Today we had our last 7:00 am briefing. We went over the crazy day that lay ahead of us an everything that had to get done. In the morning we went out with Steve from Cleared Ground Demining to show him the Deep Trekker and how it works. We spent around 3 hours with him. Showing him the controls and how it can be utilized. At around 11:00 am we took Steve in and went out to a target. We prepared a shot line and navigated straight to the target. The boat captain then tried to anchor, he attempted 5 times but the sandy bottom of the ocean wouldn't allow him to stay steady. After the fifth attempt with the weather worsening we called it a day.
The team returned to the dock for the last debriefing. At this debriefing not only did we talk about that day but we also reflected on the entire trip. After lunch and the debrief the boys packed up the ROV and tether while the girls returned to the hotel to continue to clean up and pack. The team got back together at the marina at 2:00 pm to meet up with O TV who needed a few more shots. We finshed up with O TV at around 4:00 and returned to the hotel to get ready for the BentProp dinner.
At 6:30 the team met in the hotel lobby to head over for dinner. At the dinner we had a few very interesting guests. The first one being Texas Governor Rick Perry.
We were able to sit down with him and talk about our mission and about where we come from.
Later in the evening we were joined by a veteran of the Battle of Peleliu, R.V. Burgin. He was going to return to Pelelui the next day with the BentProp team to tour it 70 years later.
To finsih off the night the newbies on the team finally graduated to non-newbiw status. Each member received the official BentProp coin and bandana.
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| Our team joined by Bentprop |
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| The team with both Rick Perry and R.V. Burgin |
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| The 2013- 2014 Advanced Underwater Robotics Team with R.V. Burgin |
This dinner has became a tradition that lets the teams come together one last time and talk about the mission.
The team returned to the hotel at around 9:30 pm. to pack up and head for the airport.
All in all our Palau mission was a success. Our robot and teamwork was improved throughout the trip and we plan to continue improving so we can better complete our mission and bring Americas' missing servicemen home.
-Karly Kruger
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