Courtesy Photo | Commander of the 402nd Civil Affairs Battalion (bottom left), Lt. Col. Edward McFadden...... read more read more
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By Sgt. Luis Delgadillo
SAN JUAN - From the edge of the pool the distance up did not intimidate the Warrior Citizens who patiently listened to their instructor as he reviewed the first part of training.
"So far we have talked about dehydration in a water environment; we talked about general safety in the water, and what you do first before you go into the water to take somebody out," said U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Kaleb Pérez. He asked, "What is it you want to do?"
"Look for a flotation device," answered a soldier.
"A flotation device, if you can throw something to that person before you go into the water, hey one less thing you have to worry about," said Pérez referring to a rescue situation.
As the class transitioned to the water immersion phase, those islanders who didn't know how to swim got nervous about entering water 18 feet deep. With the looming dive tower above them, they pressed on.
Soldiers of the 402nd Civil Affairs Battalion out of Fort Buchanan, P.R. received water survival training at the San Juan Natatorium courtesy of Pérez who as deputy of enforcement for the San Juan sector, enforces laws concerning migrant interdiction, search and rescue, and drug interdiction for the Department of Homeland Security.
From the edge of the pool Pérez ordered the class of 27 students to begin swimming to the opposite edge of the Olympic size dive pool.
What followed was a series exercises designed to build their confidence in the water, reduce their fear and prepare them in the event they find themselves jumping into oily water that has caught fire.
"Fear is something that we need but at the same time we have to overcome it. For me I demonstrate the tactics training and procedures and how to do them safely," Pérez said describing how he led even the most aqua phobic civil affairs soldiers into the water. "You let the most talented or skilled people do it first."
This is something I never expected to do in this unit," said Pfc. Karla Arroyo Rosario, a civil affairs specialist. "I had to face my fear of the water and of drowning and of heights too," she said.
Overcoming that fear seemed to be the order of the day as Pérez lined the soldiers up at the water's edge and showed them how to deal with a person who needed to be rescued.
One by one they took turns rescuing each other, a good exercise in cooperation and teamwork.
Above them however, the diving platforms stood ready to test their individual resolve.
After taking the troops through the proper way to enter the water when jumping from a high elevation with and without a weapon, next, Pérez had soldiers test their resolve on platforms 18 and 27 feet high.
For the truly daring, the 60-foot platform seemed to satisfy their desire for adrenaline.
Jumping wasn't the only part of the process. To avoid injury Pérez corrected soldiers' techniques and upon entering the water and resurfacing the 402nd CA Btn. soldiers were then instructed to swim to the edge of the pool using a modified breast stroke. The soldiers pushed water away with each repetition pretending they were pushing away fire on the surface of the water.
Though not every soldier jumped from 60 ft. high, all gained a basic understanding of water survival.
"It was simple, basic but at the same time nevertheless important," he said.
A sentiment echoed by Arroyo Rosario and her fellow soldiers.
"It really made me overcome a lot of my fears. It has made me feel like a better soldier, like I can do more stuff now," Arroyo Rosario said.
| Date Taken: | 06.05.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 06.11.2011 09:36 |
| Story ID: | 71942 |
| Location: | FORT BUCHANAN, PR |
| Web Views: | 89 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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