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ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. - U.S. Army Explosive
Ordnance Disposal Soldiers responded to more than 2,000
domestic incidents during fiscal year 2014.
U.S. Army
EOD technicians from the 20th CBRNE Command (Chemical,
Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives) defused
unexploded ordnance across the nation.
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Army EOD technicians from the 20th CBRNE Command (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives) defuse unexploded ordnance both on and off post across the nation. (U.S. Army courtesy photo)
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Based on
Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, the 20th CBRNE Command is
the U.S. Department of Defense's only standing
multifunctional formation focused on conducting daily
Defense Support to Civil Law Enforcement Agency missions.
With 172 explosive mitigation missions, the 759th EOD
Company from 3rd EOD Battalion, 71st EOD Group, accomplished
the most missions out of 20th CBRNE Command's 44 EOD
companies during fiscal year 2014.
Covering 89
counties in California, Arizona and Nevada in an area
totaling more than 84,000 square miles, the 759th EOD
Company is stationed on Fort Irwin, home of the National
Training Center.
"Out of the 172 response missions we
completed, 164 of them were on-post responses," said Capt.
David L. Ayers, commander of the 759th EOD Company. "We
receive a high turnover of on-post responses due to the
nature of our primary mission which is to ensure the freedom
of movement for all units that train at National Training
Center."
According to Ayers, most of the off-post
incidents were discovered unexploded military ordnance
rounds.
"The most memorable response that comes to
mind was an off-post response in Barstow," said Ayers, a
native of Maypearl, Texas, who served in Iraq.
"In
June, my company responded to an ordnance item inside a
motel in Barstow, California. Our unit responded with the
understanding that this item was near the motel, but in
reality it was on the second floor in someone's room," said
Ayers.
The 759th EOD Company also recently won first
place at a bomb squad competition in Oakland, California.
A four-person team with more than eight years of
combined combat experience from the company competed against
eight other military and civilian bomb squads in a series of
challenging EOD scenarios.
During the bomb squad
competition, the team confronted scenarios that included a
chemical leak accompanied by multiple pipe bombs, a car with
six improvised explosives devices, a car bomb with a
secondary trigger and a vehicle-borne improvised explosives
device on a bridge.
Ayers said the continued success
of his company comes from the caliber of Soldiers serving in
his unit.
"My Soldiers represent the best of the sons
and daughters of America and constantly amaze me with their
capacity for sacrifice and dedication to duty," said Ayers.
By U.S. Army Walter Ham
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2014
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