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Cmdr. Jeffrey M. DeMarco relieved Cmdr. Gareth Healy as commanding officer of Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 8 and commander, Task Group (CTG) 68.1 during a ceremony held aboard Naval Station Rota, July 28.
Rear Adm. Brian J. Brakke, commander, Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC), served as guest speaker while Capt. John Moulton, commander, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group (EODGRU) 2, and Capt. Leonard Lyon, commander, Task Force (CTF) 68, were in attendance.
“The Thunderstealers of EODMU 8 remain consistently engaged across two continents conducting EOD, counter-improvised explosive devices (IED) and mine countermeasure operations supporting our Naval, joint and combined force partners in order to protect personnel, ensure freedom of movement and shape the future battlespace so that we can fight and win,” Healy said. “From saving American citizens in the sweltering heat of South Sudan during Operation Oaken Steel to reinvigorating our operational reach, diving under the ice, and in the harsh environment above the Arctic Circle during Exercise Arctic Specialist, this command has achieved mission success time and again. Thunderstealers are resilient, they challenge the status quo and innovate to change the nature of low-intensity conflict, and they don’t quit! I will forever be inspired by the Sailors of this command and their absolute fighting spirit!”
Under Healy’s leadership, the unit executed 78 high-risk deployments, operations and missions in the commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and commander, U.S. Naval Forces Africa areas of operation while enabling safe access and operational mobility for fleet, joint and special forces maneuvering in areas threatened by explosive remnants of war and IEDs. Healy’s expertise in mine countermeasures was critical to commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe’s deliberate planning for future operations, implementing technological and tactical innovations to provide “Fight Tonight” capability, and creating a valid requirement for the Navy to prioritize and rapidly expand the procurement and fielding of expeditionary mine countermeasures capability to enable access to strategically important sea lines of communication. Additionally, EODMU 8 hosted President Barack Obama’s visit and speech to a combined U.S. and Spanish national audience of military members and their families aboard Naval Station Rota in July 2016.
Recognizing the critical importance of Sailors’ families, Healy stated, “Mission success is not defined simply by warfighting capability. The intangible love and support by our Sailors’ families is a critical element to our continued success. Spouses, parents, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters have all entrusted our Navy and EODMU 8 with these Sailors’ protection, growth and professionalism. Every Thunderstealer goes downrange with their family somewhere in their kit. Our Thunderstealer family, from our outstanding ombudsmen team and family readiness group to our families both here and afar, has been completely invested in the success of not only their Sailors but also this command. For every sleepless night, missed birthday or last minute temporary assignment, this command thanks each and every one of you for bestowing that trust.”
Healy will report to Special Operations Command in Washington, D.C., for his next assignment.
DeMarco, a native of northern New Jersey, thanked Healy and lauded his tenure commanding EODMU 8 and then addressed the Sailors.
“Navy EOD Techs are engaged in the most critical missions across the globe. I have seen time and time again the outsized strategic impact of our low density force, from small footprint advise and assist missions, sensitive counter-proliferation operations and cutting edge underwater operational developments,” DeMarco said. “You are a part of an amazing organization that is defining what the chief of naval operations means by toughness, and you are leading the way as he bends the curve of the Navy’s performance to maintain and grow our competitive advantage globally.”
DeMarco commissioned through Navy Recruit Officer Training Corps (NROTC) in May of 2000. His operational assignments include EOD, underwater mine countermeasures and special operations in Central America, Central and East Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. His most recent tour was in Stuttgart, Germany, where he served as the J3 counter-improvised explosive device branch chief on the U.S. Africa Command staff.
EODMU 8, homeported in Naval Station Rota, Spain, provides EOD capability to locate, identify, render safe, recover, field evaluate and dispose of all explosive ordnance, including underwater, biological, chemical and nuclear weapons. With multiple unit commendations and individual combat awards accrued over the past quarter decade, EODMU 8 is the most decorated Naval unit in the European and African theaters.
| Date Taken: | 07.28.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 08.03.2017 12:39 |
| Story ID: | 243457 |
| Location: | ROTA, ES |
| Web Views: | 628 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, EODMU 8 Holds Change of Command Ceremony, by LCDR Kristina Johnson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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