TETERON BAY, Trinidad – Few resources are more critical than clean water for sustaining troops in the field.
From cooking meals to maintaining hygiene, a steady supply of safe water is essential to keeping Soldiers healthy, mission-focused and ready to train during multinational exercises like TRADEWINDS 25 (TW25).
Behind the scenes, Soldiers from the 935th Aviation Support Battalion (ASB), Missouri Army National Guard, are making that mission possible by ensuring more than 1,000 participants representing 26 nations have reliable access to potable water throughout the 13-day exercise.
The U.S. Southern Command-sponsored, U.S. Army South-led annual multinational, multidomain training exercise aims to promote regional security cooperation and interagency coordination to counter regional threats. However, behind-the-scenes efforts such as water purification sustain the mission and support joint operations.
“People often forget the logistics that make these exercises successful,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 William Pyatt, the battalion’s logistics officer. “You can’t run field kitchens or laundry stations without a steady supply of water. The 935th’s support allows our own Soldiers and our partner-nations to stay focused on training without compromising health or hygiene.”
The 935th ASB, headquartered in Aurora, Mo., deployed a specialized water purification team to Trinidad and Tobago to support the U.S. and 25 other partner-nation forces participating in the exercise. The team’s mission is to ensure a reliable, clean water supply for hygiene, food preparation and laundry services in an austere environment where access to safe water is not guaranteed.
Using their lightweight water purifiers, the team can purify water from almost any source: rivers, lakes or even some coastal water. These systems remove contaminants and produce potable water at a rate of thousands of gallons per day.
“We have four different filters that the water goes through to take out any large debris and small particles,” said Spc. Colton Hines, a water treatment specialist with the 935th ASB. “Then we add chlorine to make sure it’s potable.”
Despite early challenges, the team’s experience and training helped them adapt. They initially drew water from nearby Teteron Bay but later switched to a more suitable supply at Teteron Barracks, improving overall quality for participants.
“The water quality in Trinidad and Tobago is relatively similar to that in the United States,” Hines said. “What we are pulling out of their supply is almost standard to what we have in the U.S., between pH levels, chlorine and overall purity.”
The hundreds of troops around Teteron Barracks may not always see the 935th in action, but they feel the effects of their work.
“It’s very important to me”, said Dominican navy 1st Lt. Fernando Hernandez, a ship pilot participating in the exercise. “If you don’t eat well, you don’t work well, and if you aren’t clean, you can’t work close to others, so it’s very important.”
Though not as visible as the service members conducting the training, the water purification team proudly supports the Caribbean’s premiere regional exercise.
“Everyone plays a role in mission success,” Hines said. “We’re proud that ours keeps everyone healthy and mission-ready.”