Honor, courage, commitment, heritage, and tradition. Those core values are the focus for the commander of the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center as he annually oversees training of nearly 2,000 military divers.
Commander Timothy Richardt explained to Enterprise Rotarians Tuesday that as head of the joint services military dive training school in Panama City, Fla., he stresses to his staff of 250, “I want those five values taught.”
“Without an understanding of where we have come from,” Richardt said describing the December 7, 1941, surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and the September 11, 2001, attack on the Twin Towers in New York City, “how easy it would be for something to happen again.”
Forty nations send military personnel to train at the Navy school, Richardt said. Currently, one class is solely filled with soldiers from 15 countries.
Salvage and recovery operations, port and harbor security, harbor and obstacle clearance, and salvage and recovery operations are among the 22 courses offered to trainees.
Richardt said he reads an excerpt from an account written by a Naval diver who was a first responder after the bombing of Pearl Harbor to each of his graduating classes. The young diver was stunned as he swam through the carnage of the sunken American ships, Richardt told the group. “He had to remind himself that he had to stay calm, that he had a job to do.”
“And that’s what I stress to my students: Breathe deep, breathe slow, get the job done,” Richardt said. “Accomplish the mission.”
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