BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan - As 242nd Ordnance Battalion, a unit that specializes in explosive ordnance disposal, finished their year-long deployment, the 63rd Ordnance Battalion, began theirs during Task Force EOD’s transfer-of-authority ceremony at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, June 28, 2014.
Col. Gerardo Meneses, 242nd Ordnance Battalion’s commander and Command Sgt. Maj. Christopher Brown cased their unit’s colors as Lt. Col. Bobby Sadler, 63rd Ordnance Battalion’s commander and Command Sgt. Maj. Scott Frey uncased theirs.
A year ago, the 242nd’s deployment began at Fort Carson, Colorado, when they were forced to quickly learn the ropes throughout Regional Command-South from the unit they were due to replace. Ideally, units going through a relief-in-place would have enough time to learn routes and the day-in, day-out routines. Due to mechanical troubles on the plane they were on, the 242nd would had to cut that RIP a lot shorter than they wanted to.
If that was not enough, they also faced EOD consolidation issues as more and more bases throughout Afghanistan were beginning their retrograde and redeployment operations. Later, they would be in charge of all EOD assets in Afghanistan.
“By the time 11 January rolled around, the 20 of us left felt like we were the last ones left standing in a game of EOD musical chairs,” said Meneses, of Miami.
Luckily, Sadler and the 63rd, from Fort Drum, New York, would receive a “thorough” RIP.
Through their time in Afghanistan, 242nd conducted more than 800 incidents, rendered safe 135 roadside bombs, cleared 96 caches, more than 1,100 routes, and more than 115,000 pounds of explosive hazards that led to attacking IED networks.
“Your team’s effort has enabled us to conduct a seamless transition during combat operations,” said Sadler, of Jackson, Mississippi, during his speech. “The knowledge and best practices learned during this process are greatly appreciated and have enabled us to maintain momentum on the battlefield denying the enemy a potential advantage that occurs with a change in operational headquarters.”
| Date Taken: | 06.28.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 06.30.2014 11:15 |
| Story ID: | 134858 |
| Location: | AF |
| Hometown: | FORT DRUM, NY, US |
| Hometown: | JACKSON, MS, US |
| Hometown: | MIAMI, FL, US |
| Web Views: | 757 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 63rd Ordnance Battalion takes TF EOD reigns in Afghanistan, by MSG Kap Kim, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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