Army recruits get swimming lessons

The latest batch of army recruits had to take swimming lessons as part of their training, the first time this has been required of new soldiers.

It is in line with a recommendation made by a board of inquiry in the wake of the death of a young gunner who drowned during an army exercise in February.

A total of 53 new recruits graduated two weeks ago. Regardless of whether they already knew how to swim, they were giving swimming lessons at the Tal-Qroqq National Swimming Pool.

Gunner Matthew Psaila died aged 19, three days after an incident on February 13 in which he was submerged for up to 10 minutes as his section ran into difficulties while wading under a bridge at Chadwick Lakes.

While acknowledging that it was positive for prospective soldiers to be taught how to swim, a member of Gunner Psaila's family said lessons in a semi-heated pool, "which are also given to three-year-olds", did not prepare soldiers for what Gunner Psaila and his group had to face on the day of the accident.

"The ability to swim or otherwise was not a factor that caused Matthew's death. The cold weather and the extent of the load they were carrying were determining factors, as was the decision to hold such an exercise in those conditions."

Two soldiers - Lieutenant Christian Vella, 27, and Lance Bombardier Marvic Peregin, 31 - have been charged with the involuntary homicide of C Company's Gunner Psaila through negligence.

The court has so far heard that although he was not a great swimmer, Gunner Psaila did swim the first 20-metre-deep stretch in Chadwick Lakes without problems. The group then walked for 200 metres in wet clothes against the biting wind, before re-entering shallow water near the bridge. That is when the accident happened.

Some officers testified that they had personally struggled with the exercise and more than one officer went under during the drill.

The death led to three investigations - a magisterial inquiry, the army's internal military inquiry and a third by retired Judge Victor Caruana Colombo, who was appointed by the Office of the Prime Minister to examine all aspects of C Company's operation. Only the findings of the latter were made public.

The introduction of swimming lessons was one of the recommendations put forward in the report on this inquiry.

The board of inquiry said the AFM should provide training under wet and cold conditions and find an alternative wading exercise site, where environmental risks were lower.

"Complex or multi-disciplinary high risk exercises should be carried out after regular and progressively more difficult training is carried out, so that there may be successful outcomes with possibly no injuries to participants, and certainly no fatalities," the board had recommended.

It said the AFM should encourage its recruits to learn to swim and provide swimming training sessions, including in non-salty water, especially for C Company staff in view of their possible deployment on rescue missions.

Soldiers should also be trained to cope with difficult conditions such as those experienced at Chadwick Lakes and had to be competent swimmers. They should also be trained to remove their equipment and weapons under water and swim to safety, the board had said.

mxuereb@timesofmalta.com