Wow. That’s an amazing blog, and I just clicked into this story.
“It seems these past few weeks have dealt the worse hand to the E.O.D. soldiers. The volume of IED’s that insurgents are placing has increased and their wicked tactics have worsened. Not only are the primary IED’s being placed to damage passing coalition vehicles but secondary devices are put nearby to maim or kill E.O.D. personal whose mission is to disarm them. One such incident our FST had to deal with is rather noteworthy.
“Four E.O.D. soldiers were on a mission to disarm a suspected IED. Prior to getting to the suspect position they encountered an unknown large IED that blasted the MRAP they were traveling in. The force was so intense it picked up the vehicle and flipped it end to end. When the rescue crew arrived it was determined the area was unsafe due to multiple secondary IED’s in the immediate area. The extraction plan was then changed. A medevac Blackhawk was used to hoist the injured soldiers to safety and they were then transferred to our forward surgical unit for treatment. When they arrived all four were brought into our facility. Only one of the four soldiers was able to drag himself in under his own power; the others were carried in on stretchers.”
(Much more at the combat surgeon’s blog....)
Thanks for visiting it! He comes home the 18th, then his wife deploys. Two toddles and a baby.
I could get on a detailed incremental rant but publicity is what is hurting current EOD profession. Secrecy was our security and mixing our methods of approach and means of travel saved us from IED ambushes . SMUD aka small munitions disruption was a viable Render safe procedure (RSP). We were one of the first DOD assets to use the Barrett M82A1, now the M107, with the raufus rounds to disrupt suspected IED’s, UXO, submunitions and mines etc ....
IMO...as long as the polidiots pussyfoot around with the host nation and neighboring countries that feed and support the enemy it’s a losing situation. SOP should be if IED goes off on the road next to Bagone Zeggi then bring in the dozers and level Bagone Zeggi and bus all the little goat humpers to a pro-afghani / american ville and let peer pressure and dislocation of their operators mess up plan “A”......
With all due respect this crop of EOD techs are earning their hazardous duty and demo pay these days.......God Protect em all ...please !
Stay safe Travis !