7th Engineer Dive Team March 2011 Newsletter
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Transcript of 7th Engineer Dive Team March 2011 Newsletter
Stone (offered free through the
military).
Lastly, I would like to acknowl-
edge SPC Andrew Damon and SPC
Patrick Morales for being selected
to receive a coin from Major Gen-
eral James W. Nuttall and Major
General Kenneth S. Dowd during
their visits of 7th Dive’s detach-
ment area.
Thanks again for all of the
support you provide to the unit and
its Soldiers daily!
SFC Harrison, SFC Prater, Doc Martinez and SPC Steffic being instructed on how to oper-
ate the Kuwait Navy’s Hyperbaric Chamber
Aloha! Everything is still going
well for 7th Dive. At this point,
over half of the unit has been to
either Iraq in support of military
bridge missions or Qatar in sup-
port for Port Force Protection
missions.
Those that have spent the
majority of their time in Kuwait
have occupied themselves by ei-
ther working with the Kuwait
Divers to learn about their cham-
ber, cleaning a few Army Landing
Craft Utility (LCU) boats, per-
forming hull inspections, training
on small-boat operations, and
training on oxy-acetylene cutting.
Regardless of where everyone
has been over the past month, 1SG
and I have continuously been im-
pressed with everyone’s motiva-
tion, good attitude and compe-
tence.
I have started receiving e-
mails asking about what to send in
care packages. I have asked
around and found the following
items have consistently been at
the top of people’s lists: baked
goods (cookies, brownies, and
other grab-and-go items), coffee
(for the unit’s coffee pot), and
Snack Bars (Granola, Energy, etc).
One thing that always im-
presses me in this unit is how
people use their spare time. Every
time I walk down to our sprung
shelter on Sunday (the unit’s day
off), I know I will see SPC Steven
Martinez, SGT Jake Cochran and
SPC Andrew Damon building some-
one a new desk or piece of furni-
ture for the office. SGT Girlie
Vicente, with the assistance of
SPC Gabriealla Nnabue, has organ-
ized a weekly Zumba class for all
of Camp Patriot through the MWR.
Many Soldiers like SSG Jeb
Duhnam, SGT John Hoover, SSG
Sean Rowley, 1LT Dave Guerdan or
SPC Kyle Steffic can be found in
the gym or running around post at
least twice a day. Meanwhile,
everyone on the team has taken
the initiative to take some form of
continued education through ei-
ther college courses or Rosetta
From the Commander’s Desk
From the First Sergeant's Desk by 1SG Scott Baumgartner
inspired many of our Soldiers to
work on their physical fitness in a
similar manner. 50 mile stationary
bike rides in the gym are not un-
common around here.
Squad rotations in and out of
Iraq are going as planned and
continue to remain the most vital
aspect of our tour so far. Missions
in other parts of the Middle East
have slowed down significantly
though.
This normalizing of our sched-
ule has even allowed the team to
7th Engineer Dive Team
Published on 31 March 2011 Issue 2: March 2011
Monthly Newsletter
Inside this issue:
XO Notes 2
PSG Notes 2
1st Squad 2
2nd Squad 3
3rd Squad 3
MWR Events 4-5
Pic of the month 6
Soldier Story 6
received so far. Packages, letters
from home, and the opportunity to
Skype with loved ones keep morale
high and brings our loved ones closer
to us in spirit.
Until next time…Alla ysal-mak (Bye)
W E ’R E ON F ACEBOOK :
“ T HE 7 TH ENGINEER
D IVE TEAM”
(Soldier’s Name)
7th Engineer Dive Team
APO, AE 09337
Care Packages Welcome!
Mailing Address:
Salam wa aleikum (peace be
upon you). As the team nears the
two month mark it finally seems
we have hit our stride with a pre-
dictable battle rhythm. Though we
are still busy, there seems to be
more time for focus on personal as
well as professional development.
The whole team has taken this
great opportunity to enroll in
continuing education of one sort or
another. Personal fitness is also a
very high priority for all the Sol-
diers of the team . SSG Rowley’s
passion for triathlon training has
participate in a few very interest-
ing MWR opportunities. SGT
Vicente, SPC Nabue, and SPC
Moore attended a “Middle East-
ern” style banquet put on by the
Association of the United States
Army (AUSA) and SFC Prater,
SSG Rowley and I were able to
attend a golf tournament/ military
appreciation banquet also put on by
the AUSA. My team didn't win the
tournament but I'm sure I ate the
most food.
All members of the team ap-
preciate all the support we have
were so impressed with our presen-
tation, they coined three members
of 1st Squad; SSG Rowley, SPC
Damon, and SPC Morales.
First Squad conducted their first
dive mission in Kuwait: boat
cleanings. We cleaned two
LCU’s and a tugboat. SPC.
Damon was the first diver in
and cleaned two large props
on an LCU. He only lost two
scrapers in the process, and
it took him a mere two hours.
We even pulled SPC Hall out
of the office and put him in
the water. He’s now leading
March has been a busy month for
1st Squad. We’ve had two Major
Generals come visit us to see how we
are operating. We briefed them on
the equipment we currently have in
country and how it is used. They
Notes from the Executive Officer by 1LT David Guerdan
1st Squad by SSG Sean Rowley
Insights from the Platoon Sergeant by SFC Milton Prater would like to say “GOOD JOB” to the
unit for 100% enrolled in college
classes or learning a new language
with Rosetta Stone.
The first team has been rotated
out of Iraq from their 31 day cycle
and I would like to say good job to
SSG Geffert and his team. The
team taking their place has big shoes
to fill, but I am sure that SSG Rohde
and his squad will have no problem
doing so. Good luck.
Over the last month the unit has
been waiting anxiously for our equip-
ment. While waiting we have been
very busy keeping up with training
and preparing training for after it
arrives. The time has not been mis-
used. It has kept them busy and lets
the time go by faster. In that time
they have continued to complete the
Divers’ Gym. It really only needs the
roof on to be completed. It is look-
ing really good and when it is com-
pleted we will post the pictures.
It seems as everyone has finally
settled in and has started a daily
routine with work, PT and school. I
Page 2 Monthly Newsletter
To many people, the month of March
might mean the beginning of Spring
and the start of allergy season, or
the long awaited wild and crazy
Spring Break parties, or the oppor-
tunity to get back outside and enjoy
sporting events...to some of the
Soldiers of 7th Dive, March means
one thing and one thing only, “March
Madness.”
This outstanding American tradi-
tion that without fail sweeps the
nation every year has also made its
presence known within our unit. As
shown in the picture below, many
Soldiers filled out brackets and have
enjoyed tracking all the victories and
loses that resulted from tournament
action. Unfortunately for 7th Dive,
the popular choice for winning it all
was the University of Texas, who
was ousted early from the tourna-
ment in the second round. Despite
this loss, Soldiers are still eager to
follow the tournament and see who
the victor is in the end.
Other than cheering for our fa-
vorite college basketball teams, over
the past month, many of the addi-
tional duties sections have been
working tirelessly on developing new
and changing existing standard oper-
ating procedures (SOPs) and systems
to ensure smooth operations for the
coming months.
Operations in Iraq, Qatar, and
here at KNB continue to keep every-
one busy. In addition to cleaning a
few LCUs (Landing Craft Utility
boats) in the port here at KNB, we
have also had the opportunity to
entertain several distinguish guests
and inform them of both our exis-
tence and our capabilities.
The month of April will yet again
prove to be another fast and furious
month full of new challenges. With
the arrival of our equipment just
around the corner, everyone is gear-
ing up for inventories and excited
about the fact that they will soon
have all the stuff they shipped over.
the Dive Team with the most Bottom
Time at 169 minutes. The most
difficult part of the mission was
trying to fit SPC. Morales, AKA “MO
-MO”, into a LARGE wetsuit. It took
45 minutes and three extra person-
nel to squeeze MO-MO into
his gear. The zipper was
strained and neoprene
stretched, but we got him
in there and accomplished
the mission.
1st Squad also led the
charge in training with
small boat ops and surface
cutting. We meticulously
SPC Steffic, SGT Hoover and SPC Hall
prepare for a dive
cut out and mounted the name of our
gym, “DEEP SEA STUDY HALL”. We
were also trained and evaluated on
our operation of small boats. We
took our two Boston Whalers out for
2nd Squad’s first month in theater can
be summed up by no other word than “success.”
As boots hit the ground, missions were immedi-
ately being conducted in conjunction with the
299th MRBC. Operations were conducted through-
out our unit’s area of operation, in the vicinities
of Camp Taji and Kalsu. During these cooperative
assignments, units worked together seamlessly to
perform inspections on 10 bridge sites. 2nd
Squad’s skills were put to good use during the
cleaning and inspec-
tions of several an-
chor lines, as well as
clearing dirt and
debris from bridge
locks for the purpose
of detachment. Dead
cows along with
murky water did
nothing to subdue
making sure the
above tasks were
completed to the
highest safety and
work performance
standards.
Spare
time was filled with
hours of quality dive
training. Soldiers of
the 2nd Squad had the
opportunity to do
familiarization dives with super masks; with the
intent to identify whether or not these would be
suitable for swift water diving operations. Much
time was also dedicated to the Hyperlite Portable
Chamber System. Divers worked hand in hand with
MEDEVAC crews to ensure safe transport was
possible, in the rare case of a diving related in-
jury, despite the large size of this necessary life-
saving medical equipment. Time was also dedicated
to the repetitive setup and breakdown of this
chamber to ensure it could be performed in
timely manner in the case of a real world diving
casualty. Classes were prepared and presented
as well by several of the troops on subjects to
include: dangerous marine life, gas laws and
diving, commonly used block explosives in mili-
tary operations and set up/operation of the
Hyperlite Chamber System.
2nd Squad by SPC Robert Russell
3rd Squad by SGT John Hoover terribly excited about the doors
this new tasking opens. SPC Ste-
ven “Not a Real Doctor” Martinez
stretched his creative muscles,
painting decorations on several of
the desks, to boost morale and
beautify 7th Dive’s AO (Area of
Operation). SPC Joe “Lil’ Soldier”
Moore has been working hard
trying to fix all of the computer
issues plaguing 7th Dive while we
are setting up our workstations.
The greatest point of excite-
ment came when 3rd Squad was
called upon to salvage some keys a
US Coast Guard service member
dropped over the side of his ves-
sel while it was in port. The squad
sprang into action and saved the
day, but what else would you ex-
pect, that is the 3rd squad way.
March has been the most ac-
tive month 3rd squad has had
since the start of Operation New
Dawn. SSG Brandton “Road-Dog”
Rohde fulfilled a 10 year goal to
be a part of an OCONUS (Outside
the Continental United States)
TDY when he led a four man team
to Qatar in support of port secu-
rity mission. The team, composed
of SGT John “Hebrew Hammer”
Hoover, SPC Wesley “Dragon
Master” Wilson and SPC Kyle
“Gator Don’t Play” Steffic, per-
formed with the utmost profes-
sionalism and skill on all of their
dive missions.
Back at KNB SSG Jeb “Crazy
Can-auk” Dunham became the
unit’s new SHARP (Sexual Harass-
ment Assault Response and Pre-
vention) representative and he is
Page 3 Issue 2: March 2011
2nd squad prepares to roll out for bridge inspection operations. SPC Bullington clears debris from an-
chor line just outside of Kalsu, Iraq.
SPC Wilson after finding Coast Guard Keys
SHE
by SPC Gabriealla Nnabue
She does all things with grace
But when she does it better, She is looked at with disgrace
She finds herself asking, WHAT THE WORLD BE WITHOUT ME???
She does is all
Regardless of if she fails or falls
The odds were against her from the very start
She was told as a child to consider herself a lesser version of her male counterpart
But this girl, this girl she was full of heart
I guess that’s why she choose to set herself apart
Being her in unending work
She has to be tender and tough
Strong-minded and determined
Intelligent and independent
A mother and A Soldier
She is immaculate, She is enduring, She is all things worthy
She is YOU, She is ME, She is US!!!!!!!!!!!
In Honor of Women’s History Month
SPC Nnabue wrote this poem and performed it at the Camp Patriot Women’s History Month Celebration
on 9 March 2011.
More Pictures!
at the end of the days. They are basically at work at all times, even when they’re “off”. So these times in Kuwait tend to be the worst for the troops, but there are some ways that they have learned to compen-sate. First, each person’s room is personalized the way they like. If you were to enter the rooms you would find family photos posted everywhere, computers for Skyping, and the occasional TV or computer set up for watching videos. If there was a competition between rooms to see who had the most family photos up, it would take too long to judge between all of the married Soldiers. SSGs Rowley and Rohde are sharing a room and have turned it into the secondary meeting place. They have hung a dart board and made the area to feel more inviting. SPCs Moore, Karraker, and Bullington have sectioned off their room into two areas, giving Moore half a room. SSG Dunham and SGT Hoover share a room, but have it so sectioned off that they don’t have
To the spouses, family members and friends of the Soldiers at 7th Engineer Dive Team: In the last month the Soldiers of 7th Dive have found ways to keep themselves busy and entertained. The perils of deployments such as this one doesn’t always come from the ideal war time scenario. As you all may be aware, the major-ity of us are in Kuwait Naval Base (KNB) and the usual safety concerns of getting attacked and blown up are not an issue here. However, that does not mean that it doesn’t cause undue stress on the Soldiers sta-tioned here. Sometimes the lack of missions can take its toll on a per-son. Times like these leave the Soldier to think back on all the pleasantries that we took for granted in the states. Thinking about the birthdays, holidays, and other memorable moments that are going to be missed throughout the year is often the Soldiers’ past time. There are no personally owned vehicles, no family, and no alcohol to calm the nerves or settle the troop
to see one another; however, I do believe Dunham has cut holes in the wall to see Hoover. I was lucky enough to room with our medic (SPC Martinez) who is probably one of the most courteous guys on the team and we also sectioned off the room so that we only see one an-other at the refrigerator (I’m there more often than he). So I will have no problems with sleeping, unless I get Bed bugs or something of that nature. SGT Bays and SSG Geffert have roomed together and have a some-what comfortable area, a little loud with their “JIVE” music, but comfy. SPCs Varas, Russell, and Steffic have the “hippie-music-room” which fortunately only houses two at a time, seeing that they are moving squads out on missions. The heart-breaking thing from that situation is that Russell and Steffic haven’t been able to spend more than one night with each other since we’ve been here (they were very close in Hawaii). But the rest of us are also away from our loved ones: while
Life Deployed by SFC “Woody” Woodcox (language, content and jokes edited by CPT Biggerstaff...sorry)
Picture of the Month
SFC Woodcox
SPC Wilson before saving the day for the Coast Guard at Kuwait Naval Base (picture by LTJG Stew Sibert)
Steffic has been away, Russell has found a past time buy playing sad songs on his base guitar and having “Sun-Tan Sundays” with SPC Bulling-ton. Getting mail and swapping sto-ries are getting us by with smiles and laughter most nights. It’s only two months in, but it is good to see that the guys have not lost stride. While life isn’t too bad out here,
everyone still misses home and
appreciates all the support and
contact we receive from everyone.