Task Force Baghdad Destroys Tons of Weapons

Defend America News ^ | Dec 21, 2005 | Staff Sgt. Kevin Bromley

[SandRat]

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Neil Morrison, explosive ordnance disposal technician with the 710th Ordnance Company, packs a 1,000 pound bomb with plastic explosives, Dec. 16, 2005. Nearly 20,000 tons of munitions were destroyed in Area Echo, north of Baghdad, Iraq. The ammunition dump housed tons of ordnance stockpiled by former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's military. U.S Army photo by Staff Sgt. Kevin Bromley More Photos
Task Force Baghdad Destroys Tons of Weapons
The ammunition dump north of Baghdad housed tons of ordnance stockpiled by former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's military.
By U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Kevin Bromley 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division TAJI, Iraq, Dec. 21, 2005 — "Fire in the hole ... Fire in the Hole," shouted U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Neil Morrison immediately before he detonated seven 1,000 pound bombs nearly simultaneously Dec. 16. "Ordnance disposal] means that insurgents can't use the materials for building bombs and the Iraqi government can re-use the land for other purposes." U.S. Army Capt. Eric Swenson The resulting explosion and shockwave shattered the afternoon's post-rain silence and signaled the end of a year-long project to rid an old Saddam-regime ammunition dump of its deadly stores. The ammunition dump, known as Area Echo and located north of Baghdad, housed tons of ordnance stockpiled by former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's military. The area contained everything from small caliber ammunition, mortars and artillery shells, to larger weapons such as 1,000 pound bombs, and surface to air missiles. Morrison and Spc. Joshua Peltz, of the 710th Ordnance Company, busied themselves in the early morning preparing the last of the munitions for destruction. "Each of the bombs contains almost 450 pounds of explosive material," said Morrison. "We don't usually get to detonate aircraft bombs...we don't get to blow up this much material very often." Morrison and Peltz prepared the bombs by placing plastic explosives and blasting caps in each one.	"We use three to four times the amount of explosives normally used in the fuses to detonate these bombs," said Morrison. "We want to make sure it functions." The 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division was tasked with management of Area Echo and diligently worked with contractors and explosive ordnance disposal teams to clear the compound of all munitions. "Coalition forces started clearing Taji around May 2003," said Capt. Eric Swenson, assistant brigade engineer. Once the munitions are deactivated, the empty casings are de-milled by a contracting company. The de-milling operation gives jobs to local workers and infuses much needed revenue back into the local economy. "We have a contractor that cuts the empty casings up and sells the scrap metal," said Swenson. "The sale of scrap pays for the contractor's operation and the salaries of the local citizens they employ." Swenson estimated that nearly 20,000 tons of munitions had been destroyed in Area Echo and the removal these munitions was a significant task that added to the safety of coalition forces and the Iraqi people. "It means that insurgents can't use the materials for building bombs and the Iraqi government can re-use the land for other purposes."

[SandRat]

Photo Essay

[SandRat]

Destroying the Terrs Ammo dumps! Big Time!!!!

[Squantos]

HUA !

[conservative physics]

um... why don't they just give the stuff to the new Iraq army we are training?

[Prost1]

Much of the ordinance is old, very old...
It is being scrapped by the facists and turned into IEDs...

[Calpernia]

Task Force Baghdad Destroys Tons of Weapons
The ammunition dump north of Baghdad housed tons of ordnance stockpiled by former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's military.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[E.G.C.]

BTTT

[GAB-1955]

"um... why don't they just give the stuff to the new Iraq army we are training?"

We do that with small arms and other infantry weapons we have recovered from the terrorists, but the explosives are potentially unstable due to lack of control of temperature and humidity. We don't want an Iraqi cannon cocker crew to suffer what happened on the USS Iowa.