// BONUS ONLINE-ONLY COVERAGE National Guard assists in water purification in Devils Lake
was conducting water purification training and needed a challenging place to set up and operate their equipment. Coincidently, the Devils Lake Curl- ing Club was in need of water to prepare for flooding the surface. In speak- ing with the lead volunteers at the curling club, the ice needs very specific water in order for a consistent playing surface, reverse osmosis water. Te 132nd Quartermaster Company specializes in just that type of purification method. Te unit is equipped with different types of equipment to purify water
I
utilizing the reverse osmosis principle, forcing water through a very small membrane by applying high pressure. Te Lightweight Purifier or LWP is broken down into small components to allow the equipment to fit in the back of a High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) and is small enough to fit through a 36-inch door. Te LWP produces roughly 125 gallons per hour (GPH), and is the equipment of choice for this scenario. When the unit receives a mission, the first order of business is to con-
duct a water reconnaissance to identify the water source, obstacles, distance away from the customer, and the amount of water required. For this par- ticular mission, the overwhelming choice was to dispatch a Lightweight Pu- rifier. Every purification site is different with many variables, which makes water purification specialists good problem solvers, utilizing ingenuity and creative thinking. In the past 20 years, the 132nd Quartermaster Company has applied this creative thinking and problem solving in supporting mis- sions in: Des Moines Iowa supporting 3 hospitals during record flooding in 1993, Grand Forks Flood fighting efforts in 1997, supporting task forces in Nicaragua, Honduras, Belize, and the Dominican Republic. Te unit also supported a multinational exercise, Bright Star in Egypt in 2005 and de- ployed to Iraq in 2007-2008. Most recently, the unit was activated in sup- porting the City of Minot in purifying water for the local hospital in 2011 during the historic flood fighting. Te Devils Lake Curling Club mission was a win-win situation – it pro-
Detachment 3, 132 Quartermaster Company, based out of Cando, N.D., install- ing the reverse osmosis elements for the Lightweight Purifier (LWP) in order to provide training and assisting the Devils Lake Curling Club.
n September 2012, the Devils Lake Curling Club had some unusual visitors, U.S. Army’s North Dakota National Guard Detachment 3, 132nd Quartermaster Company, based out of Cando, N.D. Te unit
Sign displayed in the Devils Lake Curling Club aſter the successful water purifi- cation mission.
vided a much needed source of water for the curlers and gave the unit a place for them to practice their mission for those with a real-world need for their product. n
USA Curling receives grant from CCT USA Curling has been awarded a grant from Te Chicago Community
Trust in support of the growth of the sport. Trough use of these funds, the organization plans to improve resources available to both existing and emerging clubs. Examples of targeted projects include improving existing certification programs, developing resources for emerging clubs, and iden- tifying successful recruiting and retention practices. Te Trust has awarded grants to the association every year since 2006. In
addition to the grant award, Te Chicago Community Trust made the in- augural Darwin Curtis Fund Grant Program possible. Te program, which was administrated by the USCA on behalf of Te Chicago Community Trust, awarded a total of $20,000 in matching funds through a competitive application process to organizations actively working to increase participa- tion in the sport of curling. “We are extremely excited about the response we received to this pro- gram during its inaugural year,” said Kim Nawyn, USA Curling’s growth
and development manager. “It is great to see the passion that curlers around the country have for growing the sport on the local level.” Out of the 24 applications USA Curling received, six were awarded fund-
ing. Successful applicants included: Columbus Curling Club (dehumidifier to address a serious mold issue); Evergreen Curling Club (low-emissivity ceiling for new curling facility); Norfolk Curling Club (equipment needed in rebuild of facility destroyed by arson fire last season); Oklahoma Curling Club (freezer for stones stored in an arena setting); Ocean State Curling (set of stones); and San Francisco Bay Area Curling Club (outreach/develop- ment program). Each of these clubs was effectively able to tie the initiative and its subsequent impact to the criteria set out by the Darwin Curtis Fund. Funds for Te Chicago Community Trust grant originate from the
Darwin Curtis Fund. Curtis was a prominent Chicago-area curler in the mid-20th century. Te proceeds from his bequest must be used for projects intended to increase public participation in curling in the United States. n