News

Learning to SWET Might Save a Soldier's Life
Date Posted: 12/17/2008

By Rob McIlvaine
FMWRC Public Affairs

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“During the first three weeks in Iraq, we had eight drownings,” said Bill Miller to the Army, Marine and civilian aquatics managers gathered to hear the latest techniques in aquatics at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas this past week.

Bill Miller, Aquatics Manager at Fort Lewis in Washington state and developer of the SWET (Shallow Water Egress Trainer) unit, holds a helmet and watches as Brian Sweetman, Jr., one of the 30 volunteers undergoes phase 1 of the training. In the water are Janice Canion, Fort Lewis and Bruce Antonowicz Jr, Fort Lewis. - Photo by Rob McIlvaine, FMWRC Public Affairs

Since those first weeks when America went to war in Iraq, over 200 have died as a result of their Stryker, tank, truck or Humvee overturning into a body of water.

“You wouldn’t think there would be so much water in a desert environment, but our Soldiers have to deal with two rivers and a canal as they traverse the battle zone,” said Miller, Aquatics Manager at Fort Lewis, Washington State.

Because of those first drownings, Major Phelps, 3rd BDE Rear Detachment Commander, contacted Bill Miller around the end of January 2004 and asked him to “do something more.”
“A few days later I called Pensacola, Coronado and Whidbey Island looking for answers,” Miller said.

The Naval Air Station at Whidbey Island had two helicopter SWETs (Shallow Water Egress Trainers) they were going to cut up the next day.

“I called Ray Smith, Command Diving Officer at the Naval Survival Training Institute in Pensacola to have the demolition halted and the SWETs transferred to Fort Lewis,” said Miller.
On March 3, Bruce Antonowicz, Jr. and Miller were trained on the SWETs at Whidbey Island, and Ray Smith sent over the helicopter training SOPs.

Jan Wagner, Fort Campbell, KY, a volunteer at the Army Aquatics Conference, puts on her blindfold for phase 2 of the SWET training in the pool at Fort Sam Houston. Pictured, from left to right: Bruce Antonowicz Jr, Fort Lewis, WA; Brian Sweetman Jr, Fort Lewis, WA; Stephanie Higa, Schofield Barracks, HI; Momi Smith, Schofield Barracks, HI; and Janice Canion, Fort Lewis, WA. - Photo by Rob McIlvaine, FMWRC Public Affairs

After several tries, said Miller, he and the Department of Labor (DOL) finally agreed on a design which was tested with pool staff at Fort Lewis to ensure the unit was as safe as possible. Design changes were made by the welders at DOL, and the new SWETS were delivered to the pools at Fort Lewis in August 2004.

“By November, over 1,200 Soldiers were put through the dunker training before leaving for Iraq,” said Miller.

Because of the success, the U.S. Army Family and MWR Command asked Miller to develop an Army-wide program for the SWET in September 2007. Five months later a video starring Janice Canion, pool manager, and Bruce Antonowicz, Jr. was produced to train SWET instructors.

By April 2008, the Army SWET SOP, SWET Instructor LOI, Risk Assessment and Preventive Maintenance Checks and Services lists were completed by Miller.

“I look at this as combat water survival,” said Ernie Kanaki, FMWRC Aquatics Manager.

Not many of the 90 aquatics leaders from around the world took the opportunity to get the SWET training at Fort Sam Houston Aquatic Center during the Army aquatic conference. Some, however, opted to jump in the pool for Aquatic Physical Training for Wounded Warriors conducted by Mary Wykle, PhD, and instructed by Laurie Denomme.

“Of the 30 who took the SWET course, many were very nervous,” Miller said. “It’s not easy being blindfolded and strapped in by a three-point hitch and dunked in the water. You have to learn to relax and get your bearings.”

When a Humvee overturns, the Soldier has a three-point seat belt keeping him in and he or she often becomes disoriented because of the resulting bubbles and river floor dust being thrown up around the cabin area.

“We teach them to orient themselves by feeling for the door handle, unhooking their seatbelt and then getting out. We do it the first time two times for each person. The first time you get to feel for the door handle and simply get out. The second time, you’re blindfolded and one door is locked,” said Miller.
According to Miller, this simulated real life conditions. The Humvee turns upside down in cold water, you have 0 to low visibility and you’re tangled with cords.

The stainless steel frame Miller designed has a seat that two instructors can turn over when the student is ready. With the unit placed at the shallow end of the pool in four feet of water, simulating the approximate depth of a river or canal, safety is the main concern when dunking the Soldier in this training environment.

“Each installation that is a power projection platform has been selected to receive a SWET unit,” said Miller.

Fort Sam Houston was the first to get the unit since its development at Fort Lewis, mainly because of the conference. Fort Shafter in Hawaii received two during the first few weeks in December with Fort Benning, Georgia; Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Fort Riley and Baumholder, Germany getting the remainder of the units for 2008.

“FMWRC is planning to deliver eight more units in 2009 to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Fort Stewart, Georgia, Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Fort Carson, Colorado, Fort Bliss and Fort Hood in Texas, Fort Polk, Louisiana, and Fort Richardson, Alaska,” said Kanaki.
“If you’re the aquatics manager, we’re going to train you so you can train others at your installation,” said Miller.

About 10 to 12 Soldiers can be trained in an hour so usually a squad, rather than a platoon, will be asked to go through the training.

Over 7,000 Soldiers have been trained using the SWET unit in the past four years. At a cost of approximately $4,500 per unit, plus shipping, the price is well worth the lives saved.

“After the training, they usually say, ‘we’ll never drive near water again,’ but this just isn’t possible. Hopefully, the training will help prevent further tragedies from an overturned vehicle in water,” said Miller.