Photo By Sgt. Edwin Rodriguez | Pfc. Jacob Feyers, a diver attached to the Special Troops Battalion, 7th Sustainment...... read more read more
FORT EUSTIS, Va. – Everyone in the room was trying to remember the words to a famous quote that best described their efforts during a recent mission to New York. They were trying to convey how they wished they could have done more given the time they had. They couldn’t express their true feelings but they accomplished the mission regardless.
The 400 mile drive it took for them to reach the devastation was not enough to deter them from making an impact. Whether they believed their influence was small or large, they knew their highly specialized skills would be useful.
Seventeen soldiers from three dive detachments, assigned to the Special Troops Battalion, 7th Sustainment Brigade, loaded their equipment on Light Medium Tactical Vehicles, moving trucks, and SUV’s and drove north for a week-long mission to the New York Metropolitan area after the damage left by Hurricane Sandy.
In addition to courage they drew their motivation from the oath soldiers take when they swear to defend the USA and its citizens.
Captain Jon-Paul Navarro, commander, 86th Dive Detachment and officer in charge of the team, explains why they went.
“Our higher headquarters were looking to assist in the recovery efforts, so they looked to us because of our special capabilities,” said Navarro.
Dive team members are able conduct construction and salvage operations, pier and ship inspections, carpentry, search and recovery operations, use sonar and many other pieces of equipment too much to name here. They were asked to bring water pumps that pump water at 1500 gallons per minute, but Navarro’s team took the initiative to bring more.
“We were going help pump out water from flooded areas, but we knew the area is surrounded by water. That is where we make our money. We were preparing ourselves to do more if necessary,” said Navarro.
Navarro’s company was short handed so he asked Capt. Nathan Brenan, 544th Dive Detachment commander, for help to field a complete team and help prepare the group for departure.
The dive team, as they do most of the time, exceeded the standard and was fully prepared for multiple missions when they arrived to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Nov. 3.
Their initiative paid off immediately the next day as they were then sent to Fort Hamilton, NY to live temporarily.
“We talked to key leaders and offered our assistance in any way we could. When we got to Hamilton we dropped our bags and went straight to work on our first mission,” said Brenan.
Much of the area did not have power which limited outdoor missions. They worked outside whenever possible, but when they could, the team worked long into the night.
“It is a great achievement when you are successful on a tough mission…It makes leaders proud and gives Army divers, the Army, and the 7th Sustainment Brigade a great image for the public. Our soldiers will be able to see what they have done pay off,” said Navarro.
The team was tasked for missions on all sides of the Upper and Lower Hudson Bay.
The main bulk of their time was spent at the US Army Corps of Engineers Caven Point Marine Terminal in Jersey City, N.J. The pier holds survey and debris removal ships assigned to the Corps and the Environmental Protection Agency; however the pier was partially destroyed and incapable of use when the team arrived.
They were able to fully recover the pier replacing wood beams and steel rods to make it even stronger than before.
“A group of us spent the whole week repairing the pier, using a stock pile of wood to replace and remove any damage found...they weren’t able to dock the boats before, but after we finished they could,” said Brenan.
There is a bus and rail line system that connects New Jersey to New York City called the Port Authority Trans-Hudson managed by the PA. The subway system from Exchange Place Station to World Trade Center Station was flooded and at times hazardous to work. They assisted the NJ and NYC Fire Department by pumping out thousands of gallons of water from the subway.
“The feedback we have received so far, made our trip here worthwhile. The subway and the pier at Caven Point were not operable but when we left, the subway was back and running and the pier was complete,” said Brenan.
One group of Soldiers drove through the bustling city reaching Staten Island where they helped pump out water from residential homes that were along the Hudson Bay coastline. Most homes in the area were still without power a week after Sandy’s arrival.
“For many people in the neighborhood, we were the only form of military assistance they had seen since Hurricane Sandy. Many of the families were very appreciative of what we were doing. New York is a very military friendly area, and it showed,” said Brenan.
In Kerney, N.J., an Amtrak facility was flooded when a drainage valve was severed by the surge, said Brenan. The team used a floatable bladder to stop the leak until contract workers could come out and repair the valve. Before the team returned home, they assisted a team of Navy Divers by assessing the damage done at Battery Park, Manhattan, NY, a highly flooded area during the hurricane. They help set the stage for a full recovery of the pier back to being one of the most famous in the country.
Navarro said their help felt to him like a drop of water hitting the ocean. There was so much left to do but there mission time was up.
“It was amazing to see three different detachments come together for the mission in New York and New Jersey giving the same motivation on day one through day ten. It was a great thing for everyone to come together and flawlessly execute the mission,” said Navarro.
They received phone calls and emails about how exemplary the dive teams’ efforts were, said Brenan. Before returning to Fort Eustis, they were asked to come back and continue with recovery efforts if possible. Some divers will go back and add finishing touches to the Caven Point pier.
Brenan did finally remember the quote that was eloquently stated by Mother Theresa of Calcutta as she said, “We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.”
It summed up their feelings perfectly.
| Date Taken: | 11.23.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 11.28.2012 11:01 |
| Story ID: | 98414 |
| Location: | FORT EUSTIS, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 237 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Resolute Brigade divers assist NY after Hurricane Sandy, by SGT Edwin Rodriguez, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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