EOD team destroys enemy explosives, saves lives

Photo By Spc. Derron Dickinson | Sgt. 1st Class John Peters, a platoon sergeant with the 38th Ordnance Company, prepares to destroy IED components found in Baghdad March 6.  

03.14.2007

Story by Spc. Derron Dickinson 

28th Public Affairs Detachment

By Spc. D.A. Dickinson
28th Public Affairs Detachment

Improvised Explosive Devices have emerged as one of the most effective enemy weapons in the global war on terror.

To mitigate the effectiveness of these instruments, the military relies on Explosive Ordinance and Demolitions teams to safely dispose of them.

The 38th Ordinance Company conducted a disposal mission March 6. The team responded to a nine-line is to recover IED components and homemade explosives, said Sgt. 1st Class John Peters, platoon sergeant of 1st platoon.

Most of the unit's missions fall into two categories.

"Right now we have pretty much two types of responses. We have nine lines, and we have route clearance missions," said Spc. Cliff Jenkins, EOD team member.

While there is a distinction between the two types of mission, team members must remain adaptable to the rapidly shifting demands of the battlefield.

There is a great deal of overlap between the two types of responses and a nine line will often turn into a clearance mission or vice versa, Jenkins said.

"Sometimes a route clearance turns into a nine line and they kind of merge," Jenkins said.

The teams include service members from nearly every branch of the military.

"The only people we don't have are Marines," Jenkins said. "There's a little bit of rivalry, but we get along great. There's a lot of camaraderie."

Members of the team stressed the need for flexibility in the course of an operation.

"There really is no typical day. You have to treat everything as a new situation. It's never going to be the same as the last one," Jenkins said.

• Date Taken: 03.14.2007
• Date Posted: 03.14.2007 05:07
• Story ID: 9439