Dobie works with EOD...

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You will totally not believe what I got to do today! I went to work with the EOD! Yep, the Explosive Ordinance Disposal unit. It was absolutely fantastic and I even brought Davina along to enjoy the morning. I think overall it was really good for her. You see, once a week the EOD set off a series of blasts that dispose of various out dated ordinance, MRE heaters and things that just need to be blown up. Before each series of explosions the “Giant Voice” gives everybody fair warning that the noises are soon to follow. What usually happens is that everyone hears the warnings and still jump or try to take cover when the actual explosion occurs. It’s amazing the effects of war that continue to linger on in many soldiers lives.

So when the EOD soldiers asked me to come to work with them for a day, I thought this would be a great opportunity for the two of us to spend some quality time together. What I didn’t tell her was that we would have to work our butts off just settings up the charges. The EOD guys are so dang nice and they have personalities that are just a little different than your average soldier. They are super gung ho and take great pride in their work. It is the highlight of their day just to blow something…anything up. They really did a great job of teaching us everything we needed to know to make the day a success and keep it very safe.

We all met pretty early in the morning. The EOD team, medics, security personnel and the German EOD team from a different sector here in Kosovo. Then it was a short drive out to the range and then everybody went to work. The medics were stationed at the bottom of the hill, the security team spread out and were in charge of not allowing anybody into the area. Then we all broke down into small teams and were assigned a “hole” to build our future explosion in.

My partner was the best. We carried all our sticks of explosives across the muddy terrain. It was that red dirt that never comes out of your clothes. I could see Davina and she was doing everything she could not to get her boots dirty. But after a few minutes she succumbed to the eventuality of her predicament. When I first started to carry the explosives I was super duper careful and it really made me paranoid, like I was going to blow myself up or something. They all chuckled a little and said that unless I were to drop it from high up it was safe. In fact, when we were setting the charges, they were cutting it in half and bending it so that it would fit into their designs in the holes.

I looked over and saw the Americans and Germans laughing as they did their build. How nice it was to see people of different countries sharing not only words but also their passions. They seemed to be learning a lot from each other, which is always good for future ventures together.

The three of us continued to stack the explosives and then when we were finished we got to run the det cord and really get into the good stuff. Once we put those end things on then everybody started walking very carefully and were super cautious. It was all about safety. Flak jackets and kevlars were put on, the non-qualified personnel had to move away and let the professionals work on the finishing touches. Wow, were they good. I had never been so close to so much excitement. Maybe this was a job I could do more often?

So everything was all set, and all of us had moved down to the bottom of the hill where it would be safe and far enough away from the blast that we could not have any injuries. It was so hard to wait. The safety officer was still checking the charges. We had prepared seven separate holes and so it would be all those blasts one right after another. Finally, she came back and gave the big double thumbs up.

The EOD guys gave Davina the remote control and told her it would be great if she could set off the first blast. The controller looked something those toy controllers. They briefed her and then let her holler, “Fire in the hole…Fire in the hole…Fire in the hole”. She pressed the buttons together and then… KABOOM! It was enough to blow my fir back! This was totally the most exciting thing I had done all week. Blast after blast. The holes just kept exploding and shooting the plumes of smoke high into the air. Each EOD explosive builder was proud of their smoke cloud. Seemed to be quite an art about it.

Not only had I witnessed at a pretty close range the power of explosives but I made quite a few friends today. That’s what this is all about. This EOD Team is comprised of 5 separate states and the unit is located in West Virginia. About half of them are on their second straight year here in Kosovo and the other half have served on previous rotations prior to KFOR 12. They are a team bound by dedication that lives on the edge of thrilling. But they also do other great things. This team has adopted a small school up in the mountains in the northern part of Kosovo. They bill it as, “Hillbillies’ helping Hillbillies’”. They teach English to the children, have gone up at night for astronomy lessons and do many self esteem projects with the kids. It gives them a purpose outside of explosives. It gives them an opportunity to leave lasting impressions on the next generation.

What a great day I had, thanks to the team and their dedication to their mission. Especially for their willingness to teach me and Davina a little about the world of explosives!

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