Airmen survive on island showcased in 'Survivor' Published Jan. 23, 2006 By Master Sgt. Orville F. Desjarlais Jr. Air Force Print News BABLEDAOB, Palau (AFPN) -- Capt. Kristen Bakotic first learned about Palau while watching the two-hour finale of the reality television show “Survivor.” When she found out the Air Force was looking for enlisted people to volunteer for a six-month tour here, she checked to see if they needed an officer. The Air Force had in fact been looking for an officer in charge and she just had two days before the application deadline. She applied and got the job at Camp Katuu, home of the last civic action team in the Pacific. Like the television show, the CAT has to fend for themselves, but not in such extreme circumstances. They do, however, purify their own water and rely on a generator when the power goes out. During World War II, two bomb craters between 15 to 20 feet deep filled with rainwater. They remain full because of the 100 to 150 inches of rain that falls here annually. One of Tech. Sgt. Mike Luhmann’s jobs is to make that water usable. Aerators shoot water into the air to keep the water oxygenated before it is pumped into two 6,000-gallon tanks. After adding chlorine, he lets it sit for 24 hours before it is usable. Some water goes through another set of filters to make it safe enough to drink. The rest is used for activities such as washing clothes, dishes and showers. “About every three days or so I change filters that keep out any solids in the water,” said the utilities systems specialist. The camp has Airmen with varying jobs such as civil engineering, transportation and a physician assistant. Team members get a cash advance on their $25-a-day per diem and collectively toss in $3,000 in a community fund they use to pay for a cook, groundskeeper and laundry. These employees are all Palauan. If they did not do this, the Airmen would have to accomplish these chores themselves. “If we had to do all that ourselves, that contradicts what we’re here for, which is to help people,” Captain Bakotic said. “We’d spend all our time cooking, mowing grass and washing clothes.” “Camp life is pretty good. We share rooms that are about 16-foot by 16-foot. It’s better than living in a tent,” said Staff Sgt. Kevin Babers, civil engineering structures journeyman. The rooms are complete with cable television and wireless Internet capability. All of the CAT’s shops are located at the camp, including transportation, which is charged with caring for heavy equipment and the fleet of vehicles. “The biggest challenge I have is keeping this equipment going,” Tech. Sgt. Mike Gandy said. “Some of it is 20 years old. Keeping them going is a feat in itself.” Sergeant Gandy is the senior equipment operator and vehicle control officer. When he’s not working, which is six days a week, often 10 hours a day, Sergeant Gandy likes to fish. Sometimes he gets the chance to mix the two together. A 25-foot boat that’s used by the team’s medical civic action program to nearby islands also provides fishing fun for those in camp. When time permits, they toss fishing lines overboard and troll to their destination in hopes of catching supper. Sergeant Gandy has caught a 35-pound wahoo, some tuna and mahi mahi. On weekends, camp members are also authorized to use the boat to dive. Their morale, welfare and recreation closet contains fishing poles, dive equipment, footballs and other island necessities for fun. While the joint operation instructions say the camp must be open to the public at least once a month, the CAT leaves it open every day for local people to use the gym and every Tuesday and Thursday or watch movies to. They use their team break area, complete with a pool table and bar, to socialize with the local people. The team is currently expanding its fitness center so it can include more aerobic equipment. “We are not only improving the gym for us, but for the locals who use it as well,” Captain Bakotic said.