Posted on 02/18/2005 7:31:37 PM PST by ButThreeLeftsDo
Teams Measure Success by Lives Saved Explosive ordnance disposal personnel tackle a dangerous task; the demand for their expertise has increased for both military and civilian operations.
One unit at Logistics Support Area Anaconda has the daunting task of getting up close and personal with the devices designed to kill soldiers. The 716th Ordnance Company is a 19-man unit with elements spread throughout Iraq minimizing the dangers to troops.
“Our primary mission is to ensure the battlefield is safe for the warfighters,” said U.S. Army Master Sgt. John Bobich, explosive ordnance technician. “We go out and clear improvised explosive devices, unexploded ordnance and anything to do with explosives or explosive hazard.”
Despite the tools of the trade - the bomb suit and a robot designed to detonate bombs - the mission is still dangerous.
“The bomb suit is not a cure all for everything,” Bobich said. “If you’re on top of something and it goes, you’re going to die. That’s it; you’re not going to survive it.”
(Excerpt) Read more at defendamerica.mil ...
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