Photo By Lance Cpl. Glen Santy | Lance Cpl. Jacqueline Colon, a supply administration and operations specialist, with...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, N.C. - After five days of aquatic fury the 11 Marines attending the advanced water survival course graduated to become enforcers of water safety at the Cherry Point combat pool, Aug. 19.
When students graduate from the advanced water survival course, they can assist the Marine Corps water survival instructors when they conduct swim qualifications for troops. Marines certified in advanced water survival are commonly known as “WSAs.”
“Anywhere from 50 to 100 Marines and Sailors come in for “swim qual” every day,” said Cpl. Justin Armstrong, the chief instructor at the combat pool and Marine Corps instructor of water survival with Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 2. “When you go out there and start training students you don’t know anyone’s ability and you never really know when someone is going to go down.”
Each instructor is allowed 10 students in the water at a time or they can monitor up to five WSAs while they are instructing five students of their own. This can put up to 30 people in the water at a time.
“Having WSA Marines gives you that many more eyes on the water. So, it raises the comfort level a little bit. You really can’t be too safe when you’re in the water, and when you have a lot of people in the water it can get dangerous.”
The advanced course is the last and most difficult of three courses before the Marines are able to attend the Marine Corps water survival instructors school. The students must pass the beginning and intermediate courses before attempting the advanced water survival course. The advanced course is a rigorous schedule of different water survival exercises that push its members to the edge.
“I loved it, now that it’s done,” said Lance Cpl. Jacqueline Colon, a supply administration and operations specialist with MWHS-2. “I’ve always been a swimmer but this is a completely different world. This course really pushes you to the brink. I feel faster, stronger and more confident in the water than I ever have before.”
The course is focused on building confidence, endurance and techniques while executing water rescues and survival. On average, the Marines swam roughly two miles a day in between practicing each technique. The point of the harsh exercise was to have the Marines still perform their exercises while tired to be more prepared for real life scenarios.
“The course was extremely challenging,” said Cpl. David Osborne, a tropospheric scatter radio multi-channel equipment operator with Marine Wing Communications Squadron 28. “Our instructors were great, they didn’t hold back, but it made us come together as a team and push through to the end. There were a couple times I was thinking about quitting, but I knew I couldn’t let myself do it, and the pride you feel at the end is amazing.”
The WSA course taught Marine Corps survival skills and techniques that the Red Cross teaches. Students and instructors of the course called these the red and green sides.
The red side taught the standard lifeguard rescues using Red Cross rescue tubes and spine boards for people with head and neck injuries.
The green side rescues taught skills for rescuing panicked drowning victims wearing clothes, boots, flak-jacket and Kevlar, which is the typical gear a service member would wear in combat.
“There’s a huge difference to the red and green side,” said Colon.
“The green side is a lot harder. You have to do escapes and precise moves in the water with boots. With all the gear on it can get pretty tricky.”
Out of the 11 students only two were female Marines.
“I didn’t join the military to sit behind a desk all day,” said Colon.
“I’ve only seen one female instructor and that was at boot camp. I can’t be an instructor until I’m corporal, but this is the whole reason why I joined the Marine Corps.
“I want to have that challenge and push myself to the limit. I was born to do this.”
| Date Taken: | 08.19.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 09.02.2011 13:37 |
| Story ID: | 76355 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 3,347 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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