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CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, Japan – As the fuselage filled up with
water, Staff Sgt. Mikal A. Bowman braced himself and took one last
breath just before the water covered his face.
“The first
thing that was going through my mind was that I wanted it to be
over,” said Bowman, a warehouse chief for Combat Logistics Battalion
31, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. “It sucks doing it, but it helps
you realize how serious it would be if you crashed into the ocean
while inside of a [helicopter]. This training could help you save
your life and other Marines' lives.”
Marines with CLB-31
participated in Underwater Egress Training Dec. 9, 2014 at the
Hansen Aquatics Center.
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Marines exit a Modular Amphibious Egress Trainer during Underwater Egress Training on Dec. 9, 2014 at the Hansen Aquatics Center. The Marines are with Combat Logistics Battalion 31, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, and they are conducting pre-deployment preparations for the regularly-scheduled Spring Patrol of the Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Richard Currier)
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“Ditching, ditching, ditching!” yelled Blair H. Burton,
an instructor, as he flips Bowman upside down in the shallow
water egress trainer chair. After escaping the chair, Bowman
advanced to escaping out of a simulated submerged aircraft
that rolled over upon impact.
Completing UET
certifies Bowman and the other Marines to be transported by
helicopter over a body of water, a necessity for any 31st
MEU Marine or sailor. To earn their certification, they were
strapped into a Modular Amphibious Egress Trainer, flipped
underwater and judged on how they escaped.
UET increases the chance of
survival if an aircraft ditches into the water because it
teaches the Marines to relax and use their evacuation
skills.
There are several different simulated escapes
students must complete. Instructors blindfold some of the
students to simulate how it can be too dark underwater to
see anything.
“It was tough, especially when you get
blindfolded,” said Bowman, a native of Washington, D.C. “It
was definitely the hardest part for me, so hard that it took
me three times to get it right. But you know how they say
‘the third time is a charm.'”
Students learn through
repetition, so the main steps get easier to remember: find
the respirator, hold onto the seat, locate an exit, grip the
exit, unbuckle the seatbelt, get out and swim to the surface
while exhaling on the way up.
Burton and other
instructors work hard to guide and encourage the students
who are not comfortable in the water so that they can all
successfully pass the course.
“You spend your entire
life right-side up,” said Burton, from Houston, Texas. “When
we turn you upside down people seem to stop thinking
straight and they don't know what to do. When they actually
calm down and start thinking it shows that the training is
sinking in and it's good to see that.”
In the final
scenario, Bowman was dunked underwater while blindfolded
with a rifle and a flak jacket on. He safely pushed the
rifle away, removed the flak jacket and moved across seats
to find his exit.
“It wasn't pretty, but I got
through it,” said Bowman.
For some Marines, the
course offers more than just a certification.
“From
my experience, what I have noticed from Marines who have
passed this course is that it boosts their confidence,” said
Burton. “It gives them the mentality to stay calm and to
think rather than to panic and hurt themselves or others
around them.”
The Marines and sailors of CLB-31 are
permanently assigned to the 31st MEU as the logistics combat
element.
By U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Ryan Mains
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2015
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