Free Republic

II MEF units recognize need for IED trainingSubmitted by: MCB Camp LejeuneStory Identification Number: 200441915188Story by Sgt. Christopher D. Reed MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.(April 19, 2004) -- The possibility of death is a reality Marines must constantly face as they embark upon Security and Stabilization Operations in Iraq. The prime source of death has been Improvised Explosive Devices, according to instructors at Engineer Training Area 3 here. Improvised Explosive Devices are created in an improvised manner incorporating destructive, lethal, noxious, pyrotechnic or incendiary chemicals designed to destroy, disfigure, distract or harass. They are the preferred weapon of...

Knox NCO killed in Iraq Staff Sgt. Richard Ramey of the 703rd EOD died Sunday from an explosion in Mahmudiyah, Iraq. Fort Knox Public Affairs OfficeStaff Sgt. Richard Ramey, 27, of Canton, Ohio, a Soldier with the Fort Knox-based 703rd Explosive Ordnance Disposal Detachment, died in Mahmudiyah, Iraq, Sunday of injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated.Ramey, an explosive ordnance disposal specialist had been stationed at Fort Knox since April 9, 2001. He had been in the Army since 1995.Approximately 15 Soldiers from the 703rd are in Iraq. The detachment deployed in September for a six-month rotation.At Fort Knox...

   WEAPONS   DETONATION Explosions rock Al Fathah Air Field in Iraq, as Army engineers and Air Force explosive ordnance disposal personnel detonate a weapons cache, Feb. 5, 2004. An estimated 2 million pounds of explosives were left at the air field by the former Saddam Hussein regime, making the weapons cache at Al Fathah the largest uncovered by the coalition. The cache is being destroyed at an average of 100,000 pounds per day. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jeffrey A. Wolfe   ****** The nose of one of the bombs is rigged with C4 explosive for detonation, Feb....

 Deployed EOD airmen do a bang-up job    Released: Feb. 4, 2004  By Senior Airman Lynne Neveu 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs SOUTHWEST ASIA (USAFENS) -- Having a bang-up time while deployed is not something these airman want to do.  Actually, the farther away from booms and bangs, the better. As part of the 379th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron Explosive Ordnance Disposal team, airmen from Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England and Misawa Air Base, Japan, put their lives on the line and their training to the test to ensure the safety of others here and in the area...