Photo By Cpl. Michael Dye | Sergeant Alexander Micciche, left, and Sgt. Derek Ford, explosive ordnance disposal...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. – Marines with 2nd Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company, 8th Engineer Support Battalion, transported a 30-pound missile to a secure bunker aboard Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, April 7, 2015, with one goal in mind: Disassembly.
“We are disassembling a BTM-71E-1B practice [Tube-launched, Optically-tracked, Wire-guided missile], removing all the explosive components and then reassembling it,” said Warrant Officer Jason Scarborough, a platoon commander with the unit.
The TOW missile is an anti-tank missile capable of reaching a target up to 3,750 meters away. It is fired from a launch tube and controlled by a remote camera and guided wire system.
Disassembling the missile allows them to learn about its inner components and plays a large role in combat operations.
“If we take apart and study as many explosives that we can here, it gives us an edge when we go into combat,” said Scarborough, a Blakely, Georgia, native. “It gives us a greater understanding of how explosives work, the way they’re made and more importantly, how to disarm them.”
As the Marines disassemble the missile, they go step-by-step, following every instruction to the letter. They even use specialized tools on such a powerful weapon.
EOD techs encounter several variations of improvised explosive devices when they are in combat situations and it is their job to neutralize the threat.
“This gives us the skills we need on the battlefield,” Scarborough said. “Every piece of ordnance is different and it requires EOD techs to think about what they are doing every time.”
Once the ordnance is inert, it will be stored in the EOD ordnance library. The library is used to help all the EOD techs study different types of ordnance and use them as training aids.
“We try to inert ordnance as much as possible,” Scarborough said. “The more we do it, the better we become.”
| Date Taken: | 04.07.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 04.08.2015 14:55 |
| Story ID: | 159437 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, US |
| Hometown: | BLAKELY, GA, US |
| Hometown: | DENVER, CO, US |
| Web Views: | 399 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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