Army to paint dive tank with own name and logos

 

Army Green Berets who work at the underwater warfare school on the northern tip of Fleming Key have long heard Key West residents refer to their campus as "the Navy SEAL" base.

"The guys are extremely proud of what they do and they get frustrated when they're confused with another service," said Maj. Trevor Hill, commander of the Army Special Forces Underwater Operations School. "That's said with no disrespect to the SEALs and what they do, we just want to highlight that we're a different branch."

Plans are under way to paint the 50-foot-tall dive tower with the words "U.S. Army" as well as the Green Berets symbol and the school's logo: A diver's face flanked by two sharks set over two daggers.

"Kind of our version of the Fly Navy building," Hill added.

For years residents have been confused about who works there, what they do and what branch oversees operations. The Navy's strong presence in Key West and the often misused term "Special Forces" are likely factors in the confusion, Hill said.

"Special Forces" is singular to the Army and refers only to that branch's Green Berets. The media often uses it incorrectly to refer to any elite military unit, such as the SEALs. "Special Operations Forces" is the correct term for all elite military units such as the SEALs, the Air Force 24th Special Tactics Squadron, or the Army's 75th Ranger Regiment.

"People hear Special Forces here in Key West and they immediately think of SEALs," Hill said.

Adding to the confusion, Hill said, is that Special Operations Forces members in the Navy, Marines and Air Force do go through the course, which teaches emergency surfacing and how to leave and enter submarines.

Army Maj. Gen. Bennet Sacolick proposed painting the tower during his visit to Key West in March, Hill said.

Sacolick, commander of all Special Forces courses in the nation, is a 1987 graduate of the Fleming Key school. He is a former deputy director for defense at the CIA's Counter-Terrorism Center as well as a former commander of Delta Force, a unit that works with myriad other Special Operations Forces.

"Since 1964, the Special Forces Underwater Operations School have been proud members of the Key West community," Sacolick wrote in an email to The Citizen on Wednesday. "As a prominent structure on Fleming Key, our dive tower is clearly visible from the sky and from the sea. We want to remind the world that Key West plays a vital role in preparing our nations' elite Special Forces soldiers."

Hill hopes to have the tower painted soon, but noted it will depend on funding and Army approval. That process could take weeks or months, Hill said, and he did not know the cost.

"Everyone [on base] is behind it," Hill said, "and I think they'll be happy to see U.S. Army and our logo up there."

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