What a cool way to spend your military time in service!
In the Army, engineers routinely fix, tear down and build structures on land.
One such team of engineers does their tasks with an added challenge of an air tank strapped to their backs in depths far lower than commercial divers. The team, consisting of Army divers from the 7th Engineer Dive Detachment is facing the routine challenges engineers encounter during a re-certification training exercise May 11 through May 22 in the coastal waters off the big island of Hawaii.
The 30 Soldiers are diving in a multitude of underwater environments including wrecked ships, reefs, as well as the sea floor to their equipment and hone their skills.
"What we're doing is qualifying on all of our systems and getting the newest divers accustomed to some of the tools we use on a daily basis to make us more mission capable," said Staff Sgt. John Geffert, a salvage diver with the 7th Eng. Dive Det.
The 22-year-old from Hopedale, Mass., said the team is doing everything from SCUBA diving, and hard-hat-diving to instructing diving supervisors on how to handle their dive teams.
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Interested in becoming an Army diver, or simply curious as to what it takes? Check out all the details of the Diver (21D) MOS in the US Army.
As an Army Diver, you'll specialize either as a scuba diver, who works just below the surface of the water, or as a deep sea diver, who usually works for long periods of time in depths up to 190 feet. Some of your duties as a Diver may include:
* Inspect and clean watercraft propellers and hulls
* Patch damaged watercraft hulls using underwater welding equipment
* Salvage sunken equipment
* Patrol the waters below watercraft at anchor
* Assist with underwater construction of piers and harbor facilities
* Survey rivers, beaches, and harbors for underwater obstacles
* Use explosives to clear underwater obstacles
REQUIREMENTS
Divers must be excellent swimmers and be physically strong.
TRAINING
Job training for a Diver requires nine weeks of Basic Training, where you'll learn basic Soldiering skills, and 29 of Advanced Individual Training and on-the-job instruction, including practice in diving and repair work. Part of this time is spent in the classroom and part in the field. Some of the skills you'll learn are:
* Principles of scuba and surface-supplied diving
* Underwater welding and cutting
* Use and care of hand and power tools
* Maintenance of diving equipment
* Explosives
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ADVANCED RESPONSIBILITIES
Advanced level Divers provides guidance, supervises and trains Soldiers within the same discipline. As an advanced level Diver, you may be involved in:
* Perform as a lead diver during underwater work
* Prepare patching materials and pumps for salvage operations
* Prepare explosives for placement
* Prepare rigging and lifting devices for salvage operations
* Assist diving supervisors in preparing equipment for diving operations
Very cool!
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