S F U W O

This is my Alma Mater - S.L.

Underwater Combat School in Keys Marks 50 Years

KEY WEST, FLA. — An underwater combat training school in Key West is marking its 50th anniversary.

The Army Special Forces Underwater Operations School boasts a $10 million complex with a modern training pool and 50-foot dive tower, as well as boats especially designed for special operations forces.

Most people are not aware that the Army has an equivalent to the SEALs - and those who are aware of the SF Combat Divers are certainly not aware that it is HARDER to become an SF Combat Diver than it is to earn a SEAL trident.

The school is taught by Green Berets and sometimes hosts students from the Air Force, the Navy and the Marines, as well as military academy cadets and troops from other countries.

Residents know students are in town by spotting the circling C-130 airplane dropping finned-divers by parachute into the Fleming Key Basin. Less visible are the night operations, the torturous pool training, the hours of classroom work and other tasks that make the school one of the toughest gut-checks in the military, instructors and command staff said.

Combat divers are very aggressive and efficient and I’ve been very impressed,” Army Special Forces Col. Alan Shumate tells The Key West Citizen. “They stand out. Our dive school breeds a more intense commando.”

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