Soldiers help remove man-made reef

Army News Service ^ | July 20, 2007 | Lindy Dinklage

[William Tell]

From the article: "The whole mission was about recycle, recycle, recycle," Sherrad said.

Let's see... it was "recycle" when the tires were stacked in large storage lots to be ground into material used for paving, or energy, or whatever.

Then it was "recycle, recycle" when the tires were dropped into the ocean to make a reef to improve the habitat for sea life.

Now it is "recycle, recycle, recycle" when the tires are laboriously retrieved from the ocean floor and shipped to incinerators who will use the tires to create energy.

Two-hundred years from now, it will be "recycle, recycle, recycle, recycle, recycle, recycle, recycle, recycle, recycle, recycle, recycle, recycle, recycle, recycle, recycle, recycle, recycle, recycle, recycle, recycle, recycle, recycle, recycle, recycle, recycle", when the tires are dug up from a landfill in Nevada and transported to factories to grind them up and make low-cost housing for the homeless.

Somebody needs to keep an eye on these tires, because I don't think they are ever going away.

[BritExPatInFla]

Again, I question the need for an army’s “skills in environmental protection.” In fact, an army’s duties, quite often run counter to “environmental protection.” I fear the day when some future tank commander in a hostile conflict directs his vehicles to avoid protected vernal pools that may lie in the most direct path to an enemy.

---

Never heard of the Army Corps Of Engineers, huh? If you’re building on a site and have to impact federal wetlands, who do you think handles the review process?

[tioga]

I agree........had to have been liberal environmentalists who thought up this ridiculous plan to begin with.

[D Rider]

"It was one of those ideas that seemed good at the time,"

This statement will be applied to genetic engineering and global warming next.

[tioga]

LOL........yep, the environmentalists evolved into global warming nutcases.........

[Beckwith]

It’s all anti-corporate claptrap.

[R. Scott]

Yep. Most of my 20+ years were as an Army Sailor.

[R. Scott]

For Army sailors and divers, this is great training. Every soldier is not combat arms - some transport the bullet launchers, beans and bullets - and clear underwater areas to construct needed ports. This fits in with harbor clearance

[ElkGroveDan]

I never said they shouldn’t be doing it.

See post #13
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1870775/posts?page=13#13

[Mr. Silverback]

My dive tables aren’t handy, but from what I remember of the tables, your “hours” estimate is pretty far off.

[Ronaldus Magnus]

Upon arriving in Florida, the Soldiers were given several plans for completing the mission.

I, for one, hope the solution involves explosives...lots of explosives.

[Mr. Silverback]

I, for one, hope the solution involves explosives...lots of explosives.

Especially if they film it. :-)

[R. Scott]

Again, I question the need for an army's "skills in environmental protection."

It's PR - "environmental protection" makes points with the leftists - and they now control the military purse strings. The soldiers involved couldn't care less what the press release calls it. They are practicing the skills they need to do their job, and (experience talking now) it's a lot better than hauling empty boxes and containers from point A to point B, and for the divers a lot better than retrieving flags or markers. They are actually accomplishing something.

[Covenantor]

The entire thing could hae been nipped in the bud at the moment of inception if a ten year old had shown them 60’s era National Geographic photos of underwater WWII wrecks in the Pacific. Coral encrusted much of the ships, except for the tires of trucks, motorcycles, etc that had spilled from the holds. In those photos the contrast between rubber and metal was startling. Wire wheels with coral and absolutely clean tires.

Any serious sport diver could have told them the same.

“Dude...bad idea. You’ve like never, ever really been diving have you? Watching Mike Nelson on Sea Hunt and Cousteau specials is a non-qualifier.”

[Covenantor]

Oh, and the headline, "Soldiers help remove man-made reef" should read,

Soldiers Once Again Fix Sorry-Assed, Simple minded Kumbaya Reef Building Attempts"

[Covenantor]

Here's a link to a photo of sunken Japanese ship at Truk Lagoon. Notice the tire in the foreground.

http://www.shutter.fi/truk/smoking.htm

[Ben Chad]

Curious how long it will take to remove 700,000 tires.

700,000 bottles of beer on the wall...

[CharlesWayneCT]

It’s not just the part under water. They have to get the ship out to the area, prep for the dive, then they dive and tie up the tires, then they have to haul them up. If they can lift them on the boat, then they have to prep for the next dive. At the end of the day, they have to take them back to shore, and unload them.

I don’t know how deep the tires are, but if they are deep enough there’s a long time getting down and back up as well.

[Mr. Silverback]

Soldiers Once Again Fix Sorry-Assed, Simple minded Kumbaya Reef Building Attempts"

Dude, you know the mods will be on my case if I change article titles. :-)

[Covenantor]

Mr. Silverback I meant that the source should have had a better headline.

I do believe that my suggestion would have been a hit with the target audience.
;>)