Record Number of Wounded Warrior Divers

Conduct Research on the USS Arizona Image of Jeff Combs, Marine veteran

Arecord number of veterans turned scuba divers participated in Pacific Historic Parks acclaimed Wounded Veterans in the Park (WVIP) program. Twelve wounded warriors conducted research on the USS Arizona during the historic week surrounding the 78th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack.

“It helps us wounded divers to be able to connect with each other and feel a sense of belonging to the community that so much wants to give back but yet we feel like because we’re disabled that somehow we don’t have the ability to give back,” said Army veteran Brian Schroeder. “This whole program has been amazing and very emotionally and mentally uplifting just to be able to help out and feel like we have a sense of belonging and worth and being able to help do this.”

Marine veteran Jeff Combs said the experience has been the highlight of his life.

“Scuba diving has opened so many doors for me not just within the dive world, but when I was injured there were several years that I didn’t want to do anything. I didn’t want to be part of any disability group, I wanted to try to just act like it didn’t happen and through LifeWaters they got me in the water, they got me diving and it has turned my life around 180 degrees,” Combs said.

The program is mission oriented, with WVIP divers checking for signs of new movement on the sunken battleship as part of ongoing studies into its structural integrity. They also deploy collection tents over areas that Bunker oil is still leaking 78 years after the attack. The fact the work was done over an iconic American war grave during a historic week hit home.

“As you swim past and you see the shoes, you see the bottles, you see the plates, to know that there were men here and that shoe belonged to someone. It’s just an absolute incredible feeling of reverence,” Combs said. “I’m truly honored and humbled to have been part of this organization.”

The WVIP program began with a handful of veteran divers.

“We started small, but with the help of generous donors, we are growing and want to make this a permanent program,” said Aileen Utterdyke, CEO and president of Pacific Historic Parks. “Besides the obvious benefits to our veteran heroes, there’s important research to be done on the USS Arizona as it ages and continues to leak oil. Their work is important.”

PHP also conducts “live dive” events in the Visitor Center Theatre in which the audience views a diving operation and the WVIP divers take questions from the audience.