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UNITED STATES ARMY ENGINEER DIVERS


 * by First Lieutenant Charles C. Masters

Army engineers long for an enjoyable, challenging job; and a job as an engineer fits the bill. Engineer divers perform tasks such as underwater reconnaissance, demolition, and salvage. The Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center (NDSTC), Panama City, Florida, provides the necessary training for candidates to learn the skills to complete these tasks. To succeed in dive school, dive candidates must be determined, motivated, and wellrounded. The Army prepares its dive candidates with the 3-week Phase 1 preparatory course at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. The physical, mental, and academic lessons of Phase 1 screen and prepare candidates for challenges of Phase 2 at NDSTC.

The first week of Phase 1 training focuses on testing the physical abilities of candidates. Morning physical training consists of long runs, sprints, pull-ups, crunches, and push-ups designed to prepare candidates for the grueling workouts at NDSCT. The training also prepares candidates to excel in the diver physical fitness test, which consists of a 500-yard swim, a 1.5 mile run, and 2 minutes of push-ups, crunches, and pull-ups. Candidates must pass the test to participate in Phase 2.

In the second and third week of Phase 1, training focuses on 1,000-yard swims in open water and underwater problem solving. Finning for long distances and solving problems underwater are key events during Phase 2. Early exposure to these situations in Phase 1 enables candidates to face them with confidence in Phase 2.

The defining portion of Phase 2 is the weeklong water confidence training. The highest level of attrition at dive school historically occurs during this training. It represents the first exposure of candidates to self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (scuba) operations. They must demonstrate their ability to tread water with full scuba gear, recover their air source underwater, and solve underwater problems related to fouled equipment. The key to success for candidates is their ability to maintain composure and confidence while under pressure.

During the scuba water confidence training in Phase 2, students face light, moderate, and heavy problems in two scenarios; as single divers and as buddy divers. Instructors impose these problems on students by removing air sources, tying regulators in knots, and disorienting divers to test how they react to pressure situations underwater. Once candidate stated that the instruction in Phase 1 prepared him very well for the physical and mental stress during training in Phase 2. The in-water proficiency training he experienced during Phase 2 then gave him the confidence to react to any problems he might face while conducting genuine military dives.

Phase 2 training is especially difficult because, in addition to the morning workouts, candidates participate in daily pool sessions focused on building confidence in and underwater. These pool physical training sessions consist of treading water with weights, swimming exercises, breathholding drills, and pool entrance familiarization. Treading water improves the ability to stay afloat, which is a necessity in real-world emergencies. Underwater swims and breathholding drills in the 14-foot pool improve the ability of the candidate to hold their breath, control their heart rate, and manage stress. These abilities prove vital if the diver finds himself with little or no air on a dive. The swimming exercises improve times in the 500-yard swim, which is required to pass the course and maintain conditioning.

Thanks to the training that the Army provides its dive candidates at Fort Leonard Wood and the NDSTC, the most qualified dive candidates pass the course and join the ranks of the Army dive field. This translates to a competent and capable supply of Army engineer divers to support the Engineer Regiment and the Army.