Explosive ordnance disposal: Joint efforts create family ties

Photo By Sharon Singer | An improvised water disruptor detonates during proficiency training conducted by...... read more read more

Photo By Sharon Singer | An improvised water disruptor detonates during proficiency training conducted by members of the 379th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron explosive ordnance disposal team, Sept. 18, in Southwest Asia. The 379 EOD team trains on a variety of simulated situations continually to ensure mission readiness.  see less | View Image Page

09.27.2009

Story by Senior Airman Michael Matkin 

379th Air Expeditionary Wing

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The Wingman concept is about protection, born from early days of military flight when a group of aircraft flying together would constantly be looking out for each other. The Air Force has adopted this concept as a way for Airmen to watch out for and protect one another; however, just as it is not a new concept for pilots, neither is it a new concept for explosive ordnance disposal servicemembers, who have been living this principle since their inception as mine recovery personnel during World War II.

"If we don't work as a team and help each other out we will not make it; we may not live to see the next job," said Tech Sgt. Wayson Leaverton, 379th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron EOD team chief, deployed from Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.

It is essential for EOD service-members to be good team players. This is especially true if there is a need to diffuse a bomb or go outside the wire, said Master Sgt. Martin Coleman, 379 ECES EOD flight chief, deployed from the Nebraska Air National Guard. Sometimes being a good team player means they do not necessarily get to perform the duty they most enjoy; however, it is essential they perform the duty that most suits their strengths. By knowing each other's strengths and weaknesses, EOD team members can fall into place like puzzle pieces during jobs and complete the bigger picture.

"If one person is better in the bomb suit than another, then that person will be in the bomb suit," Leaverton said. "During a previous deployment, we had a 20-year old that grew up driving trucks on mountain roads and could drive a [High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle] better than anyone, so he drove the truck. You have to put your ego in check sometimes and just do the job that is right for you."

Leaverton said that knowing each other's strengths and weaknesses and using them to the team's advantage creates such strong team synergy that sometimes they don't even need to talk to each other during a job; each team member knows their roles that well.

"In this job, it is essential that we synch and work as a team, because one person cannot know and see everything," Coleman said.

Having reliable team members makes everything EOD does a lot safer, especially since they have one of the most dangerous jobs in the military. "We are right on top of the danger, sometimes literally, so there is no room for error," Leaverton said. "If you can't count on the guys next to you, you are dead. If I am in the bomb suit working on an improvised explosive device I don't have to worry about anything else going on around me because I know the person on the gun has my back."

This is the reason EOD works in three-man teams -- to ensure there aren't any gaps in proficiency. "You survive as a team," Coleman said.

Having to rely upon each other in life-or-death situations creates a special bond between all EOD members and not just Air Force-wide, but service-wide; they are a very close-knit family. "If something happens to anyone in the career field, we know about it the next day," Leaverton said, "and losing a member of EOD is like losing a family member."

Unfortunately, with the insurgents' choice of weaponry; specifically IEDs, injuries and fatalities are happening more often in the EOD family.

"Losing a member devastates you, but you have to deal with it and get right back out and work," Leaverton said, "because the EOD team, as well as other servicemembers, are counting on you."

Knowing they are saving other people's lives by putting themselves in harm's way, and being able to clear their minds of all else so they can focus on the job at hand are welcome challenges for EOD members. "Having a job which offers constant challenges is the reason most servicemembers join EOD," Coleman said.

Facing constant and new challenges all while entrusting their lives with one another is a requirement for EOD team members. Yet, it is this trust in one another that creates bonds that go above and beyond the Wingman concept. EOD service members do not consider each other as just Wingmen, but they consider each other family -- believing in this family concept can be the most satisfying part of their job.