Military Officer - July 2006 - (Page 56) A 10-vehicle caravan to a halt and calls back to base. Ten minutes later, an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team arrives on the scene. The area around the convoy already has been secured and several soldiers stand sentry, scanning nearby dunes for secondary threats 58 MILITARY OFFICER J U LY 2 0 0 6 U.S. convoy carrying supplies bound for Mosul is just six miles outside of Baghdad when the lead driver spots a suspicious car on the side of the road about 200 meters ahead. Is it just another abandoned vehicle — or something more sinister? The driver has seen the aftermath of enough car bombs to know not to risk it, so he brings the such as snipers. Three bomb techs discuss the situation for a moment, then the team leader opts for the easiest solution to a problem like this — blow it up where it lies. A remote-controlled robot is unloaded from a truck and guided toward the abandoned car, where it deposits a hefty package of C-4 explosives. Once the robot has safely returned, the EOD team leader presses the ignition switch on a handheld remote, and the C-4 goes boom. Almost simultaneously, a second explosion rocks the area. As suspected, insurgents had placed a bomb in the car’s trunk. Explosive ordnance disposal is perhaps the most dangerous MOS in the military — as of this writing, 12 Army EOD soldiers have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, 10 of them by improvised explosive devices (IEDs). However, the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps personnel who volunteer for EOD tend not to dwell on the danger that is inherent in their calling. To them, ordnance disposal is an interesting and often exciting job that saves many lives. Because of the high risk involved with EOD, all bomb techs are volunteers. Training is physically and mentally challenging, and not everyone who applies graduates. “EOD is PHOTO: ALI JASIM/CORBIS
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