Voelz is remembered as a tomboy and a daredevil

Spc. Kyle Wilkins holds his head as he talks about Staff Sgt. Kimberley Voelz. Voelz was part of the 703rd Explosive Ordnance Disposal detachment stationed at Fort Knox. By ERICA WALSH Floyd Fahnestock's Pennsylvania home is filled with floral bouquets. For two days now, Floyd and his wife, Carol, have seen florist after florist ring the doorbell.

Each one usually has a condolence card attached with kind words and fond memories of their daughter, Kimberley.

Staff Sgt. Kimberley A. Voelz — "Kim" to her friends and "Kimmy" to her father — died Sunday in Iraq after an explosive device she was attempting to disarm detonated. The Fort Knox-based soldier was 27.

She was born and raised in Pennsylvania, but Vine Grove and Fort Knox had been her home since 1999. A picture of her with the 703rd Explosives Ordnance Disposal group still hangs on the office wall at Fort Knox. Her team was like family.

Kimberley was always a tomboy and a daredevil, her father said. One of four Fahnestock children, she was the one who liked excitement, adventure and the unknown.

A star equestrian, she grew up surrounded by horses in Carlisle. She eventually competed in quarterhorse shows and competitions, once tying for national champion. She was a state 4-H champion two years in a row.

Kimberley liked to bake and her specialty was a chocolate cake with peanut butter icing. She was also a romance novel fanatic.

"She could take one of those Danielle Steele books and read it in a day," Fahnestock said. "She loved that type of a book."

Kimberley didn't tell her parents about her interest in the Army, but instead came home one afternoon from her job at a local Marriott Hotel and said she had joined the service.

When Kimberley originally joined, she wanted to be a military police officer, but the only spot open was a position with Explosives Ordnance Disposal.

Fahnestock said her daughter knew it was a tough and often dangerous job, but Kimberley was determined. Eventually, she was assigned to the 703rd Explosives Ordnance Disposal group based at Fort Knox.

Spc. Kyle Wilkins, a member of the 703rd, remembered Kimberley as one of the safest soldiers in the group.

"Oh my, she loved what she was doing over there," he said. "She loved the Army."

"We never really expected Kimmy to get married, that's just the type of girl she was," her father said. "She never had any true boyfriends."

Then she met Max during a training session for EOD. Max Voelz was Kimberley's first real boyfriend.

"They were always holding hands," Fahnestock said. "It was like every day was their honeymoon."

The couple married in June 2000. Both were assigned to the 703rd. Staff Sgt. Max Voelz was serving in Iraq just a few miles from her assigned site. The Fahnestocks sent the couple care packages every week.

When Max Voelz called to tell them about Kimberley's accident, they found comfort in the fact that he was by her side until the very end. She died in her husband's arms at a military hospital near Baghdad.

The Voelzs' next-door neighbor, Candi Redmond, of Vine Grove, said the pair had a special connection.

She said it was a comfort for the couple that they would be traveling to Iraq together. They even re-enlisted just a week before Kimberley's death.

"I can't believe it really," she said, her eyes filling with tears. "We've been praying every day for them."

Fahnestock wasn't sure what Max Voelz is going to do with the couple's Vine Grove home. They didn't want to rent it out because they only expected to be gone for six to eight months. They have two new cars in their garage.

Redmond was looking forward to the couple's return so they could get back to their barbecues. The neighbors would often get together for cookouts and to share a few beers.

"She was so happy-go-lucky," Redmond said. "It's going to be a big loss. She was a beautiful woman."

Erica Walsh can be reached at 769-1200, Ext. 238, or e-mail her at erica@mail.the-ne.com.

Many possibilities for handling IEDs made from modified munitions or "abandoned UXO" aka unexploded ordnance left lying around or "duds".

SMUD is a newer procedure where we used small arms fire up and including the Barrett 82A1M with raufaus HE round for the 50 caliber Ma Duce and the Barrett....(yes they make an HE round for special applications for the 50). We'd use it on everything from a 2000 pounder to a submunition with an allways acting fuse. In other words if the surrounding area would allow and populace or GI's could be moved away then we shot the damn thing till it was so broke it wouldn't function as designed or detonated in place.

As to UXO that is booby trapped usually it will be a small mortar round or grenade on the surface with a 500 pound bomb or larger mine/arty round buried underneath or hidden nearby that is either boobytrapped or enemy lays in wait and command detonates as the EOD tech approaches on his/her recon of the situation.

A common approach is to do as you say....counter charge with a small amout of C and blow it in place aka BIP. That is fine and best if area/population will allow and survive such a planned detonation. If not then the EOD tech gets to earn their demo pay for the month and do what we refered to as time on target by attaching specific tools (won't discuss that here) of the trade to disrupt and dismantle the device without it functioning as designed.

Time on target render safe procedures is hazardous part of being an EOD tech. No second chance to get it right. Unforgiving trade that demands attention to "every detail" or you and possibly others around you die as you and other Vets and active duty troops well know from having seen EOD work.

Many ways to counter render safe efforts and sadly some commanders in the field pressure EOD to risk life versus their robotics, and or surrounding structures. Had an 0-6 order me one night to save his office furniture from a letterbomb by going in and earning my pay vs possibly detonating it by picking it up with our andros Mk-5 robot. He said that if that thing goes off, his office and the structure "and" the robot were too expensive to risk.........................but he didn't seem to care about the human life of the EOD tech. Not many days a NCO gets to educate an dress down an O-6 an get away with it. In EOD we'd just hand em the tool bag and say your more than welcome to handle it yerself ......."SUR"

A simple procedure was also to take a lenght of para cord, lay a noose around the uxo/ied and from a safe distance and behind cover do a "remote" pull. Drag the dang thang till it went bang or was clearly not attached to any wires or on top of other munition. Then wait a bit, walk up lay a charge to counter it and BIP or PUCA.....(pick up and carry away)

In most situations UXO wasn't booby trapped or fuzed thus the greatest hazard was DDOT......(don't drop on toes)...........:o)

Anyone who has ever laid or recovered mines knows they have a primary and secondary fuze wells that host anti-lift devices (most do) that can be armed with a multitude of possibilities to kill the EOD tech or defeat the part time mine clearance wannabe human and machine.

Not knowing what or where in this troops situation I won't try to second guess her efforts. In our business somedays your the windshield and oneday yer the bug. No second guessing or trys. Our mantra........INITIAL SUCCESS OR TOTAL FAILURE.......is on our coins and preached in training. Ya mess that up your pink mist.

My prayers to her surving family and EOD teammates..........Stay safe SLB.

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