Courtesy Photo | 1st Lt. Jack Bordes (center), a U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal officer and the...... read more read more
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FORT LIBERTY, N.C. – A U.S. Army Ranger-qualified Explosive Ordnance Disposal officer recently added a Sapper tab to his uniform.
1st Lt. Jack Bordes, the executive officer for the Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment of the 192nd Ordnance Battalion (EOD), graduated from the elite Sapper Leader Course on Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.
In addition to enabling combat operations and serving with 82nd Airborne Division on the Immediate Response Force, the 192nd Ordnance Battalion (EOD) supports civil authorities from east of the Mississippi River and north from South Carolina to Maine.
The Fort Liberty, North Carolina-based 192nd EOD Battalion “Renegades” are part of the 52nd EOD Group and 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command, the U.S. military’s premier multifunctional and deployable CBRNE formation.
Soldiers and Army civilians from the 20th CBRNE Command deploy from 19 bases in 16 states to confront and defeat the world’s most dangerous hazards in support of joint, interagency and multinational operations.
Bordes previously graduated from Army Ranger School on Fort Moore, Georgia. Bordes was inspired to attend the Sapper Leader Course by 1st Lt. Tyler L. Wetzel, a U.S. Army Combat Engineer officer and platoon leader in the Fort Liberty, North Carolina-based 57th Sapper Company (Airborne) “Rough Terrain.” Bordes and Wetzel attended the 82nd Airborne Division pre-Army Ranger course (SURT) together.
“We graduated SURT together, and luckily, we were placed into the same squad at Ranger School. He was my go-to-guy for when things got tough, and we have remained friends since,” said Bordes. “He planted the seed in my head to attend Sapper School, saying that it is a great leadership school due to its challenges.”
Designed for Army combat engineers, the Sapper Leader Course is focused on troop leading procedures, demolitions and mountaineering operations.
In addition to the tough training schedule, Bordes said the biggest challenge of the Sapper School was the cold weather on Fort Leonard Wood.
“Being that I went to Ranger School from May to July, the winter weather of Fort Leonard Wood Missouri, was a shock and made the 28-day course memorable,” said Bordes.
“However, the weather didn't stop us from completing all the tasks required of students who attend the course," said Bordes. "We still completed several graded physical events, rappelled off a cliff face, swam 500 meters in a lake, completed waterborne operations, built and detonated improvised demolition charges, conducted patrolling and field operations, among other things.”
Bordes said the highlight of Sapper School was the demolition ranges.
Bordes recommends that Army EOD team leaders attend the Sapper Leader Course, adding that graduating from the elite leadership course not only bought him greater credibility with maneuver commanders but also gave him greater insight into the critical capabilities that Army Combat Engineers bring to the fight.
“As an EOD officer, I plan and coordinate training so that the EOD techs I am responsible for can focus on completing their mission. Their mission is complex, but the main goal is to ensure the protection of personnel, civilians and equipment from the dangers posed by explosives in both combat and non-combat environments,” said Bordes.
Army EOD technicians have technical knowledge and expertise that allow friendly freedom of maneuver at the tactical and strategic level, said Bordes.
“I decided to become an EOD officer for a few reasons. One is because I wanted to be a member of a field that is filled with individuals who are cut from a different cloth. The schoolhouse phases of EOD school are not easy. People who graduate from Naval EOD School, no matter the branch of service, are gifted and I want to be surrounded by those types of people,” he said.
“I wanted to be a subject matter expert in a field that is uncommon,” said Bordes. “I knew nearly nothing about Explosive Ordnance Disposal when I prioritized it as my number one choice.”
A native of New Iberia, Louisiana, Bordes is upholding a family tradition of service.
His father, retired Col. John Bordes, served in the Air Force and Army Reserve and deployed numerous times. His older brother, U.S Army Capt. Ian Bordes, serves in the 5th Special Forces Group, and his younger brother, and U.S. Army 2nd Lt. John Bordes, just started Army Ranger School. All three brothers graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in West Point in 2015, 2022 and 2024, respectively.
“I have been an officer for two and a half years now and have enjoyed my time thus far. My command team here at the 192nd Ordnance Battalion (EOD) has been great. I never would have thought that I would have the opportunity to attend Ranger and Sapper School, but they made it happen,” said Bordes. “The people that I have met over the years is what makes being in the Army worthwhile, and I am excited for what the future holds.”
| Date Taken: | 01.21.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 01.21.2025 14:54 |
| Story ID: | 489415 |
| Location: | FORT LIBERTY, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Hometown: | NEW IBERIA, LOUISIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 156 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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