Water Dawgs compete in rodeo

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Neysa Canfield | Spc. Wendy Severiche, Spc. Joseph Rojas, and Sgt. Williams Herbert, with 526 Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), attempt to start the Tactical Water Purification System during the Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Unit Rodeo on Fort Campbell, Ky., April 12, 2016.  

FORT CAMPBELL, KY, UNITED STATES

04.13.2016

Story by Sgt. Neysa Canfield 

101st Division Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky., - Water purification specialist, or also known as “water dawgs,” make sure that Soldiers have drinkable water regardless if they are in the states or overseas. With such an important task these water dawgs try to get as much training as they can; and what better way to train than by a friendly competition!
The 101st Airborne Division Sustainment Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), hosted the first ever 101st Airborne Division Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Unit Rodeo (ROWPU) on Fort Campbell, Ky., April 11-13.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Edward F. Sistrunk, the officer in charge of the competition, stated that after finding out that the annual ROWPU Rodeo, that is hosted by United States Army Forces Command (FORSCOM), was cancelled he immediately presented the idea to Col. Kimberly Daub, 101st Abn. Div. Sust. Bde. commander, to host one for the Division.
Three teams competed in the Rodeo: 101st Abn. Div. Sust. Bde., 2nd Brigade Combat Team, and 101st Combat Aviation Brigade. Each team consisted of five Soldiers.
Day one started early at Olive Gym, on Fort Campbell, Ky., where each team member participated in a physical fitness test which would affect their overall team score. Soldiers conducted as many push-ups and sit-ups as they could in two minutes and a two mile run.
“Everyone in my team passed,” said Sgt. Essie Farmer, the team captain for the 96th Aviation Support Battalion, 101st CAB team. “It was a great day to take a PT [physical training] test. The weather really worked with us today.”
After the PT test Soldiers were given an eight hour block of instruction on the fundamentals of water purification. This gave the Soldiers and opportunity to ask questions and freshen up on their skills. Later that evening participates took a written test, which covered Tactical Water Purification System (TWPS), Lightweight Water Purification System (LWP), and water introduction that all water purification specialists learn during Advanced Individual Training.
“I think we did quite well during the test,” said Sgt. Kelvin Miller, the team captain for 129th Combat Support Sustainment Battalion, 101st Abn. Div. Sust. Bde. team. “We had the opportunity to conduct refresher training before taking it. It helped those Soldiers who get nervous during tests.”
Day two consisted of hands on training with each of the systems. Graders explained to the teams what they would be looking for when it came to the evaluation. Teams were able to go through the setup, operation, and shut down of each of the systems with the graders.
During this process preventive medicine specialist came out to the site a tested the quality of the water before and after the purification process. Soldiers were able to see the difference in the water quality with the help of the subject matter experts.
“It has been a while since some of us have used these systems. Having a chance to see them set up and be able to set them up helped myself and my team refresh our skills,” said Sgt. Herbert Williams, the team captain for 526 Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd BCT.
The third and last day was the moment of truth for these water dawgs. Each team went through the maintenance, set up, operation, and shut down of each of the systems and where graded on their performance and the quality of water they produced with the TWPS and LWPS.
“When Soldiers are away from this type of training for too long they begin to forget. It’s a perishable skill, so training on the systems is important for these Soldiers,” said 1st Lt. Jonathan M. Risher, a platoon leader with 227th Quartermaster Company, 129th CSSB.
After all the teams had gone through the graders sent their grading sheets to Sistrunk. He then calculated the overall score for the teams and announced the winner.
The 101st Sust. Bde. team placed first, 101st CAB placed second, and 2nd BCT placed third.
“The goal was for the Soldiers to build cohesion among each other, refresh their skills and build unit readiness,” said Staff Sgt. Tammie Beasley, the senior water purification noncommissioned officer for 101st Abn. Div. Sust. Bde. and the noncommissioned officer in charge for the rodeo. “At any given moment we could be sent on a mission. We need to stay proficient in our MOS (Military Occupation Specialty) regardless of what it is.”

• Date Taken: 04.13.2016
• Date Posted: 04.25.2016 14:48
• Story ID: 196456
• Location: FORT CAMPBELL, KY, US