Photo By Spc. Christopher Grammer | An intense explosion rocks Udairi Range as the 221st Explosive Ordnance Disposal...... read more read more
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CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait -- The desert air cools as the sun sets over Udairi Range, Kuwait. A brilliant flash bursts into the calm of the evening, spawning a thunderous crack and a shock wave that could knock a man to the ground.
More than 10,000 pounds of explosives consisting of various unserviceable munitions were rigged with more than 5,000 pounds of aerated C-4 to dispose of them. The 221st Ordnance Company, Explosive Ordnance Disposal, disposes of unserviceable munitions, improvised explosive devices and any other ordnance in the Third Army area of operations, said 1st Sgt. James B. Kendrick, 221st EOD.
"Disposing of the ordnance here enables us to get more hands on experience," said Sgt. 1st Class Michael S. Morgan, a Jacksonville, Fla., native, and the response non-commissioned officer for the 221st EOD.
Unserviceable munitions, referred to as Code-H munitions, are any ordnance that are out of date, damaged, or can no longer be guaranteed to function as designed, said Kendrick.
The ordnance can either be shipped back to the U.S. or taken to ranges such as Udairi here in Kuwait for disposal. Shipping ordnance back to the U.S. costs large amounts of money to dispose of a very small amount of ordnance. Ordnance disposal at Udairi Range costs very little and gets rid of large amounts of unexploded ordnance. Disposal of ordnance also provides the opportunity for EOD training, demolition operations training, and training in safety operations, Kendrick said.
Ordnance that is slated for disposal is taken to Udairi range and is arraigned with an M58 Mine Clearing Line Charge. A MICLIC is a long string of satchels each containing 2.5 pounds of aerated C-4 to make a total of 1,750 pounds of C-4 per MICLIC. The MICLIC is then fixed with an electric blasting cap enabling remote detonation of the ordnance.
When handling explosives, safety is the main consideration of the 221st EOD. The net weight of the ordnance is calculated as well as the blast and fragmentation radius, Morgan said. Fragments quickly lose their velocity, however the blast travels a much greater distance. The 221st EOD personnel, stood about a mile away from the explosion, well outside the blast and fragmentation radius.
"The main safety consideration is not to become complacent," Kendrick said. "Complacency is the number one killer."
Ordnance from the Gulf War may still be present at Udairi. The 221st EOD also takes into consideration the possibility of UXO.
The 221st EOD works alongside the Navy, Air Force and, in special cases, the Kuwaiti military while disposing of IEDs and UXO from Iraq. This helps keep the roads clear of hazards and enables safe travel for convoys heading to or from Iraq.
"Sometimes you get self-satisfaction knowing that you got rid of something that could have hurt or killed someone," Morgan said.
Camp Arifjan stores approximately two million pounds of unserviceable ordnance consolidated from all over the Third Army area of responsibility. The continued use of IEDs in Iraq and Afghanistan means that the 221st EOD still has a job to do.
As convoys continue to make their runs to supply troops downrange, the 221st EOD helps keep their passage safe and ensure that the mission gets completed. IEDs and UXO disposed of at Udairi Range could have killed service members in Iraq or resulted in an ambush in Afghanistan. When the 221st completes its mission so do the service members downrange.
| Date Taken: | 08.12.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 08.12.2007 07:27 |
| Story ID: | 11747 |
| Location: | CAMP ARIFJAN, KW |
| Web Views: | 661 |
| Downloads: | 441 |
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