Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Luis Paredes | 1LT Faust from the 52nd EOD sets a new world record run in a bomb suit with a time of...... read more read more
FORT BELVOIR, Virginia - If someone nearby were to shout, “BOMB!,” most individuals would either drop to the ground or run. It takes an elite, well-trained person to run toward an explosive, but that is part of the training of Fort Belvoir’s 55th Ordnance Company (55th EOD), part of the 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command in Aberdeen, Proving Ground, Maryland. On Friday, Nov. 15, Army 1st Lt. Madison Faust, a 55th EOD Platoon Leader, attempted to set a new world record 1-mile run in a prototype bomb suit developed by Program Executive Officer (PEO) Soldier. Designed to shield Soldiers within inches of unexploded ordnance, it requires head-to-toe shielding and weighed in at 48 pounds. Faust said she was eager to highlight the new Army technology.
“I’m excited,” Faust said right before she began. “I was pacing with my commander and one of my E-6’s while working out.”
Faust, an Allentown, Pennsylvania native and U.S. Military Academy at West Point graduate, said it helped that she was an athlete growing up and played soccer at West Point. Her key focus was self-improvement. She explained most of her training focused on 400’s and 300’s, paired with a disciplined routine of clean eating, consistent hydration and “lots of carbs before the runs.”
CPT John Morrissey, her commander, set off alongside Faust to keep her on pace. With the 55th cheering her on, she crossed the finish line at 10 minutes, 19 seconds, shaving four seconds off the record. Morrissey stressed that “Soldiers must be willing to do hard things and set goals that scare us.”
“Faust has exemplified this in her pursuit of this record and therefore set an example for the entirety of the EOD career field and U.S. Army,” Morrissey said. “I was fortunate to train with her in the several months preceding the record attempt and I promise you there were some hard and demoralizing days. But she kept showing up, she kept putting the suit on, and that unwillingness to quit is what got her the record.”
When it comes to selfless service, Morrissey stressed that EOD is the exemplary Army career.
“We are a volunteer-only MOS and therefore, are made up of only those who freely made the choice to put themselves in hazardous situations for the sake of others,” said Morrissey. "EOD attracts those who are methodical and solution-oriented when faced with unprecedented situations… Our aim with pursuing this record is for it to inspire other EOD Technicians to challenge themselves. Hopefully in a year or so, we will have another tech hungry to break a record.”
| Date Taken: | 11.21.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 11.25.2025 11:26 |
| Story ID: | 552267 |
| Location: | FORT BELVOIR, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 84 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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