Boro native on recovery team in bridge collapse Navy diver on team that responded to Minneapolis disaster BY AMANDA BELING Staff Writer Brian Bennett EATONTOWN - - Brian Bennett had just returned from a tour of duty in Iraq when he was handpicked to join a U.S. Navy diving team that recovered victims of the Minneapolis I-35 bridge collapse. "The unit I'm in is Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit Two (MDSU-2) and we specialize in the recovery and salvage of downed aircraft and ships," said Bennett, 26, a U.S. Navy Diver First Class and Eatontown native. He noted that he and the rest of his diving team were sent to Minneapolis at the request of Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty who asked President Bush to send in specialized help. "There were a lot of hazards involved in the recovery and we have the training, equipment and the expertise to work in these types of situations," he said. The bridge collapsed on Aug. 1 and Bennett said his team arrived on the scene Aug. 5. "The devastation was crazy. I'd never seen anything like it and I hope I never will again," he said. "From the reports we had received, the bridge had fallen 60 feet … into the water, but the river is only 20 feet deep, so you could see the top part of the road, and all the vehicles sticking out of the water. "We didn't have very much information going into the collapse. We did a full inspection of the bridge prior to removing any of the victims because there was an overwhelming amount of debris," said Bennett. He noted that he and the rest of the diving team spent the first three days surveying the damage of the fallen bridge because the way it fell left pockets of space where there was a lot of exposed rebar and twisted steel that could easily injure rescuers. "We were working in conjunction with the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office. We did our surveys and watched videos together so we could pinpoint where we would be able to find the unaccounted for victims," he said. "You couldn't see anything from the surface, even with the helmet lights and lights we had above us. We wore harnesses and hardhats when we did this because keeping us stable was also very important for our safety," he said Bennett said that he was in Minneapolis for over two weeks and the team of divers recovered eight victims of the disaster. "We worked 12-hour shifts in two teams of eight men each, and on the 15th day, we found the last victim," he said The bridge collapse was the first salvage and recovery mission Bennett had been on with his command, which has been involved in prior disasters such as TWA Flight 800, the Columbia Space Shuttle and Hurricane Katrina. Bennett currently lives in Virginia Beach, Va., 20 miles from Naval Amphibious Base (NAB) Little Creek. He attended Vetter and Memorial schools and graduated in 1999 from Monmouth Regional High School. "I wanted to join the Navy when I was a junior in high school, but I was still a minor so I just waited until I was 18 to sign up," said Bennett. Bennett said he wanted to have an opportunity to travel and felt the Navy was the best place for him to gain that experience. "I wasn't anticipating being there for a long time, but I really loved what I was doing and I plan to do a full 20 years all together," he said. Bennett had not previously thought of becoming a Navy diver, but when he found out that position was available he volunteered to do that job. He attained the rank of U.S. Navy Diver First Class during his second tour of duty in Iraq. At the Sept. 5 council, Eatontown Mayor Gerald J. Tarantolo paid tribute to Bennett. "Perhaps not many are aware of this, but one of our Eatontown residents played an instrumental role in finding the remaining victims of the bridge collapse in Minnesota. I just wanted to say that we're very proud of him and his dedication," said Tarantolo. Bennett's parents, Gwen and Dale, are equally proud of their son. "We are both very proud of him," said Gwen Bennett. With him being the youngest in our family, he was always with me," she said. "I would sometimes take him with me on first-aid calls and I'm glad for that because it showed him human compassion at a young age," she said. Dale Bennett said that not everybody can do what his son does. "The field he's in is not one that many flock to, and the rank he holds comes with a lot of responsibilities," he said. Brian Bennett said that he was honored to be a part of the recovery mission. "It was something that helped bring these families closure," he said.