7th dive's august newsletter
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This month's newsletter!TRANSCRIPT
Aloha to the families
and friends of the 7th Engineer
Dive Detachment! As August ends
and we reflect on the comings and
goings of the last month, we have
experienced many changes in our
area of operations. We bid fare-
well to the 197th Fires Brigade, to
whom we have been attached since
the beginning of our deployment.
We are very grateful for the
leadership and support they pro-
vided to our team to ensure we
were able to accomplish our mis-
sion. We also said goodbye to the 1
-182nd Field Artillery Regiment
(FAR), which served as the camp
command and mayor cell and was
responsible for the security, sus-
tainment, and MWR activities we
enjoyed on Kuwait Naval Base. We
wish them good luck and a safe
trip home to Michigan.
The role of the 197th
has been taken over by the 1-34th
Brigade Combat Team (BCT), the
Red Bulls! The 7th will fall under
their Brigade Special Troops Bat-
talion (BSTB), along with other
theater assets such as the EOD
and CBRNE detachments. Although
there is always a growing period
when two units begin working with
one another, we have been im-
pressed by the BSTB’s motivation
to support our troops and ensure
we have the assets to continue to
execute our mission.
As we approach the end
of Ramadan, we welcome back our
Kuwait EOD Diver counterparts,
who have been fasting during the
day and working in shifts through-
out the month. We look forward to
building on the relationships we
formed during Eager Mace and
continue to look for opportunities
to conduct joint training to
strengthen our capabilities. We
also look forward to swapping dive
pins, which is a tradition estab-
lished by previous dive teams and
is always a highlight of any dive
deployment.
One thing that hasn’t
changed is our operational tempo,
which remains high. SSG Cochran
spearheaded the Shallow Brown
training exercise, which tests our
second class divers on their under-
water construction and salvage
capabilities in preparation for
earning the salvage diver rate. The
From the Commander’s Desk by CPT Scott Sann
From the First Sergeant's Desk by 1SG Scott Baumgartner
Salam and Aloha,
from the land of sand. With my
R&R coming up in the near
future and the finish line in
sight I am already tempted to
look back at the great suc-
cesses our unit has accom-
plished. It is no exaggeration
to say that from day one in
theater, the 7th has kept up a
breakneck pace in regards to
both execution of missions and
training. If our deployment
were ending tomorrow we would
have already accomplished
every goal, met every chal-
7th Engineer Dive Team
Published on 30 August 2011 Issue 7: August 2011
Monthly Newsletter
Inside this issue:
XO Notes 2
PSG Notes 2
1st Squad 2,6
2nd Squad 3
3rd Squad 3
4th Squad 4
Feature Article 6
lenge, and succeeded in every en-
deavor that I had anticipated when I
tried to envision what our deployment
would look like.
The team has risen to the
challenges of diving in the swift and
garbage laden currents of the Tigris
and Euphrates rivers in Iraq; execut-
ing demanding missions with limited
support in the remote and hostile
mountains of Afghanistan; represent-
ing itself with aplomb and superb
professionalism while conducting
underwater explosives training with
our host nation’s military; while simul-
W E ’ RE O N F AC E BO O K :
“T HE 7 T H E NG INEE R D IVE
TE AM”
taneously maintaining an impressive level
of vital training that would rival any
stateside units. Already I have witnessed
a definitive maturation both personally
and professionally from every Soldier on
the team, including myself. It would be
safe to say that I could write up end of
tour awards for my Soldiers tomorrow
and still not reflect all the positive
things our team has done!
That being said, the mission is
not ending tomorrow, the challenges will
be even greater, and the pace of mis-
sions is even expected to increase! As I
once again try to envision what the
team’s future looks like for the sec-
ond half of this great adventure, I
know only one thing for certain:
though I cannot possibly see how, our
team will be better than we are now.
Hooyah Deep Sea!
training was tough and challenging,
but in the end all divers completed
the tasks to standard. It was one
of the most ambitious training
projects I’ve seen, and by all ac-
counts was a rewarding experience
for those who took part in it.
Divers continued to
support missions throughout
CENTCOM, and a recent task took
one of our small teams to the
remote mountains of Afghanistan,
where they worked with the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
to survey dams which are part of a
massive rehabilitation project to
improve local infrastructure. We
are always looking to get the word
out about Army divers and the
capabilities we bring to the battle-
field, and our team did a great job
of showcasing these capabilities
during a high profile mission.
Through it all, as we
begin the latter half of our de-
ployment, we thank our friends and
families back home for their sup-
port and commitment to our team.
For those on the East Coast, stay
safe!
Hooyah, Deep Sea!
(Soldier’s Name)
7th Engineer Dive Team
APO, AE 09337
Care Packages Welcome!
Mailing Address:
also boost second class divers basic
knowledge on tools and how to work
underwater, but during the whole
week there were tests on multiple
subjects like "Cutting and Welding,
Dive Knowledge, Demo, Charting, and
Hydraulic Tools". Over all I will say
that everyone learned a little bit
about their skills and became better
as divers. Hopefully within the next
month, all of the second class divers
will have earned their salvage diver
check offs, and will be ready for the
next level.
Regarding SGT Hall and SSG Rowley,
they led the way with the dive team’s
August has been a very busy month
with a lot of action! We just finished
doing underwater demo with the
Kuwaiti divers last month. This train-
ing was being run by SSG Rowley and
SGT Hoover. This training gave us a
refresher in underwater demo and
helped us understand our host nation
while building bonds and making new
friends.
After Eager Mace training we en-
tered Shallow Brown. Shallow brown
is an exercise that is for the second
class divers. Its sole purpose is to
help second class divers earn their
salvage diver rate. Shallow Brown
Notes from the Executive Officer by 1LT David Guerdan
1st Squad by SPC(P) Patrick Morales
Insights from the Platoon Sergeant by SFC Milton Prater
After a very busy month of July, August was-
n’t any less busy. First, there was the long
awaited mission to Afghanistan during which
1SG Baumgartner and SSG Rowley led a team
that performed a Remotely Operated Vehicle
(ROV) inspection of a dam and conducted a
site recon for a future hydrographic survey
mission. Also, all of the 2nd class divers have
been awaiting the Shallow Brown exercise
which the command used to evaluate them as
divers and aid them in completing their Sal-
vage Diver Checkoffs. I would like to say
congratulations to SSG Cochran for a job well
done successfully accomplishing the com-
mander’s intent for the mission.
This deployment has brought out the best in
all the Soldiers of the 7th. I couldn’t ask to be a
Platoon Sergeant for a better group of guys that
make my job so easy. When we first deployed we
were a very young team. With all the missions
and the time spent conducting training during this
deployment, everyone has been brought up to the
standard that is expected for divers in our field;
most have exceeded that standard. I am proud
of the guys and what they have accomplished so
far.
The Soldiers of the 7th have been busy studying
and getting ready for the next step in their
professional careers. We have had five promo-
tions that were effective 1 August. Congratula-
tions to newly promoted SGT Hall, SGT Russell,
SGT Steffic, SSG Bays and SSG O’Brien
Page 2 Monthly Newsletter
Hello friends and families of 7th
Dive, I hope everyone is doing well
and getting back into the swing of
things with school having started and
those wonderful three months of
summer unfortunately behind. From
everything we’ve seen on the news, a
lot of the folks on the mainland have
had the “awesome” opportunity of
experiencing record breaking high
temperatures – believe me, we feel
your pain!
As usual, this past month we had a
lot going on. SSG Rowley blazed a
new trail, adding yet another country
to the already large list of countries
we have provided dive support to.
SSG Rowley led a small team to
Afghanistan to collect information
on a few dams that will aid in reha-
bilitating the intake systems as well
as potentially open the door for
more opportunities for us to support
the war effort in Afghanistan.
Back here in Kuwait, SSG Cochran
coordinated and executed top-notch
salvage training for all the divers
who were not Salvage Diver quali-
fied. The
picture to the
left shows
SSG Cochran
helping pre-
pare part of
the project by
inserting the
rebar cage
into the re-
cently poured
concrete to
increase the overall strength of the
block. The project tested the
diver’s ability to perform the follow-
ing tasks with limited visibility as
this exercise was conducted at
night: welding, drilling, using lift
bags, precision cutting through steel,
grinding, excavating a steel bar from
a concrete block, cutting through
concrete with a chainsaw, and con-
structing and placing a salvage patch.
The guys learned and refined valu-
able skills, skills that will continue to
enhance our capabilities as a unit.
Also during the month of August, we
reached one of the milestones for
deployment/redeployment – the Pre-
Deployment Site Survey (PDSS) for
the next dive team in the chute to
come out here. This four day stint
consisted of providing the incoming
command team critical information
on what they will need to do in the
last few months to better prepare
for coming out here, as well as the
types of procedures and require-
ments they will fall in on once they
arrive in country.
In other exciting news, I head out on
R&R next month and I am very much
looking forward to it! My girlfriend
(Christina) and I are headed to
Europe to spend time in Italy, Ger-
many and France – should be awe-
some! While in Germany, Christina
and I are registered to run in the
Berlin Marathon on September 25th
so wish us luck!
very first mission in Afghanistan.
SSG Rowley helped pass on his
knowledge on what we as divers need
to inspect on dams. The team used
the ROV set, a robotic video system
that can reach depths and areas
that divers cannot. The team did a
great job up there, and helped us
build good relationships with the
units operating in Afghanistan.
SSG Rowley has been doing a lot of
training trying to prepare for the
Iron Man in California. He has been
dedicating much of his personal time
to helping all of the Soldiers on the
team prepare for the promotion
boards. He has been a great leader,
NCO, and friend to all of us and has
helped us in almost every aspect.
(Continued on Page 6)
(formerly known as SSG Vicente). I would also like to
congratulate 1SG Baumgartner for being selected to
attend the Sergeant Major Academy next year.
The pace the 7th has been moving has been fast and
furious and it isn’t going to slow down any time soon.
The great thing about this is it makes the weeks fly
by…
Divers making the most effi-
cient use of their time
Hello to the families and friends of the 7th
Dive. What can be said about second squad
that has not been said before?! This month
was filled with great expectations, and as per
the usual, second squad met and exceeded
them. SPC Varas went to the promotion board
and smoked it. Great job Tony!
SGT Russell and I were also fortunate enough
to get promoted this month, and we continue to do
great things for the team. Congratulations Rob,
you deserve it.
This month the major focus was on the Shallow
Brown training exercise. The exercise was geared
towards the young guys in the unit to finally make
headway on their salvage diver check-offs. I
must say, SGT Russell, SPC (P) Varas and SPC
Bullington did solid work in the water during a
grueling week of long hours and rigorous dives.
Their hard work led to attaining nearly all of their
salvage diver check-offs and moving in the right
direction to becoming a lead diver in the field.
SSG Geffert went on a much needed vacation
this month. Nothing like family and friends to
boost morale halfway through deployment. I
think I can speak for everyone in saying, have
fun, enjoy leave SSG Geffert, but most impor-
tantly be safe! The guys continue to impress
the command team on a daily basis. Their hard
work ethic and drive to accomplish any mission
is appreciated by myself and SSG Geffert.
Next time you talk to your diver let him know
you have been hearing nothing but good things
and keep up the hard work.
2nd Squad by SSG Jeramy Bays
3rd Squad by SGT Kyle Steffic
Page 3 Issue 7: August 2011
The month of August has come and
gone, and for third squad it was a
busy one.
During the first part of August, SSG
Dunham participated in the Eager
Mace exercise, an underwater demoli-
tion range aimed at improving the
7th’s relationship with our host na-
tion’s divers. Shortly after, he flew
back to Virginia for some much de-
served R&R with his fiancé and as is
happens, the two got married. Con-
gratulations to you both. SSG
Dunham is due back to the unit in a
couple days which is good news for us,
although I’m sure he was enjoying his
time catching fish and relaxing.
SGT Hoover had a fantastic month of
August as he had the opportunity to
go to Afghanistan for a mission. His
technical skills in all aspects of the
dive field came in handy when the 7th
was asked to conduct a survey of a
Dam with the Underwater Remotely
Operated Vehicle. SGT Hoover and
his crew worked long hours day and
night while in Afghanistan and we
were all happy to see them return
safely only a few days ago.
SPC Steffic was promoted on the
first of August to the rank of SGT.
He was also placed onto SSG Rohde’s
team destined for Oman for a force
protection mission. The mission went
off early in August and was a success.
SGT Steffic acted as lead diver. The
crew returned on a Sunday night and
rolled right into Shallow Brown, one
week of diving with hydraulic tools,
cutting and welding, lifting, rigging,
and written tests. On his off time
Steffic and some team mates are
preparing for a basketball tourna-
ment and we all can’t wait to see how
that turns out.
SPC Wilson spent his downtime this
month preparing for his promotion
board, expected to take place during
the first week in September. He went
through multiple “mock boards” and
showed great progress with each one.
On top of studying, SPC Wilson went
about his regular work routine, par-
ticipating in Eager Mace and Shallow
Brown. This is an extremely stressful
time, so let’s all wish SPC Wilson luck
on his promotion board.
SPC Karraker has continued to do
good things with his skills in con-
struction and mechanics. He is quite
the carpenter and was the “go to
guy” when it came to fabricating
wooden and steel patches for our
salvage project. SPC Karraker also
started growing out a mustache this
month, a token of his loyalty to SPC
Bullington who is currently on R&R.
He also put together a lifting class
and plans on teaching it to the unit
in the coming weeks. Karraker’s
Muay Thai fighting skills definitely
come in handy when anyone in the
unit needs a “key grip” on their side.
Thanks for all of your support, stay
tuned for more next month, Third
squad, OUT.
SSG Bays is pinned by 1LT Guerdan SPC Billington sets up the underwater
chainsaw during Shallow Brown
SPC Varas connects a welding attach-
ment in preparation for the next dive
SPC Karraker communicates with divers during Shallow Brown
SSG Cochran is working hard still.
He is continuing his maintenance plan
for the unit and has taken up a small
mission to help train junior divers to
earn their dive check-offs. SSG
Cochran seems to be as busy as he
was last month with all the paper-
work, mission briefs, and mainte-
nance; his hard work and dedication
doesn’t go unrecognized.
SSG Rohde, like always, is SSG
Rohde. He continues to perfect the
art of world domination. I’m sure if
Risk were real he would rule the
world. If he were going to conquer
the world, Oman would be first on
his list. He just returned from there
with SGT Nnabue; I’m guessing they
were secretly scoping the area to
see what would be the easiest ap-
proach for total domination. SSG
Rohde, when not perfecting his typ-
ing or memo skills, is teaching and
supervising divers. He continues to
do what is best for the unit and his
squad and is looking forward to fan-
tasy football so he can once again
dominate!
SPC (P) Martinez is currently spend-
Another month has passed again.
These last few months have been
flying by with all that we have been
doing. The unit is continuing their
training and many of the soldiers
have reached new levels in their
career.
SSG O’Brien (formally SGT Vicente)
has just returned from R&R to a
desk full of paperwork and work
orders. While on leave she was
picked up for SSG and was also
married, congratulations. Now that
she is back the unit can continue
asking for supplies and have their
monthly inventories – meaning the
unit can function properly again. Not
only can the unit resume normal
supply operations but KNB can finally
get their workouts with SSG
O’Brien’s Zumba class!
SGT Nnabue continues achieving
notoriety as the best poet and singer
on KNB. She continues to work hard
at everything she does. She just
returned from a mission to Oman
where she acted as a diving tender
and performed well.
4th Squad by SPC Joe Moore ing much needed time with his fam-
ily. The few weeks he was here he
assisted the unit with load outs and
medical assistance. He is truly a
great medic who should be getting
promoted to Sergeant in the near
future. We look forward to him
rejoining our team.
Well, I guess it is my turn to say
something about myself. I will try to
be as modest as I can and not boast
how great of an IMO I am. There
really isn’t much I have done this
month. I continue to take pictures
for the unit and I try to help out
when I can. Currently I’m studying
for the “Soldier of the Month”
board. Now I finally get to see what
all the other guys had to go through.
This is a lot to study, but I’m sure I
will get it. I have great NCOs who
have been helping me. Thanks guys.
Underwater Demolitions Training!
Shallow Brown
SGT Damon and SGT Russell enjoy a light hearted moment on
the dive side
SSG Cochran, the NCO in charge of the exercise, delivers the
dive brief
SFC Harrison conducts supervisor checks
before sending divers into the water
An Army Diver ready to do work
The project is successfully dewatered and brought to the
surface during a test dive
SSG Rohde ensures the divers
understand the scope of work
(1st Squad, Continued)
SGT Damon has been running the show back in Kuwait with SSG Rowley gone. He has been spending a lot of his personal time working on training slides and coaching
me. Other than that, he has been spending a lot of time at the gym with his lifting buddy (SSG Bays). SGT Damon has been keeping home close by watching the new-
est episodes of True Blood and buying a coffee maker that a lot of people use (Thanks). SGT Damon is also a new bachelor in the market so if you know any friends
feel free to introduce them to us when we get back.
SGT Hall has been doing great things for the team. First of all he got promoted this month (congrats). If it wasn’t for SGT Hall the Afghanistan mission would not
have been a complete success. SGT Hall and SGT Hoover spent many an hour working on the ROV system to make sure it was mission ready during their time in Af-
ghanistan. He has also been doing a great job of keeping in touch with his family. I have only seen two other people talk to their families as much he does (SSG Row-
ley and SPC(P) Varas).
SPC Morales and SPC Varas went to the promotion board this month and got picked up for E-5. Make sure to congratulate both of them. I was in charge of my very
first load out and figured out how to run things and learned a lot from my fellow divers (Thanks Damon, Steffic, and Russell). I have been doing a series of hardcore
gym workouts, and hopefully by the time I get home my awesome back and diamond arms will be shredded! Since we arrived here I have been trying to keep the team
running the sports events out here with the rest of the divers. Next month we will be entering the volleyball tournament, starting on the 2nd of September through
the 3rd of September. Wish us luck.
To Everyone back home we hope that you stay safe if you’re on the east coast during Hurricane Irene. We will be keeping all of the people on the east coast in our
prayers and hoping for the best.
Looking back over the past 7 months, I have seen the team experience ups and downs. With the introduction of
Operation New Dawn and the draw down in Iraq, the tempo has really slowed and lessened the amount of mis-
sions in theater. That being said, we have a lot of time for training. So where should I start?
For starters, we have brought back the beloved Sergeant’s Time Training! For those of you who don’t know
what it is, I will elaborate. This is a weekly event, usually a four hour block of instruction, training our Soldiers
on anything from how to dawn a Pro Mask (gas mask) to the use of underwater hydraulic tools. The dive team
has used this as a double training opportunity. At first, the Squad Leaders were the only ones giving these
classes, which was good because they were more seasoned divers and it was easy for them to conduct this
training. All of them had conducted classes before and most of the subjects they already knew. But the 7th
took this training one step further. The younger divers started teaching. This is a little more time consuming
but well worth it. A lot of these guys never were in charge of conducting formal Army training and had to
research not only the topic but how to present the training. With the expert tutelage from their Squad Lead-
ers, these young guys not only gained the knowledge to teach the class but also how to present that knowledge.
Thanks to past units and the steady working relationship with the Kuwait Navy, the dive team still has a secure
training area in the port. This has come in useful during this deployment. The unit has done a great deal of
diver related training in this area. We have racked up countless minutes of bottom time conducting lift bag
training, cutting and welding training, and Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) and salvage dewatering training. The guys came across an old truck frame down there
and we even made that a training opportunity. If you read the past newsletters you saw that the team used this truck during Operation Eager Mace. This was a
great mission that consisted of both US Army divers as well as the Kuwaiti EOD divers. The Kuwaiti team was able to meld seamlessly with us which ensured a
flawless mission.
Now the last part of training that I want to talk about that I hold near and dear to my heart is physical training. When we first got here I really wanted to know
why all the guys kept going to see this guy “Jim”. They then started asking me if I wanted to go to Jim. I thought it was odd . I did not want to go see him because
every time they came back they were sweaty and tired. Then I realized that they were going to gym, not Jim. Even though I finally figured it out, I still hate that
place. Most of the guys go to the gym religiously and some are seeing big results. Others, I think they just walk in one door and out the other. SGT Willie Mays
Bays is getting swole and SSG Cochran can bench over 300lbs (I know because he told me). SSG Brandton “Road Dog” Rohde and I started the “no plan plan”. He
came up with it and I have adopted it as my own. This is where you go in with no expectations and no real plan; this way there are no let downs if you miss a day. If
you happen to go all week then great. No pressure, no expectation, no goals. It seem like at least every two weeks there is another reason for the camp to conduct
a 5K run; I guess these are for “fun”. I have done one. I can still walk around camp and run my mouth due to the fact that the dive team consistently grabs the top
three positions in every race.
I would also like to recognize the fact that this team continues to progress not only as divers but in their military careers. SSG Rohde was selected to become a
Warrant Officer. SSG Rowley earned an induction to the SGT Audie Murphy Club, which took a tremendous amount of dedication. SSG Cochran, SSG Bays and
SSG O’Brien earned the rank of Staff Sergeant. SGT Damon, SGT Hall, SGT Nnabue, SGT Steffic and SGT Russell have been promoted from Specialist to Ser-
geant. SPC Martinez, SPC Varas and SPC Morales have all gone to the promotion board and are now promotable. I would like to say good job to all these guys and
gals.
I would not like to talk about all the missions that the team has done because by reading the past newsletters you already know the great things the team has
done while conducting real world missions. I would just like to recall one mission that I will always remember. It was a bridge mission in Iraq where I was certified
as a swift water supervisor. Diving in swift water can be extremely dangerous and being able to supervise a dive mission without the direct supervision of one of
the unit’s Master Divers made me proud, to receive their blessing and have that responsibility entrusted to me to conduct a h igh risk diving operation.
In closing I would like to say that this team works very well together. We have all had our days when we would like to burn this place down but I think that is the
nature of being deployed. We started off this deployment bumpy but recently it seems like those bumps are smoothing out. I have learned a lot from this team,
not just from my leaders but from everybody and I hope that I have passed down some of my knowledge to members of the team. I will be re-deploying soon and I
should be leaving Hawaii before they come back. I would say that I feel honored to have served with this team.
(Editor’s Note: SFC Harrison will be redeploying in September to attend the Senior Leaders Course, where he will be evaluated for the rate of Master Diver. We
wish him the best of luck and thank him for his service to this team.)
The Reflecting Pool by SFC Andrew Harrison