Published: Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Ordnance units have 'one of the gutsiest jobs around'
The Whidbey unit is one of 14 in the U.S. that trains or works with explosive materials.
OAK HARBOR - Members of a small and tight-knit unit at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station on Monday were mourning the deaths of three sailors whose jobs included disposing of roadside bombs and other explosives in Iraq.
Explosive ordnance disposal personnel are highly trained technicians who are experts in identifying and making explosive materials safe.
"There's a front line in Iraq and these (explosive ordnance disposal) guys are out in front of that," said U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., whose district includes the naval air station. "This is terrible and tragic news."
The sailors were identified by the Defense Department as Chief Petty Officer Gregory J. Billiter, 36, of Villa Hills, Ky.; Petty Officer 2nd Class Curtis R. Hall, 24, of Burley, Idaho; and Petty Officer 1st Class Joseph Adam McSween, 26, of Valdosta, Ga.
"I know they are deeply saddened by the loss of three of their team members, and they are reflecting on the great sacrifice their shipmates gave," said base spokeswoman Kim Martin about the unit.
Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 11 is composed of about 160 officers and enlisted personnel, Martin said. She said she doesn't know how many people from the unit are deployed to Iraq at this time.
In March, 15 members of the unit received the Bronze Star medal for meritorious service in Iraq last year.
The three deaths are the first from the naval station during the Iraq war.
The unit is one of 14 in the nation associated with training or working with explosive materials.
After two months of recruit training, disposal experts go through more than a year of training on explosives, diving and parachuting in California, Georgia, Michigan and Florida. The training includes handling chemical, nuclear and biological materials, Martin said.
"They take on anything that poses a hazard to personnel or property on the land and under the water," Martin said. Part of the job is detecting bombs, disarming them or blowing them up, Martin said.
Larsen knows how perilous the mission is.
"These EOD guys are doing some very dangerous tasks trying to disarm" improvised explosive devices, said Larsen, a member of the House Armed Services Committee. These roadside bombs are a common source of U.S. casualties.
The Oak Harbor naval air station also is the home base for the Navy's airborne electronic warfare community. Larsen said the explosive ordnance personnel also are applying that electronic warfare knowledge on the ground.
For example, a cell phone or a garage door opener can be programmed to set off an explosive device from a remote location. Part of the work being done by these specialists is identifying and jamming those signals, Larsen said.
"They play a pretty important role applying what we know about radar jamming and frequency jamming," Larsen said. "They have one of the gutsiest jobs around."
Reporter Jim Haley: 425-339-3447 or haley@heraldnet.com.
Explosive ordnance disposal personnel are highly trained technicians who are experts in identifying and making explosive materials safe.
"There's a front line in Iraq and these (explosive ordnance disposal) guys are out in front of that," said U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., whose district includes the naval air station. "This is terrible and tragic news."
The sailors were identified by the Defense Department as Chief Petty Officer Gregory J. Billiter, 36, of Villa Hills, Ky.; Petty Officer 2nd Class Curtis R. Hall, 24, of Burley, Idaho; and Petty Officer 1st Class Joseph Adam McSween, 26, of Valdosta, Ga.
"I know they are deeply saddened by the loss of three of their team members, and they are reflecting on the great sacrifice their shipmates gave," said base spokeswoman Kim Martin about the unit.
Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 11 is composed of about 160 officers and enlisted personnel, Martin said. She said she doesn't know how many people from the unit are deployed to Iraq at this time.
In March, 15 members of the unit received the Bronze Star medal for meritorious service in Iraq last year.
The three deaths are the first from the naval station during the Iraq war.
The unit is one of 14 in the nation associated with training or working with explosive materials.
After two months of recruit training, disposal experts go through more than a year of training on explosives, diving and parachuting in California, Georgia, Michigan and Florida. The training includes handling chemical, nuclear and biological materials, Martin said.
"They take on anything that poses a hazard to personnel or property on the land and under the water," Martin said. Part of the job is detecting bombs, disarming them or blowing them up, Martin said.
Larsen knows how perilous the mission is.
"These EOD guys are doing some very dangerous tasks trying to disarm" improvised explosive devices, said Larsen, a member of the House Armed Services Committee. These roadside bombs are a common source of U.S. casualties.
The Oak Harbor naval air station also is the home base for the Navy's airborne electronic warfare community. Larsen said the explosive ordnance personnel also are applying that electronic warfare knowledge on the ground.
For example, a cell phone or a garage door opener can be programmed to set off an explosive device from a remote location. Part of the work being done by these specialists is identifying and jamming those signals, Larsen said.
"They play a pretty important role applying what we know about radar jamming and frequency jamming," Larsen said. "They have one of the gutsiest jobs around."
Reporter Jim Haley: 425-339-3447 or haley@heraldnet.com.
Comments
(
