At a pool in Baghdad, Iraqi scuba divers from Iraq's River Patrol recently conducted a practical exercise under the direction of instructor Tim Zuercher of the Civilian Police Assistance Training Team. Photo by: 1st Lt. William Marquez.

BAGHDAD

When Maj. Dillon Haynes and Sgt. 1st Class Arne Eastlund from the 49th Military Police Brigade met with officials from the Iraqi River Patrol, they discovered the Iraqi divers no longer had a place where they could train.

The two Soldiers began calling, emailing and visiting Iraqis and Americans who they thought could help. Eastlund, remembering that he heard about a pool in the International Zone during his deployments in 2005 and 2006, located the pool and asked the staff if the divers could use the pool as a training site.

"I heard about the pool when I was here three years ago,” said Eastlund.  “I tracked it down and spoke to the American sergeant working there … [they] had no problem with our training plan. In fact, they were happy to help.”

These Iraqi divers, as lead divers in Iraq's River Patrol, help lead and develop the many Iraqi divers patrolling the banks and depths of the Tigris and Euphrates to ensure their fellow citizens remain safe as they enjoy these great waterways.

"They are good at body recovery,” said Tim Zuercher, the lead instructor training the Iraqi divers. “When they find a missing person, it puts the family of the deceased at ease. Not long ago, River Patrol divers recovered a deceased family member of Iraq's Prime Minister, and they recovered sensitive items belonging to an American security firm that had a vehicle roll over into the river."

"This is a train-the-trainer program,” Haynes said.  “The Iraqi divers trained here will have the capacity to demonstrate what they learned to new divers joining River Patrol units.”

Zuercher, along with his colleague, Mark Cushman, employees with the Civilian Police Assistance Training Team (CPATT), worked closely with Haynes and Eastlund to set up the training.  In the pool, Zuercher and Cushman take their time with the Iraqi divers, speaking clearly and slowly so the Arabic translator can make sure they understand their instructions.

The American instructors are patient with the Iraqi divers, and the Iraqis are very attentive. The Americans teach a lesson to the group as a whole, but test each student one at a time to ensure they understand the lesson without confusion.

"They are learning new techniques that will bring them closer to international scuba diving standards,” said Cushman.  “Our goal is to make sure that they have the ability to demonstrate to their fellow River Patrol divers the skills we are teaching them here."

(By 1st Lt. William Marquez, 49TH Military Police Brigade)