Photo By Staff Sgt. Apolonia Gaspar | 71st Ordnance Group completed their annual Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Team of...... read more read more
71st Ordnance Group completed their annual Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Team of the Year (ToY) competition at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, April 14th, 2022.
This year, the annual competition had record participation with 11 U.S. teams and for the first time ever, three international teams; Columbia, Canada and Mexico.
The event is designed to test EOD technicians’ teamwork and critical thinking skills as they apply technical solutions to real world problems. The 14 teams were assessed on 15 operations and associated tasks to provide EOD support to large-scale combat operations to eliminate and/or reduce explosive threats. The assessed tasks are centered upon detecting, identifying, conducting on-site evaluation, rendering safe, exploiting and final disposition.
The week allowed teams to display their respective units' skills as participants respond to tasks in a physically and mentally demanding training environment. The training events are designed to test the participants' knowledge and master of tasks within their respective occupational skill sets. Once all of the lanes were finished, the team with the best overall score won.
“2,125 available points and the difference between 1st and 2nd place was 16, difference between 2nd and 3rd was 28,” said 71st Ordnance Group Command Sgt. Maj. Dave Silva. “ I said in the beginning that this was anybody's game and it was definitely a close call.”
Out of 14 teams, the following members received recognition.
1st Place and heading to compete at the All Army TOY in May is Staff Sgt. Mark Owens and Spc. Brady Dunn, EOD technicians with 759th Ordnance Company.
2nd Place: Staff Sgt. Lauren Caldwell and Sgt. Cody Lomax, EOD technicians with 774th Ordnance Company
3rd Place: Staff Sgt. Christopher Alicea and Sgt. Daevin Dilbeck, EOD technicians with 764th Ordnance Company
Top Shot is the highest scoring team in the stress shoot event this year, the Top Shot Raptors are Staff Sgt. Jacob Kunst and Spc. Brandon Bowden, EOD technicians with 797th Ordnance Company.
Team Iron Raptor, the team that achieved the highest overall score in the ACFT and the foot march goes to Staff Sgt. Charles Crawford and Spc. Christopher Retterath, EOD technicians with 21st Ordnance Company.
Most motivated team, Staff Sgt. Mark Owens and Spc. Brady Dunn, EOD technicians with 759th Ordnance Company.
The 71st ToY serves a greater purpose within the EOD community. This long standing tradition tests our EOD personnel on fitness, technical and tactical skills, and response capabilities. Earning that recognition for being the best takes hard work, discipline and determination. Encouraging our EOD technicians to be competitive is what it takes to be a great leader.
“This is absolutely incredible and this is what you want to see as a leader,” said Silva. “You want to see your entire formation showing an incredible standard of readiness and lethality.”
The winners will be heading to compete in the All Army EOD ToY in May that 71st Ordnance Group will be hosting.
| Date Taken: | 04.14.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 04.28.2022 02:01 |
| Story ID: | 419501 |
| Location: | WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE, NM, US |
| Web Views: | 588 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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