Military Officer - July 2006 - (Page 59) port the Secret Service and State Department when VIPs such as the president and vice president travel, a gig that requires top secret clearance. Similar protection also is provided to all presidential candidates during an election year. What type of person would sign up for a job as dangerous as EOD? “We’re looking for smart, independent thinkers,” says Plemmons. “One might look at this job and think it requires a cowboy mentality, but that’s not the case. An individual must be pretty stable to do this job. Bomb techs must have confidence without being cocky, and they must also be great problem solvers.” “Bomb techs must also like a challenge,” adds Clifford. “Someone who is easily intimidated by a situation or who gets overwhelmed by complexity wouldn’t do well.” Sgt. Andrew Livingston, a bomb tech with the 704th EOD, is a recent graduate of EOD school who was deployed to Iraq just a month after completion. He started training at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama, where he learned EOD terminology, basic demolition, reconnaissance, and other skills. From there, he was sent to Eglin AFB, Fla., where he learned everything from the tools of the trade to the remarkably diverse types of ordnance, including IEDs. He also received special biological and chemical training. “The pace is a lot faster at Eglin, much more intense,” Livingston notes. “They expect a lot out of you in a short amount of time. You’re thrown tons of information one day, and the next day you’re expected to perform. Very few make it through without failing a phase and having to go back through the training.” The requirements for entry into EOD training are strict. Applicants must score 105 or higher on the general mechanical category, be physically fit, and be free of color blindness. PHOTO: JOURNALIST 2ND CLASS ELTON SHAW, USN To test physical fitness, applicants must perform a variety of tasks while wearing a 70-pound Kevlar bomb suit. “It’s physically demanding, and after a while it becomes mentally demanding,” recalls Livingston, who spent 90 minutes in the suit to prove his fitness. “You have a face shield just inches from [CONTINUES ON PAGE 74] In this training exercise, a U.S. Navy EOD student disposes of a mock IED while assisted by another team member. Operations are simulated and servicemembers are ready — fully dressed in bomb suit gear — for a real insight into what they could experience once they become part of the EOD team. J U LY 2 0 0 6 MILITARY OFFICER 61
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