Photo By Sgt. Chris Stephens | Two Soldiers with the 202nd Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company, 201st Regional...... read more read more
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FORT GORDON, Ga. — If you want to know what an explosive ordnance disposal technician does, all you need to do is watch “The Hurt Locker” right?
For members of the 202nd Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company, 201st Regional Support Group, Georgia Army National Guard, that line of thought is something many members of the unit have heard before. Although there are some aspects of the movie that remain true, most of the procedural stuff can be considered incorrect in the eyes of a real EOD technician.
“You wouldn’t do that cowboy stuff like you see in the movie,” said Staff Sgt. Bryan Hood, team leader. “We air on the side of safety all of the time and a lot of the procedures that happened in the movie isn’t what really happens.”
Hood said the use of bomb suits and robots were among the accuracies in the movie, but things like going off base by yourself or dismantling a bomb in the middle of the street without a support team is something that doesn’t happen.
Even with the accuracies, 50 percent according to Hood, there is so much more to being an EOD technician.
With an attrition rate of nearly two-thirds of every class, EOD school is by no means easy.
Broken up into two phases, the school is meant to give Solders the basics of what they will be dealing with as an EOD technician.
The first phase lasts eight weeks at Fort Lee, Virginia, with the bare basics being taught. From basic demolition procedures to the different types of explosives used, Soldiers are given first-hand knowledge of what they will deal with overseas and stateside.
After completing the phase at Fort Lee, students move on to Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, for the final seven-plus months of training. There, the students get more in depth training, learning the terminology, explosives and explosive effects, proper demolition procedures, ground ordnance, air-dropped ordnance, improvised-explosive devices, and chemical and biological agents.
“There is a lot to the training and it’s very intensive,” Hood said. “That’s why there is such a high attrition rate. You have to be able to pass your tests, and take what you’ve learned in the classroom and apply it in the field.”
For Spc. Jose Hernandez, who has been with the 202nd EOD Company since January, preparing for school is something he’s been doing. With a school date set for August, Hernandez has spent a lot of time learning from the noncommissioned officers in his unit about what to expect in school.
“I’m a little nervous (about going there) after seeing some guys come back having not passed,” Hernandez said. “The failure rate is high, so I know I have to go there to learn and absorb all that I’m being taught.”
Hernandez said becoming an EOD technician was something he wanted to do after he had a friend go through the school. After transferring to the 202nd EOD Company, Hernandez said he noticed a huge change from his last unit.
“At my last unit, everyone didn’t enjoy his or her job,” he said. “Here, everyone enjoys being an EOD technician. You can tell they have a lot of fun doing it.”
When and if Hernandez graduates from school, Hood and the other NCOs of his company will welcome him back and prepare him to eventually be a team leader.
“We have them be team members and learn for a year or two after they graduate school,” Hood said. “Then, we put them through the process of being a team leader. We expect a lot out of these Soldiers when they get back from school. There, they are just getting a foundation. Here, we are going to teach them a lot more and prepare them to do the job should we be deployed.”
Hood said he gets asked a lot about his nerves when it comes to dismantling an explosive.
“I feel better knowing that I’m relying on my training,” he said. “As long as I keep up with my knowledge and learn how the enemy is changing, I’ll feel confident.
“The biggest thing with this job is that there is always something new. The enemy is adapting and changing, and we have to do the same. They’re a lot smarter than we give them credit for. As long as we prepare ourselves, we can continue to be successful.”
| Date Taken: | 07.12.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 07.14.2014 10:41 |
| Story ID: | 135999 |
| Location: | GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 2,676 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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