FORT BRAGG, N.C. - It has been said that the combat diver was created a long, long time ago.
As the story goes, the prehistoric human, commonly referred to as the caveman, blindly walked off a small cliff into a body of deep water. Some struggled for air and drowned to their death. Some climbed the cliff to safety. A few enjoyed their new circumstance; even thrived - the combat diver was born.
"Most guys walk, but combat divers fly horizontally through the water," said Master Sgt. J.T. Reed, the operations officer at the Special Forces Underwater Operations School in Key West, Fla.
The common key to success as a student and instructor at the Special Forces Underwater Operations School is the ability to think and overcome adversity in some of the most difficult conditions.
The cadre trains combat divers, supervisors and medical technicians. They train a wide variety of students ranging from cadets to senior non-commissioned officers from every facet of Army special operations.
Students graduating from the course will provide their operational units with a wealth of waterborne skills, like the ability to move and navigate underwater using open and closed circuit breathing systems, enter the water via helo-cast or static-line parachute, and move tactically using various watercrafts.
The type of person who succeeds as a combat diver does not have to be a champion swimmer. A successful diver has to possess the mental facilities to take comfort in ambiguity.
It's not necessarily about physical strength, intelligence or fortuity, although these attributes are important. A successful diver has a unique ability to maintain his mental faculties when submerged in an environment not fit for humans.
"The whole thing about this school is that you have to overcome your fears," said Sgt. 1st Class William Plaag Jr., the senior instructor at SFUWO. "The water is the great equalizer," he said.
"There are a lot of things that could go wrong in the ocean. A diver has to be relaxed enough to think and manage issues for himself and his team," said Sgt. 1st Class Sean Hurd, a combat diver instructor.
The training begins with very basic tasks in a controlled environment. As the Soldiers progress, each task becomes more difficult and the environment more demanding.
When the Soldiers are ready, they enter the open waters; at first shallow, then as deep as 130 feet once their underwater skills are mastered, they combine surface and underwater operations to become operationally capable of most any form of military waterborne infiltration.
Five times a year, about 60 "common air-breathers" report to Naval Air Station Key West, Fla. to attend the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School's Combat Diver Qualification Course.
After six weeks, the capable graduates - perhaps descendants of those cavemen who decided to swim - return to an Army special operations unit, ready to take on almost any task involving waterborne operations.
"At the end of the course, these guys epitomize the three lightning bolts we wear on our (Special Forces) patch; they are capable of infiltrating by land, sea or air," Reed said.
Students attending the Combat Diver Qualification Course in Key West, Fla. jumped into the ocean as part of a helo-casting exercise Feb. 9. Conducted at the Special Forces Underwater Operations School, the CDQC is a six-week course in most any form of military waterborne infiltration. Course curriculum includes open and closed circuit breathing systems and tactical underwater movement using various watercraft.
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