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FOB DELTA — Kazakhstani Soldiers conducted a three-day course here in basic explosives handling and safe demolition techniques for 10 Iraqi Army Soldiers, Sept. 22 - 25. “It’s a good chance for us to share our experience with them,” said Azat Mukhamadiev, liaison officer for the Kazakhstani contingent. “Our officers are graduates of military academies and have extensive experience in practical exercises and training our troops.” The training consisted of two days of classroom exercises, followed by a controlled detonation conducted by the Iraqi and Kazakhstani Soldiers. “We taught procedures for finding and destroying unexploded ordnance, as well as the...

Soldiers with the 10th Mountain Division's Sapper Platoon observe members of the Iraqi Army as they learn to operate the military anti-mine vehicle, the Buffalo. Photo by Spc. Jason Jordan, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Public Affairs. KIRKUK — Soldiers with the 10th Mountain Division’s Sapper Platoon recently conducted the ‘The Iron Claw Academy’; where members of the Iraqi Army (IA) were trained by in a series of ‘left seat-right seat’ exercises that taught the IA how to conduct route clearance operations to make local roads secure for travel. “Iraqi security forces have been doing a phenomenal job...

Two EOD Soldiers inspect a recently assembled Talon Robot. The Talon is but one piece of technology used to mitigate IED and other explosive threats. Photo by Pvt. Alisha Nye, 14th Public Affairs Detachment. COB SPEICHER — Improvised explosive devices (IED) are one of the greatest risks to troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Proper handling and disposal of IED is essential for the military, and why all branches work together to safely mitigate this threat.The 184th Ordnance Battalion, Task Force Troy-North, does just that. The battalion contains six explosive ordnance disposal companies, including two Navy and two Air Force...

The life of Sgt. 1st Class L. David Ezell can be summarized by his last moment on Earth. Unafraid, the man nicknamed "Easy" by his Army comrades waded into a pile of garbage to disarm a bomb April 30 in a Baghdad neighborhood. He knew the bomb could kill him, but his goal was to save the lives of the Iraqis the homemade device could have slaughtered. Something went wrong on the delicate job. The bomb detonated and Ezell died. But hundreds of times before, with the same calm demeanor, Ezell won his fight with insurgent explosives in Iraq and...

His hearing isn’t as keen as it once was, and arthritis in his lower back is chronic. He’s not an old man, just a 38-year-old U.S. Marine who tussled with death and won. Marine Corps Master Sgt. Michael Burghardt of Fountain Valley, Calif., says it took him a long time to recover emotionally from surviving a roadside bomb in Iraq in September 2005. An explosives ordnance disposal expert, Burghardt was 12 inches from the blast. Instead of counting his blessings that the shrapnel studded flat against his body instead of tearing through it, Burghardt was wracked by guilt. The attention...

Having served in both Iraq and Afghanistan I think Obama's out of hand dismissal of McCain's proposal that he visit the two countries is patently and pathetically cowardly. To me it stands in stark contrast to Senator McCain's willingness to visit Iraq (8 times) as well as President Bush's willingness to do the same.  Much is made of the security involved in such visits as well as their often secretive nature, but I don't recall hearing anyone point out a very key factor. Just flying into Iraq or Afghanistan is a risk thanks to the presence of man-portable Surface to...

WHIDBEY ISLAND NAVAL AIR STATION -- Six brass plaques with the names of six fallen sailors face visitors entering the headquarters building. They are unusual in the way they were created -- by detonating a thin sheet of explosive over a plastic template, imprinting the names and design on the brass. The only sailors who make them are explosive ordnance technicians. This is the headquarters of the Navy's Explosive Ordnance Detachment Mobil Unit 11, more simply called the EOD. The six were fellow bomb disposers, all killed in Iraq. This highly select, perpetually tested band of 160 sailors are known...

An explosive ordnance disposal team conducts a controlled detonation on munitions recovered by Soldiers of Battery B, 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division and 5th Battalion, 25th Brigade, 6th IA Division, April 2, in Kutimiyah, Iraq. Photo by Sgt. Luis Delgadillo, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs. FOB KALSU — In the early morning of April 2, Iraqi Army (IA) Soldiers with 5th Battalion, 25th Brigade, 6th IA Division, questioned a suspected insurgent who said he knew the location of buried weapons. "For the past couple of weeks the IA had...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU — Coalition forces, residents of Maderiyah and a team of Iraqi Army Soldiers helped clear five improvised explosive devices from roads north of Joint Security Site W-1 March 29. During the mission, Soldiers of Battery B, 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, a route clearance team and an explosive ordnance disposal team successfully cleared a vital road for residents of Maderiyah and Kutimiyah. First Lt. Samuel Scott Gilstrap, executive officer of Battery B, said when Coalition forces arrived in the area, the road was impassable and the bridge which existed...

YUMA — A Marine who disarmed a huge truck bomb outside a bombmaking factory in Iraq last year has been awarded the Bronze Star medal.

Why you should leave EOD to the experts. Why you should leave EOD to the experts. Filmed by an Apache aircrew at a safe distance.

2/11/2008 - KAPISA PROVINCE, Afghanistan (AFPN) -- Airmen from the explosive ordnance disposal, 755th Air Expeditionary Group, assisted Kohistan II district Afghanistan National Police with unexploded ordnance disposal Feb. 2. "The police chief requested our assistance with removing the UXOs during our last visit," said Tech. Sgt. Francis Warren, Bagram Provincial Reconstruction Team Police Technical Advisory Team noncommissioned officer in charge. Sergeant Warren took action and contacted EOD for assistance. Tech. Sgt. Steven Nidzgorski, an EOD team leader, said UXO's and landmines pose a serious threat for locals and military personnel throughout Afghanistan. In the last six months, Sergeant Nidzgorski's...

ALTAQADDUM, Iraq (Jan. 26, 2008) -- It was 11:30 a.m. on March 29, 2003. Three U.S. Army soldiers with the 3rd Infantry Division were operating a checkpoint on Iraq’s Highway 9 in Najaf when an orange and white taxicab pulled over to the shoulder of the road to be searched. The soldiers went through the normal procedures. No one would ever know if they noticed something strange about the driver, only that he would detonate 100 pounds of C-4 explosive in his trunk, killing himself, the soldiers and a passing bicyclist. The explosion would become a milestone in modern warfare...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 28, 2007 – Following the philosophy that recovering from an injury is easier with family nearby, a Virginia group is helping to make that possible for wounded explosive ordnance disposal technicians from any branch of service. “Wounded EOD Warrior Foundation is dedicated to helping our wounded explosive ordnance disposal technicians and their families in their greatest time of need,” said Sherri Beck, foundation president. “We are hoping to relieve some of the financial stress involved when a loved one is injured, (and) we also believe that having family present is an integral part of the healing process.”...

MAZAR-E-SHARIF, Afghanistan, Dec. 7, 2007 – Nearly 40 Afghan soldiers and policemen have completed the first of five training phases to learn of to safely handle unexploded ordnance. Kris A. Anderson, a counter improvised explosive devise advisor with Ronco Consulting assigned to the International Security Assistance Force in Kabul, Afghanistan, points out a mine in a dirt road counter-IED course in Gardez. Photo by Staff Sgt. Luis P. Valdespino Jr., USMC  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. In the first months of training, they have learned basic de-mining procedures, unexploded ordnance recognition, basic first aid and minefield casualty evacuation....

Fort Lewis, Wash., native Spc. Dennis Speek, explosive ordnance disposal technician, 789th Ordnance Company (EOD), explains how EOD personnel use the robot known as the “Talon” to handle explosives by remote control while standing in front of the Joint Explosive Ordnance Disposal Rapid Response Vehicle (JERRV) at Forward Operating Base Hammer, Sept. 18. The JERRV is similar to the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles that are being phased into service replacing the Humvee. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Tony Lindback. FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER — Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technicians have seen a change in the enemy’s tactics, techniques...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE LOYALTY — When Soldiers from Company A, Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, based out of Colorado Springs, Colo., needed a third Husky driver, one of the most critical jobs for clearing the streets of Baghdad, they used the old fail-safe method to determine the next operator: rock, paper and scissors. Despite the stiff competition, Sgt. Nicholas Denning overcame the odds and won the job. While it may sound like a joke, Company A has so many qualified Soldiers to do the job, since so many are on equal footing. But make...

FOB KALSU — They are small and lightweight, yet their tiny bodies can carry a great burden. The PackBot and Talon robots, industrial robots designed by the iRobot Co., are tactical mobile robots used by the military for search, reconnaissance and bomb-disposal missions. "Robots give us the ability to do procedures on improvised explosive devices without risking Soldiers," said.1st Sgt Dean Smith, 705th Ordnance Company, Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit. "They are tools we use to save lives – ours and others." While the robots on today's battlefield might be a long way from the Terminator, RoboCop or C3PO of science...

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Local Afghan civilians reported the location of a munitions cache found in the Jaji district of Paktya province May 5 to Afghan National Police and Coalition forces operating in the province. The recovered cache consisted of an assortment of 75 mm recoilless rounds, 107 mm rockets, land mines, hand grenades, and cases of anti-aircraft and heavy machine gun ammunition. Elsewhere, just north in Nangarhar province, 32 munitions caches have been reported and recovered during the past five weeks to Afghan National Security Forces and Coalition Soldiers operating in the Jalalabad area. Afghan civilians in Nangarhar have...

JALALABAD AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, May 7, 2007 — Most people spend the last few moments of their work day cleaning up their desk and organizing their materials in preparation for the next day with one foot out the door. One company of dedicated engineers in Nangarhar Province, however, is working well after its expected punch-out date. The engineers are even exposing themselves to danger in a manner that exemplifies the Army’s values and all the while keeping their composure. Due to the mission at hand, the soldiers of Alpha Company, 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, Task Force Spartan are patrolling and...

International Team Trains Humanitarian De-miners Afghan National Army soldiers to graduate April 23. By Air Force Staff Sgt. Oshawn Jefferson American Forces Network – Afghanistan BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, April 18, 2007 — International Security Assistance Force soldiers empowered Afghans with taking care of their own security by training humanitarian de-mining teams here. "This training is a step forward to making a safer Afghanistan," Army Capt. Chris Nuckols, 207th Regional Security Assistance Command embedded tactical team. “This training is a step forward to making a safer Afghanistan,� said Army Capt. Chris Nuckols, 207th Regional Security Assistance Command embedded tactical team....

/11/2007 - BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AFNEWS) -- Airmen assigned to the 332nd Civil Engineer Squadron's Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight have a dangerous mission that keeps fellow coalition forces safe. It takes nerves of steel and a steady hand to do the work these Airmen do. After all, getting anywhere near an improvised explosive isn't something most people want to do. Airmen from the EOD flight put their extensive combat training and experience to the test every day in support Operation Iraqi Freedom. When they are not on a mission, they keep busy maintaining their equipment, vehicles and robots for...

CAMP ELLIS — Explosive Ordnance Disposal Marines attached to the California-based Battalion Landing Team 2nd Marines, 4th Marine Regiment have supported current operations in the Barwanah area by disposing of weapons and explosives found in caches throughout the area. To date, EOD has disposed of more than 2,000-plus pounds of weapons and explosives since operations began here in late November. According to Gunnery Sgt. Aaron M. Salyi, EOD chief from Combat Logistics Battalion 15 attached to BLT 2/4, the weeks in Barwanah have not slowed much since the beginning of operations. Though the weapons caches have become smaller due to...

Members of a Bosnian and Herzegovina explosive ordnance disposal unit move an unexploded ordnance Feb. 28 while on a mission to destroy a stash of Iraqi artillery in Asal Belly, east of Camp Echo, in Ad Diwaniyah, Iraq. U.S. Army Courtesy photo Bosnian EOD Unit Takes Action in Iraq Team destroys more than 6,000 pieces of unexploded ordnance with overall weight of 14 tons. By Multi-National Corps, Iraq Public Affairs Office CAMP ECHO, Iraq, March 1, 2007 -- In Asal Belly, east of Camp Echo, in Ad Diwaniyah, was a stash of Iraqi artillery placed during the last war....

1/31/2007 - LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. (AFNEWS) -- Two explosive ordnance disposal Airmen from the 314th Civil Engineer Squadron received combat medals for their actions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom Jan. 30 in a ceremony here. Staff Sgt. Lawrence Lipinski was awarded the Bronze Star and Staff Sgt. Matthew Patnaude received his second Purple Heart for their actions while deployed with the Army's 101st Airborne at Kirkuk Air Base, Iraq. "They define the wingman concept; meeting the objective under the worst of circumstances," said Brig. Gen. Kip L. Self, the 314th Airlift Wing commander who presented the...

Pfc. Jason Ferris, a gunner for 1st Platoon, Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 7th Field Artillery, 2ndBrigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, pulls security in the turret for his platoon during a mission in Baghdad Nov.26. Photo by Pfc. Shea Butler, 7th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.CAMP LIBERTY -- A group of Soldiers stand in line for lunch as they jokingly make fun of one another, like good friends do, until they get a call on the radio - ‘An improvised explosive device has been found.’ Before the voice in the radio can finish, the Soldiers take off in a sprint toward...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1, 2006 – Iraqi soldiers today captured a person suspected of complicity in recent murders and kidnappings during a raid in northeastern Baghdad, while another Iraqi operation conducted yesterday near Mahmudiyah netted two suspected terrorists, according to Multinational Corps Iraq news releases. The person caught in today’s Iraqi military operation is believed to be involved with illegal militias and improvised explosive bomb attacks against civilians, officials said. The raid was conducted in conjunction with Operation Together Forward, officials said, with the goal of catching criminals inciting sectarian violence, denying them safe havens and providing for a safe and...

Saturday, 05 August 2006 Marine Sgt. Bryan E. Carter, a 23-year-old native of Pleasant Hill, Iowa, gives a class on improvised explosive devices for Marines traveling on the dangerous roads of Iraq, July 29. Story and photo by Cpl. Daniel J. Redding1st Marine Logistics Group CAMP HABBANIYAH -- Jenny is dead, another casualty in the struggle to stabilize Iraq. A robot used in counter-insurgency missions throughout the restive Al Anbar province, “Jenny,” met her fate aiding a team of Marine explosive ordnance disposal technicians trying to disarm a deadly improvised explosive device. These four men calmly and willingly put...

An inside look at the Pentagon's inadequate response to the IED threat in Iraq. "Between the increase in armor and the changes in tactics, techniques and procedures that we've employed, the number of attacks . . . that have been effective has gone down, and the number of casualties per effective attack has gone down." --General Peter Pace Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff November 2005 GENERAL PETER PACE issued that statement last November in response to an inquiry about the Pentagon's efforts to combat the threat of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Iraq. What General Pace did not...

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Broken down into its separate components, one of the booby-trap explosives awaiting disposal at a Canadian military camp in Kandahar resembles a pile of rusting metal, crude wiring and assorted bits and pieces. But assembled, the collection of old artillery shells, fuses and wires could wreak havoc among Afghan civilians, as well as coalition troops. In the past few months, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and car bombers have taken the lives of four Canadian soldiers, a Canadian diplomat and scores of Afghan citizens. Every time Cpl. Michael's radio tells him a suspected booby-trap bomb has been uncovered...

4/27/2006 - SATHER AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- One might think explosive ordnance disposal troops are adrenalin junkies. But they are meticulous about their work and don’t take unnecessary risks. However, because they deal with explosives placed by the enemy, the risk is real. “We all know the consequences,” said Tech. Sgt. William Sistler, a 447th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron EOD team chief. “But we don’t think about it.” Since January, the EOD Airmen here responded more than 340 times in an area of responsibility covering 500 square miles. Even though they face the chance of injury or death every...

4/5/2006 - BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan (AFPN) -- Airmen destroyed a large Russian bomb here March 30. A 1,100-pound Russian penetrating bomb containing 167 pounds of explosives was recently found 200 feet from the runway by workers clearing mines around the airfield. “We blow UXOs in place when it is the safest option for the explosive ordnance disposal team,” said Staff Sgt. Kenneth Roads, a 755th Expeditionary Mission Support Group explosive ordnance disposal craftsman. “Due to the location of the Russian UXO, we took protective measures like … trenching and dirt-mounding to safeguard the runway from being damaged,” said Senior...

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WASHINGTON, March 12, 2006 – U.S. soldiers discovered four weapons caches in a four-day period in areas outside of Baghdad, officials said. Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, discovered a weapons cache March 8 near the Euphrates River, south of Baghdad. Army Pfc. Jason Chambers, of B Company, was occupying an observation post when he noticed something out of place in the distance. After carefully inspecting the area, he and another soldier discovered the cache, consisting of roadside bomb-making materials. Chambers and the soldier moved away a safe distance, notified their...

2/23/2006 - HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. (AFPN) -- Explosive ordnance disposal Airmen with the 16th Civil Engineer Squadron destroyed a World War II-era explosive device found in Pensacola. The 100-pound photo-flash bomb, common to the World War II or Korean War period, was found by construction workers Feb. 14 clearing storm debris in the waters of Santa Rosa Sound on Pensacola Beach. When they found the rubble, they dug it up with a backhoe. But, when they realized they found unexploded ordnance, the workers dropped the bomb onto the sand and notified the state fire marshal, who in turn requested military...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 22, 2006 – A Latvian soldier and Iraqi civilians were injured in Iraq in separate incidents and Iraqi security forces found a bomb in Fallujah, U.S. military officials reported. The Latvian guard was injured by small-arms fire today in al Kut when unidentified gunmen fired at an observation post in the Multinational Division Central South area of responsibility. The guards returned fire. The wounded soldier was transported to a military medical facility, where his condition is stable. Five Iraqi citizens were injured Jan. 19 when their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device near Forward Operating Base Summerall in...

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Darin Wittnebel Marine Sweeps for IEDs in Haqlaniyah Cpl. Adam C. Schnell 2nd Marine Division HAQLANIYAH, Iraq, Dec. 29, 2005 — In the town of Haqlaniyah, the “Raiders� of Company I, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, continue to patrol the streets every day, keeping the area safe from the ongoing insurgency. Lance Cpl. Darin J. Wittnebel, a native of Oconomowoc, Wis., goes on many of these patrols. He has a very important duty that helps him keep the “Raider Nation� safe from improvised explosive devices and find abandoned weapons caches. He carries the PSS-12...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 28, 2005 – Task Force Band of Brothers soldiers disrupted two terrorist bombing operations yesterday in Baqubah, a city about 20 miles north of Baghdad, killing two terrorists and detaining another at a new checkpoint, U.S. military officials in Baghdad reported. Just before noon, soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team stopped a suspicious car and detained the driver after discovering the vehicle was being prepared as a car bomb. An explosives ordnance disposal team found no explosives, but the car was laced with wiring used to detonate explosives. Later, soldiers fired at a second...

AL ASAD, Iraq (Dec. 1, 2005) -- In the air Wing, combat engineers don’t normally work a great deal with explosives. But, in Marine Wing Support Squadron 272, a detachment of combat engineers is working with the Untouchables’ explosive ordnance disposal Marines to change that. “Basically what we do is search for mines with a two-man sweep team (using metal detectors),” said Staff Sgt. Desmond E. Washington, the staff noncommissioned officer-in-charge of the mine clearing detachment. If they find one, they destroy it in a safe way that eliminates the possibility of civilian casualties. If they encounter an IED, the...

10/19/2005 - BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan -- Airmen and Soldiers joined forces at a former Soviet munitions dump near here to transport and destroy three 5,000-pound rockets. If not destroyed, the rockets could have posed a threat to U.S. and coalition forces serving here as part of the ongoing global war on terrorism, officials said. Lessons learned from the joint operation will help validate explosive ordnance disposal procedures and improve information available to EOD technicians throughout the Department of Defense. “After more than two months of planning, we teamed up with the Army EOD, vehicle maintenance and ammo Soldiers to...

KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 29, 2005 — The Afghan National Army recently put their training to use as they successfully conducted the first ANA-led demining operation in Afghanistan. The mission highlighted not only the expanding military capabilities of the ANA, but the government's commitment to achieve a mine-free Afghanistan for future generations. With the approval of the Afghan Ministry of Defense, the ANA leadership took charge and organized two days of real-world demining operations at the Area Military Depot of Pol-e-Charkhi. HALO Trust, a British-based non-governmental organization dedicated to humanitarian mine clearing, identified the area as containing mines. "Getting the soldiers...

CAMP STRIKER, Iraq — When the call comes in for the 447th Explosive Ordnance Disposal team, the bomb squad Soldiers are not the only ones heading for the door. The 48th Brigade Combat Team’s Military Police platoon follows on EOD’s heels to ensure the team has a safe environment in which to work. These two units have developed a strong bond and excellent working relationship in the six weeks they have been together. They have completed more than 115 missions together, of which more than 90 percent have been the real deal: live ordnance. On one recent mission, the units...

"Peace at any price" purveyors are going gaga over the new FX Channel series "depicting" the Iraq war, "Over There," produced by Steven Bochco of Hill Street Blues fame. "Wow! Anybody else watch Over There last night?" gushed a writer for the heavily-read antiwar blogsite, Daily Kos. "Within a few minutes . . . it was obvious that Iraq was Vietnam all over again." How a fictional show shot in La La Land could make anything about Iraq policy "obvious" is hard to fathom. But the series does tout its realism, as have some reviewers who've never gotten closer to...

Explosives unit headed back into Iraqi fray By ERICA WALSH About 20 Fort Knox soldiers are on their way to Iraq, some for a second time in two years. The 703rd Explosive Ordnance Disposal Detachment from Fort Knox left for Iraq on Saturday morning, family members said. This is the second deployment for the Fort Knox detachment, which spent September 2003 to March 2004 in Iraq. The unit is responsible for finding, recovering and disposing of explosive devices. About half of the group that left for Iraq Saturday also deployed to the country during the unit's first trip. The soldiers...

Soldiers work to ensure roads are safe for convoys, civilians. TIKRIT, Iraq, July 8, 2005 — The improvised explosive device, or IED, is the greatest casualty producer in Iraq, and the three-letter acronym has found its place in the military vocabulary. Department of Defense statistics show that IEDs have killed almost 20 percent of service members in Iraq and wounded many more. The official figure does not show the numbers of innocent civilians who were killed or wounded by these crude devices. “You are always going to be scared … and I have been. But I have a lot of...

Hundreds of thousands of rusty munitions leftovers from the Iran-Iraq war are scattered across the green fields and gentle hills of the two countries' common border. Long ignored, they are now being harvested by insurgents who recycle them into crude but highly deadly bombs to use against U.S. and Iraqi troops. Saddam-era ordnance, repackaged as roadside bombs or bundled together to use in car bomb attacks, has been the leading killer of U.S. soldiers in Iraq. Concerned about the growing trend, the military is paying Iraqis thousands of dollars for information about weapons caches.... The military has allocated hundreds of...

01 Call Missed LGF reader reaganite forwarded a picture worth an awful lot of words, with the following explanation: The last two weeks have been pretty rough on EOD techs (three dead, one severely wounded). Today was a good day. The EOD team leader didn’t know it was an IED. He was just going to do a BIP (Blow in Place) of ordnance. He returned after the explosion to do a post blast investigation and discovered what is in the picture. Somebody loves EOD techs...

Blowing stuff up for safety’s sake BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan -- Airman 1st Class Christopher, whose last name is omitted for security reasons, places C-4 on unexploded ordnance. He is an explosive ordnance disposal technician with the 455th Civil Engineer Flight here. Airman Christopher is deployed from Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jennifer Lindsey) Download HiRes by Staff Sgt. Jennifer Lindsey455th Expeditionary Operations Group Public Affairs10/12/2004 - BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan (AFPN) -- Most people use tools to fix things, but the 455th Civil Engineer Flight’s explosive ordnance disposal team here uses...

After hearing what Bush said today about getting to the issues such as the war on terror just got me thinking. As most of you know, I was in bomb disposal during the 60's and 70's both in the States and overseas. While in the States, we got countless IED's or homemade bombs from such groups as the VVAW, SDS, Black Panthers, Weathermen, etc. By today's standards, all of these groups would be considered terrorist. John Kerry was a high ranking member of the VVAW. So when we think of terrorist, the SOB was one. Your comments please.

Leesburg man killed in Iraq just shy of his 30th birthday 07/22/04 By JOHN HUETTER Daily Commercial Staff Writer Email this story to a friend Staff photo by Christian Fuchs Memorial candles burn in the home of the parents of U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Michael J. Clark. Clark was killed in Iraq’s Anbar province on Tuesday. LEESBURG Marine Gunnery Sgt. Michael J. Clark’s two wishes in life were to make master gunnery sergeant and “always be there for his family,” according to his brother. He will never achieve these goals. The Leesburg man was killed in Iraq on Tuesday —...