Constant training keeps EOD ready to fight

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jason Burton
  • 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey --  Oct. 7 will be the six-year mark of Operation Enduring Freedom, a significant event in the Global War on Terror.

During this war on terror, one of the terrorists' most successful weapons against American and coalition military forces has been the Improvised Explosive Device.

That's where Explosive Ordnance Disposal comes in. The mission of EOD is to remove the hazard caused by any explosive ordnance or any other dangerous material, such as chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear devices that present a hazard to personnel.

Insurgents are always looking for new ways to harm military personnel, but new ways don't always mean new technology.

"Insurgents have realized that high-tech weapons can be defeated," said Senior Master Sgt. William Eaton, 39th Civil Engineer Squadron EOD flight chief. "Even with more sophisticated weapons, scientists in the United States can come up with countermeasures and find ways to use technology to defeat technology."

Sergeant Eaton said that low-tech weapons like IEDs present a significant challenge and we are constantly looking for effective countermeasures against them.

"We have to be prepared for both high-tech devices and low-tech ones like IEDs," Sergeant Eaton said. "When dealing with IEDs, we have never said, 'ok they are done building that kind of IED, they are moving onto this one.' We always have to keep an open mind and think on our feet. A bomb builder is only limited by their imagination, so we have to keep our imagination open as well."

Due to always having to stay on their toes, the EOD career field stays sharp by accepting the best candidates and requiring continuous training.

When an Airman enters the EOD career field from basic training, they go through a seven-day course designed to sort out the good candidates from the not so good.

"This course is designed to weed out those that might only want to be in this job for an enlistment bonus," Sergeant Eaton said. "(The instructors) make it painfully clear that we risk our lives and we do it in surroundings that aren't always nice."

Sergeant Eaton said this is a good program because if someone is not cut out for EOD it is better to find out early rather than later.

The technical school for EOD is a joint Department of Defense school run by the Navy and located at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. This nine-month school teaches all EOD technicians the basics from IEDs to military ordnance. Each service also has its own specific training that members learn after technical school.

For instance, the Air Force specializes in robotics and uses robotic platforms not used by other services. The Navy is responsible for all underwater ordnance removal.

From technical school to duty stations, EOD members receive constant education with classroom and hands-on training learning the different types of ordnance and how to employ specialized equipment used to dispose of explosives.

Before a deployment, EOD personnel receive a variety of training designed to give them the most up-to-date knowledge available. One of the training courses they attend is the Global Anti-Terrorism and Operational Readiness Course. This training covers the newest information and incorporates lessons learned from the theater.

"They build problems similar to ones experienced in Iraq and Afghanistan and some of the scenarios are only a week or two old," Sergeant Eaton said. "This way, the technician that is getting ready to deploy can experience these new problems in a training environment before going to the deployed area."

EOD personnel must also take Combat Skills Training before they can fill any Army
in-lieu of deployment slots. At CST, they are trained in several combat-related areas such as ground assault convoy tactics, small unit tactics, small arms marksmanship, long rifle marksmanship and combat lifesaver training.

Sergeant Eaton said that with all of the training and deployments, it can get stressful at times.

"Most of the ranks and skill levels have almost a one-to-one dwell ratio where you are home for six months and deployed for six months," he said. "However, it is something that we understand as a fact of life in today's military, especially in a low density, high demand career field like Explosive Ordnance Disposal.

"Explosive Ordnance Disposal is very fast paced and anyone that is in the career field today understands the risks we face," he added.

Because of the fast pace and high stress, EOD personnel are very close and help support each other whether at home station or deployed.

"We are a tight-knit group, basically like a family," said Staff Sgt. Kristoffer Solesbee, 39th CES EOD flight. "We trust each other with our lives ... literally."

With the training received and the close, tight-knit working relationship within the career field, EOD personnel are ready to deploy wherever needed to ensure they protect all servicemembers from many of the deadly devices used by terrorists.