Photo By Ryan Morton | Staff Sgt. Stephen Hurst, from Oakton, Va. and a member of the 203rd Military...... read more read more
Soldiers from the 203rd Military Intelligence Battalion, Detachment 25 will soon deploy from Army Support Activity-Dix to Iraq to help defeat the number one killer of troops and citizens in the country, improvised explosivesd devices.
"We'll work with [explosive ordinance disposal teams] and look at the technical aspect of how the IED is built. We're responsible for collecting forensic evidence and intelligence on pre- and post-blast IED areas," said 203rd MI Bn., Det. 25 sergeant major, Command Sgt. Maj. Thomas Salas, from Noblesville, Ind.
"We'll process the information up the chain of command and they'll determine what tactics and procedures need to be done to counter the IEDs to help the Soldiers do their jobs and save lives," he said.
EOD s, which are are known by many people as "bomb squads," are organizations that perform the dangerous jobs of explosives disposal using various technologies including robots to diffuse the devices. According to Salas, the 203rd MI Bn., Det. 25 will work hand-in-hand with various EOD units in Iraq looking for certain indicators and identifiers insurgents could be using to make the IEDs.
Salas said the Soldiers in his unit keep three things in mind when it comes to IED recognition: get away, secure the area, and call EOD.
"It helps to know the technical aspects because it assists the higher commands in developing plans to help protect Soldiers, whether they're on convoy or foot patrol," he said.
Salas feels that the findings his Soldiers will potentially uncover in combat can help protect current and future Soldiers because they'll be able to focus on the trends that the insurgents might use in the placement of IEDs. The information his troops gather can be used for future IED defeat or recognition training for mobilizing Soldiers.
This unit, an Army Reserve organization from Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., has been at ASA-Dix since late-March conducting training exercises including weapons qualification, land navigation, first aid, convoy operations, and various IED recognition and defeat exercises to prepare for its upcoming mission.
"The Soldiers are reacting to the training very well. A lot of it's repetitive training and sometimes they don't like it, but it's good because it helps build that mental muscle memory. Whether you're doing [individual movement technique] or IED exploitation exercises, you get used to it and don't have to question what you do next. You just do it," said Salas.
Salas feels that his group of 50 Soldiers comprised of Military Police, MI, and Infantry Soldiers from various locations across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, will do very well with their assigned tasking.
"This is a small very specialized group. I feel very honored to work with them. They're a great bunch of troops and are very tight. They will fight for each other and protect one another," he said.
"Every unit is elite no matter what they do, but seeing that these guys are able to help save lives in the near and far future is a good feeling," said Salas.
This organization is scheduled to train at ASA-Dix until mid-May when they will deploy to Iraq to perform their slated mission.
| Date Taken: | 04.27.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 04.27.2010 10:52 |
| Story ID: | 48758 |
| Location: | FORT DIX, NEW JERSEY, US |
| Web Views: | 535 |
| Downloads: | 410 |
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