Here's how you know
 **Official websites use .mil** .mil
 **Secure .mil websites use HTTPS** lock () https://


Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 Toggle navigation
            
            
            
            
            National Guard
                        Always Ready Always There
                    National Guard
            
            Search National Guard:
                        Search
                    Search
                        Search National Guard:
                            Search
    Home

    News
    
        Guard News

    Overseas Operations

    State Partnership Program

    News Features

    RSS Feeds

    Press Releases

    Transcripts

    Features
    
        Features by Year

    Posture Statement

    State Partnership Program

    Special Features

    About the Guard
    
        How We Began

    Air National Guard

    Army National Guard    
    
        DEERS Soldier Journey

    Leader Development Program

    History and Heritage

    I am the Guard

    NGB Official March

    Leadership
    
        CNGB

    VCNGB

    SEA

    DANG

    DARNG

    Joint Staff    
    
        J-1

    J-2

    J-3

    J-4

    J-5

    J-6

    J-7

    J-8

    Personal Staff    
    
        Inspector General

    General Counsel

    Public Affairs

    Executive Support Services

    Legislative Liaison

    Special Staff    
    
        National Guard Office of Special Victims' Counsel

    Office of the Provost Marshal

    Office of the Joint Surgeon

    Director of Acquisitions

    Small Business Programs

    Chaplain

    Senior Leader Management Office

    Diversity Equity Inclusion

    Comptroller

    Resources    
        National Defense Strategy Implementation Guidance

    Community Engagement

    FOIA

    Fact Sheets

    Helpful Links

    Image Gallery
    
        News Images

    Graphics

    Historical Paintings

    Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

    Legislative Liaison

    Small Business Programs

    Social Media

    State Websites

    Videos    
    
        Featured Videos

    On Every Front

    2019 Videos

    2020 Videos

    2021 Videos

    Suicide Prevention

    Family Programs

    Environmental

    Trial Defense Service

    Holistic Wellness Challenge

    Contact Us  Home
  News
  Article View
 
 Download
 Details
 Share
 NEWS
 Combat dive training challenges National Guard Special Forces in Key West By Master Sgt. Thomas Kielbasa
                Florida National Guard
 KEY WEST, Fla. – Water is unforgiving. Even for a skilled and combat-tested Soldier, water can be the great equalizer that doesn’t care how many qualification badges or special tabs you wear. If you don’t respect water and conquer your fear of it, you will die. Combat divers already know this, but every so often they need to relearn that respect. This week, National Guard Soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group, are proving their combat diving mettle during a requalification course at the U.S. Army Special Forces Underwater Operations School in Key West. The Soldiers from the Florida and North Carolina National Guards are completing a battery of dive-training exercises at the prestigious Army school under the guidance of combat diving supervisors and medical technicians. According to Maj. Sam Kline, whose unit directs training at the school, the Soldiers are being scrutinized and tested on their surface and subsurface waterborne infiltration skills. Simply put, this means a rigorous display of swimming, diving and parachuting for the National Guard members taking part in the training. Kline, who has been in charge of the U.S. Army Special Forces Underwater Operations School for the past two years, said the training is especially meaningful since the school is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. He said the National Guard shares deeply in that rich history of training and certifying the Army combat diving community. "They share in our heritage," Kline said while monitoring a waterborne operation in the clear blue waters next to the school on June 23. "They share in that 50 years of history...we have a lot of divers in the National Guard." As National Guard members parachuted from a C-130 Hercules, they glided calmly into the water directly north of downtown Key West. A few jet skiers and pleasure boaters skirted around the saltwater drop zone, but recovery teams from the combat dive school quickly motored in and picked up the thoroughly soaked jumpers. A few hours later, training moved to the school’s 660,000-gallon pool - the largest in the Florida Keys - where Florida National Guard combat diving supervisors worked with a couple of Soldiers who are considering attending the school. The supervisors - some of Florida’s most elite Special Forces Soldiers - took the potential candidates through a trial run of a few challenges they may face if they attend the six-week course: 50-meter underwater swim; a series of floats and flips with hands and feet bound; drown-proofing; and diving for 20-pound weights. Safety swimmers - or "sharks" - stayed close to the candidates in the pool, as other instructors and medical personnel offered encouragement and direction from the edge. Sgt. 1st Class Joshua Betten of the Wachula-based C Company, 3rd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group, watched intently as the Soldiers tackled the underwater swim across the pool on just one breath. He estimated that fewer than three percent of Special Forces are combat divers, and he admitted that it is one of the hardest schools he has completed. The graduates of the dive school are "the best of the best," Betten, a Silver Star recipient, said. Florida Special Forces medic Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy St. Clair said the biggest risk during the drown-proofing portion of the course is hypoxia (lack of adequate oxygen), so the medics at the pool watch the swimmers very carefully. He said the key to passing the tests is not to panic, remain calm, and control your breathing. Otherwise, a few seconds of panic can be deadly in the water. "This is particularly dangerous, but you mitigate a lot of the risks by having so many safety swimmers and medics standing by," St. Clair said. "This isn’t for everyone. It is that selective and that difficult." Master Sgt. Richard Spear, Operations Sergeant for the Ocala-based A Company, agreed the school was tough. He said it was one of the "most challenging training events I have ever been a part of" when he completed the course in 2005. "For the Special Forces’ guys it is one of the most rigorous programs out there," he added. "It is a challenge, and that is why we like it." Spear added that combat diving is an especially valuable skill for the Army National Guard Special Forces in Florida since so much of the state is in a maritime environment with more than 1,100 miles of coastline. Separate from its federal mission, the 3rd Battalion, 20th Special Forces, can also utilize diving during counterdrug missions and Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) operations after hurricanes. Each year about 330 students train at the U.S. Army Underwater Special Operations School. And even for expert swimmers like Florida’s Command Sgt. Maj. Sean Keane, the course can be daunting. "The water changes the environment," Keane, a lifelong surfer who said he always felt relaxed in the ocean before attending the course in 1995. "I realized I wasn’t comfortable when I came down here. They made me uncomfortable...and then made me comfortable in the water. They put you in such a special environment that you can handle anything. "That is why you see guys that are so cool and calm here," Keane added. "They could have an SF tab and a Ranger tab, but the water can change everything." He also pointed out that combat diving can instantly become deadly...even more deadly than the airborne operations that the Army Special Forces community is known for. "When you are jumping there may be only one way to die." Keane said. "When you are diving there are a hundred ways."
 SHARE
 PRINT
 Flickr - SF Underwater Operations training in Key West
 20th Special Forces Group
 
 New York Airmen Train with Army Guard Special Forces
 By Master Sgt. Patrick Espeut,
  Massachusetts Guard, first responders train in ‘ice bath’
 By Capt. Andrew Layton,
  North Carolina Guard conducts airborne operations
 By Staff Sgt. Mary Junell
  More
 Pennsylvania Army Guardsmen Complete Combat Lifesaver Course Guard News • 3 hours ago
 38th Infantry Division Soldiers Conduct Warfighter Exercise Guard News • 11 hours ago
 Puerto Rico Air National Guard Trains at Red Flag-Alaska Guard News • 11 hours ago
 Air National Guard Conducts Sentry Savannah Exercise Guard News • yesterday
 Hawaii Air National Guard Hosts Sentry Aloha Joint Exercise Guard News • yesterday
 2024 (196)  2023 (427)  2022 (526)  2021 (697)  2020 (936)  2019 (387)  2018 (323)  2017 (346)  2016 (245)  2015 (356)  2014 (399)  2013 (469)  2012 (556)  2011 (533)  2010 (1071)  2009 (357)  2008 (638)  2007 (295)  2006 (188)
 Home
 Site Map
 Privacy & Security Policy
 Link Disclaimer
 Web Policy
 DOD Information Quality
 DOD Open GovernmentFOIA
 No FEAR Act
 Accessibility/Section 508
 Contact Us
 Army Guard Careers
 Air Guard Careers
 USA.gov
                    
Staying Connected
    XYouTubeFlickrFacebookInstagram
                 
                
                

Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil