EOD training ends with explosive results

Photo By Spc. Maurice Galloway | 1st Lt. James Hawthorne, 2nd Platoon, 663rd Ordnance Company (EOD), platoon leader and native of Mars, Pa., evaluates Iraqi Army procedures during their preparation for a controlled detonation at Normandy range in Basrah, Iraq.  

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, IRAQ

05.27.2010

Story by Spc. Maurice Galloway 

17th Field Artillery Brigade

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq – Soldiers from 2nd Platoon, 663rd Ordnance Company conducted training and a joint demolition operation with the 1st Bomb Disposal Company, 14th Iraqi Army Division at the Shaiba training center in Basrah, Iraq.

1st Lt. James Hawthorne, 663rd Ordnance Company, Platoon Leader and native of Mars, Pa., and Lt. Col. Abdul Adeem, 1st BDC Compnay, 14th IA Div., company commander met to discuss the training schedule and conduct a joint demolition operation, disposing of one thousand pounds of ordnance.

"The Iraqi bomb disposal companies play a vital role in the final disposition of ordnance recovered from the 14th Iraqi Army Division," said Hawthorne

Abdul Adeem stated that he has executed multiple area clearance operations along the Shalamche port of entry, which separates Iran and Iraq. Years of war between the two countries have left stretches of desert littered with unexploded ordnance.

"Our Soldiers have been trained to properly disarm and dispose of live explosives," said Abdul Adeem. "We have several area clearance missions ongoing near the Shalamche border and Al Faw areas," he added.

Staff Sgt. Stephen Durling, 2nd Plt. 663rd Ordnance Company team leader and native of Virginia Beach, Va., instructed members of the Iraqi BDC on ordnance classification and identification, which Abdul Adeem had requested a few weeks prior.

Once the class was complete, Iraqi BDC Soldiers began loading the munitions on the truck to take to the designated disposal range.

U.S. EOD personnel at the site said that the Iraqi BDC Soldiers are technically proficient at Demolition Operations.

"These Iraqi bomb disposal companies are contributing to the overall mitigation of explosive hazards in Basrah province, which consequently is paving the way for a safer Iraq," said Hawthorne.

• Date Taken: 05.27.2010
• Date Posted: 06.08.2010 09:22
• Story ID: 51057
• Location: CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, IQ