CAMP PATRIOT, Kuwait - While the Army is synonymous with conducting most of their operations on the ground, there are a select group of soldiers that spend their deployment under water.

One such unit, the 7th Engineer Dive Detachment out of Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, turned over their mission to the Fort Eustis, Va., based 569th Engineer Dive Detachment at Kuwait Naval Base on Thursday.

The 7th was responsible for port opening and harbor clearance, which ensured that vessels were able to move safely and efficiently throughout the Middle East.

“When we first arrived on the ground they conducted numerous missions in support of Operation New Dawn in Iraq, Afghanistan, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, so throughout the Persian Gulf,” said 7th Engineer Dive Detachment Commander Capt. Scott Sann.

Besides a rigorous nine months of school and training, Army divers must be able to complete a variety of tasks to accomplish their mission.

Sann commented, “We do a lot of surveys, we create maps of the ocean bottom to tell them how deep the water is in certain areas so they can navigate. We also do underwater construction as we are engineers, we do cutting, welding, use of hydraulic tools under water as well as general assessments and inspections.”

The combination of these jobs paints a clear picture for the port manager and maneuver commander to operate waterways and the waterfront facilities.

The 7th also worked with their Kuwaiti hosts to ensure that troops from both countries were proficient with each other’s life support systems in case an emergency ever arose and the units needed to share equipment.

The 569th Engineer Dive Detachment arrived in Kuwait two weeks ago, and their Commander, Capt. Brett Evans is ready to lead his unit on a successful deployment.

“It’s been a long, hard road getting here, but now that we’re here we can’t just sit back on our heels. Every one of you volunteered to be here to serve your country and to best represent the Army engineer diver.”

Evans continued, “We’ve got a job to do and we will lean forward and aggressively engage that effect. You’re all great Americans, I’m proud to serve with you and even more proud to lead you.”

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