was similar to this one,” said Pfc. Jovan McCormick, a native of San Diego, Calif., also with the 753rd. “We know that a lot of water is being consumed during this mission.”
With a large amount of water being used every day, the unit ensures that the water is safe for consumption by checking chlorine levels of the water and refilling the micro-filtration bags every hour.
“We check it daily just to see what the levels are,” said Veeser. “We want to make sure the water is good.”
As BTH continues through the end of june, the 753rd will continue to sharpen their skills and provide potable water to members of Task Force Larimar as they hone their skills for future deployments.
| Date Taken: | 05.12.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 05.12.2014 17:35 |
| Story ID: | 129553 |
| Location: | BARAHONA, DO |
| Hometown: | GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 131 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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