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PDF versionOn Friday, Nov. 13, the Hill Air Force Base Explosive Ordnance Disposal flight will take a break in operations for a day, to observe a second annual Safety "Stand-Down" Day. Senior Air Force leadership wants to give EOD Airmen a 'tactical pause' to focus on critical topics and events in their career field. EOD Airmen have been thrust into a dynamic wartime environment, with ever-changing asymmetric threats to life and limb, a thinking enemy engaged in a "cat-and-mouse" style of entrapment warfare, rounded off by an often confusing, contorted joint operational environment. All of these factors force EOD Airmen to adapt to situations at an unprecedented rate. Simply put, this style and operation of war has never been seen before, and our EOD Airmen are in the thick of it all.
EOD was born from the terrorism levied by Nazi Germany on the British during World War II. Air raids and "Buzz Bomb" strikes by the Germans left countless unexploded munitions, or UXO, scattered throughout the British countryside and its major cities. Intrepid engineers went out to these unexploded munitions in order to render them safe for disposal later on. Their bravery and ingenuity wrote the doctrine of Explosive Ordnance Disposal operations worldwide -- to protect people, resources and the environment from the hazards of explosive ordnance. This mission continues today, as brave EOD troops literally risk their lives when they render safe improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, clear enemy booby-traps, destroy captured enemy munitions, or even safe friendly ordnance inadvertently armed or dropped. Since 2005, the Air Force has lost 10 EOD Airmen, eight have been seriously injured through loss of a limb or worse, and 54 others have earned their Purple Heart. At Hill AFB alone, three Airmen have been lost: Tech. Sgt. Timothy Weiner, Senior Airman Elizabeth Loncki and Senior Airman Daniel Miller, while seven others have earned a Purple Heart. Their sacrifice in this dangerous mission, pushed onward by a punishing operational tempo, gave the thought to senior leadership that a pause was necessary to reflect on the mission and effects on those Airmen that perform it.
On Nov. 13, the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight will take that pause to discuss critical issues affecting the health and well-being of the EOD team. The day's intent is to identify and strengthen issues of the body, mind and spirit. It will start with a team building exercise at the base gym that morning. Later, EOD leadership will open the seminar portion of the day. Their comments will emphasize the importance of the lessons from experience, and will set the tone of "a pause for learning." The day will then continue with a review of operating tactics, techniques and procedures in the theater, along with selected EOD responses and lessons learned. The day will then progress by delving into topics such as traumatic brain injuries, or TBIs, documenting battlefield hazard exposures for future medical follow-up, post-deployment reintegration, families' lives during deployments, and the balance between home, personal, spiritual life and working life. Later in the afternoon, introspection will develop ways to "better" the shop through communication, interpersonal relationships, and flight methods and procedures to facilitate teamwork. Throughout the day will be different speakers from on-base agencies, which will foster talks, as well as introduce their capabilities to EOD Airmen.
The day's interaction will provide a forum to bring current information into the open. The day's discussions will also build a bridge between both the experienced and the newly minted EOD technician, allowing accumulated knowledge to flow down from senior to junior, and new questions and insight to flow up. Finally, the day's topics will allow a pause to show respect to those EOD technicians who have sacrificed themselves in the career field. The intent is that all EOD Airmen in the flight have a better understanding on issues that directly affect them, and that they are better equipped to confront professional challenges in the future. By discussing the issues that affect the mind, body and spirit of EOD Airmen on the battlefield, they will be better prepared to react when the mission dictates. In order to protect the lives of fellow Soldiers, Sailors and Marines, EOD personnel will take one day to take care of themselves.
