The pool sheik: Army reservist and service technician Jim Stearns leaves his mark on the pools...

Lt. Col. Jim Steams stood poolside at the Palace Compound in Baghdad, Iraq, surveying the ruins. Shrapnel overflowed from the marble-decked pool. Only the equipment room, tucked beneath deck, had survived the shelling. He shook his head. Back home in Texas, black algae was usually the worst

An Army reservist of 24 years, Stearns is the executive officer of the 450th Chemical Battalion, a special unit trained to ferret out biological, chemical and nuclear weapons.

But in civilian life, Steams and his wife, Lisa, own Steams Pools & Spas in Stafford, Texas. He's also a co-founder of the Independent Pool & Spa Service Association's Houston Chapter, and a member of the NSPI Service Council.

Ironically, it was his pool industry background that led him to the 450th in the first place. Many of the same chemicals that treat pool water are used by the Army to decontaminate victims of chemical and biological warfare.

"It was just a matter of time," Stearns said, "before the military put me to work on pools."

After being called up for active duty in February 2003, Stearns was stationed at Camp Slayer in Baghdad, where his unit's orders were to search for weapons of mass destruction as part of the Iraq Survey Group headed by former U.N. Weapons Inspector David Kay.

Soon, the weapons hunt slowed down. The Army asked Steams to put his pool expertise to use and supervise the rebuilding of some of Saddam Hussein's personal swimming pools, which had been damaged in the shelling, so the troops might enjoy them. The role has earned Steams the nickname "the pool sheik."

"We got test strips from the preventive medical officer so we could check chemical levels," he said. "And I [had to] negotiate with some of the Iraqi locals to get us stabilizer, muriatic acid and an assortment of pool maintenance items."

Fortunately, several U.S. pool product companies, such as AquaChek and Zodiac, sent supplies to Steams' unit. But Steams knows more contributions will be needed.

Barring any unforeseen delays, he and his unit are expected to return home to the states sometime around April. Bur before he goes, Steams will have certainly left his mark on the war-tom city.

"Stearns Pools & Spas inc. has officially opened a branch office in Baghdad," he joked.