The Texas State Guard (State Defense Force) recently had troops from their 2nd, 19th & Maritime Regiment undergo extensive search and rescue water training. The training focused on undergoing ‘a bank cave fall into a body of water while in uniform and carrying gear, such as a loaded back pack.’ It also expected each soldier to successfully complete ‘a pack float test…attain a stable floating position, tread water for a minimum of 5 minutes, swim 25 meters, and get out of the pool’
The nine month training course is composed of teaching the ‘ fundamentals of search and rescue, wilderness first aid, CPR, automatic external defibrillator (AED), swift water rescue, wide area search, boat operations, land navigation, map reading, and survival skills.’
Source: Texas State Guard
