NASSAU, Bahamas -- “Ever see that little Swiss Army knife …? Not much of a weapon there. Corkscrews, bottle openers. 'Come on, buddy, let's go. You get past me, the guy in back of me, he's got a spoon…,’” joked comedian Jerry Seinfeld. But Seinfeld couldn’t be more wrong.
When you’re going on the mission, it’s imperative to take the proper tools.
“Our team – Team Miami – is the Swiss army knife of the Navy Reserves,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Fernando Labrada, a Miami native. “Our team has many tools to provide to the exercise and partner nations.”
Tasked with providing interpreters for Dominican Republic Marines during Exercise Tradewinds 2009, Navy Maritime Civil Affairs Squadron 2, Detachment Bravo’s mission quickly evolved, as exercise coordinators became aware of the diverse skill-set of the men in the unit – a weapon of opportunity, so to speak.
Sharp and pure, the sailors’ fluency in the Spanish language made it possible for the Spanish-speaking partner nation service members to fully immerse themselves in the training. Active partners in the preparation to bolster maritime security in the Caribbean Basin, the nations were unhampered by language barriers. Just as the main blade of the “Offiziersmesser,” is the core of the weapon, the language skills of the Det. allowed for what is arguably the most important element of a partnership – communication.
However, the blade is not always the only tool required. Each of the sailors brings specialized skills to the table – skills that can be called upon to meet unforeseen challenges which might otherwise arrest training.
The earlier version of the Swiss Army knife included a reamer - a tool used to punch or make existing holes dimensionally more accurate, with uniform consistency – a bit like marksmanship.
Petty Officer 1st Class Jorge Santini, a Brunswick, Ga., native, works as a national fire arms and specialty instructor for the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center – a division of the Department of Homeland Security.
Santini’s job? He is responsible for taking the existing marksmanship skills of law enforcement personnel and honing them, making the shooter more accurate.
Many of the partner nations’ service members had never fired a rifle prior to the exercise. In some instances, simply getting the round downrange and punching the target was an ambitious goal.
Santini’s knowledge of pistols, sub-machine guns, shotguns, machine guns and sniper rifles was a force multiplier for Royal Marines working with the inexperienced students. He was able to assist as the students went through the ranges and ultimately acquired essential marksmanship skills – consistency and accuracy.
Though accuracy and consistency is essential, whether on the range, on exercise, or in a real-world scenario, safety is of paramount concern to those participating. In a training environment, if the situation isn’t safe, training is often stopped.
Petty Officer 1st Class James Jones, a construction supervisor for airport maintenance in Levy County, Fla., and Labrada, president of Bird Lakes Development Corporation, a residential real estate development corporation, were asked to assess a safety concern with the Coral Harbour rifle range.
Labrada explained that the range’s rock and slug-filled berm was causing rounds to ricochet - a safety hazard that could potentially cost the Bahamians a lot of money, and more importantly, lives.
Various models of Swiss Army knives exist, with different tool combinations for specific tasks. Jones and Labrada used their combined backgrounds in construction to assess the situation. They found a workable solution that allowed training to safely continue, along with another added benefit for Tradewinds 09’s host nation.
“We were able to save the Bahamians a lot of money,” said Jones. “If we weren’t here to assess the range, the Bahamians would have needed to fly out a specialist from the U.S.”
Though able to replace the skills of a pricey contractor for the range, there are some skills that come unique to the small group of sailors that Marines fondly refer to as “Doc.”
Team Miami’s “Doc” has been working in the field of medicine for more than 25 years, and is a certified strength-training specialist and licensed massage therapist in Tampa.
Petty Officer 1st Class James Walker held a basic field medical course during Tradewinds, calling upon his extensive background in the field. He taught Defence Forces to bandage a wound, prepare a tourniquet, the proper way in which to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and other basic field medical skills.
The efforts of “Team Miami” did not go unnoticed by Tradewinds coordinators.
“The Navy Civil Affairs Detachment has proven to be an incredible asset in assuring the success of Tradewinds 2009. Not only have they done a great job in providing the translation service they were originally brought in for, but they also stepped up to help solve a safety issue at the small-arms range with their engineering expertise. This team really brings a variety of capabilities to the fight,” said Lt. Col. Trent Blackson, exercise director.
Now a weapon in hand, the training supported or provided by “Team Miami” and others has provided Caribbean nation service members the basic skills to support increased maritime security. The positive relationships and working partnerships formed during Tradewinds ‘09, will strengthen that cohesive network to arrest illegal trafficking in the Caribbean basin and into the U.S.
“We hope to be able to participate in future Tradewinds exercises and continue to help our partner nations however we can,” said Lt. Cmdr. Charles Knight, Tradewinds Civil Affairs Det. officer-in-charge.
Knight, vice president of operations and logistics for AshBritt Inc., a natural disaster response company in Pompano Beach, Fla., said he hopes that leadership will keep the “Swiss Army knife of the Navy Reserves” in their hip pocket for future opportunities to provide civil affairs support.
Nations participating in Tradewinds ‘09 are Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, St. Kitts-Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, the United Kingdom and the United States.