Photo By Sgt. Marco Gutierrez | A 3,000 Gallons Per Minute Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Unit and two 3,000...... read more read more
FORT LEWIS, Wash. - Water is an essential part of life, and for any military service, it is no different. The need for water is extremely important to sustain any military operation. Water treatment specialists in the Army make sure that there is always useable water for any operation and, for the Quartermaster Liquid Logistic Exercise in Fort Lewis, it’s no different.
Army Pvt. Trevor Swart, a water treatment specialist with the 651st Quartermaster Company out of Casper, Wyoming, said, “Without water, you don’t have much of an Army.”
Swart continues on by explaining that, without water, soldiers can’t do laundry, take showers and have food or hydrate. During the QLLEX mission, Army Reserve soldiers will train, while sustaining the mission by providing water for over 900 soldiers, to shower, do laundry, cook, and drink.
Nine hundred soldiers will require a lot of water, according to Army Sgt. Michael Keller, a water treatment noncommissioned officer with the 651st Quartermaster Company out of Casper, Wyoming, said, “We have purified about 70,000 gallons.”
For many Army Reserve soldiers, annual training is the only chance they get to do their military occupational specialty and train in a real-world environment.
Swart explains that the amount of training he is getting is great.
He continued by adding that getting a chance to get out and do his job is a good change of pace.
Swart added, “As reservist, you only do the job two days out of a the month, and it’s good to be out here doing something different, training and working.”
Spc. Eric Mohl, a water treatment specialist with the 651st Quartermaster Company out of Casper, Wyoming, said, “I love the scenery, being next to the lake, and the weather is amazing, and it looks amazing.”
When asked about the training he has received here during QULLEX Mohl added, “It’s amazing training here.”
The 651st Quartermaster Company out of Casper, Wyoming, will also be training and teach soldiers from the Washington National Guard with an impressive piece of equipment called the 3,000 Gallons Per Minute Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Unit.
Keller said Basic setup can be difficult. Sometimes their soldiers can’t always predict how the equipment is going to react, so they have to constantly check and maintain the 3k ROWPU.
When asked about the setup of the of the ROWPU, Mohl said, “The machine pretty much runs itself, so the hardest part is setting up and knowing where things are going to go.”
When asked about getting a chance to train on the 3k ROPWU, Spc. Corey Woodward, a water treatment specialist with the 181st Brigade Support Battalion out of Seattle, said, “It’s a great experience, since many of us have not seen it since Advance Individual Training.”
Woodward also added that the training is a great change of pace from what they normally do. Swart explains that getting a chance to use the 3k ROWPU while being here has been the best experience he has had, because the last time he used the 3k ROWPU was during his AIT.
Swart added, “It’s been a while since I’ve had this type of intense training.”
One of the best aspects of the training that soldiers are receiving is getting a chance to work with other soldiers. For the soldiers of the 651st it means working alongside the Washington National Guard.
Keller said, “We are all out here to learn, and they have not had many chances to work with a ROPWU, so we will gladly give them a chance, I love teaching soldiers.”
When asked about how he enjoyed training with the National Guard, Swart said, “The National Guard is out here, and it’s nice to get a chance to train on their equipment that we don’t have, while they train on our equipment that they don’t have.”
When asked about working alongside the National Guard, Keller said, “They bring some insight on how to do things and we can show them a few things too.”
Keller added, “That’s what make the Army great.”
Keller added, “We’re one big family you help me and I’ll help you, and lets get this mission done.”
The QLLEX exercise is a true testament to what soldiers do that most don’t get to see.
While water is a vital part to sustaining soldiers during missions, many of them never stop to wonder how they got fresh water.
Thanks to soldiers like those in the 651st and 181st soldiers can be sure they will get all the water they will need no matter what environment they are in.
Keller said that they could purify salt water, or fresh water, and distribute it out to soldiers extremely quickly.
Keller also added, “It’s really neat to just be able to pull from a raw natural resource and turn around and use it.”
So whenever a soldier takes a drink of water, they should stop and think of how hard a soldier worked to provide it.
| Date Taken: | 06.11.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 06.11.2014 14:39 |
| Story ID: | 132797 |
| Location: | FORT LEWIS, WA, US |
| Hometown: | CASPER, WY, US |
| Hometown: | SEATTLE, WA, US |
| Web Views: | 211 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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