Giant pumpkins no match for Travis EOD team

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Shaun Emery
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Overseas, Travis Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team members take work with dangerous explosives and render safe Improvised Explosive Devices that put our troops in harms way, but Oct. 31 all their training helped kick off Halloween with a bang. 

Recently, on a trip to pick out that perfect Halloween pumpkin, Staff Sgt. Ronnie Brickey from the Travis EOD team was approached by someone hoping he could put his skills to use in an unconventional way. 

The Cooley brothers, Mark and Matt, owners of the Cool Patch Pumpkins World's Largest Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch were looking for a way to destroy two giant pumpkins to celebrate Halloween. 

"They saw the EOD badge on my shirt and approached me with the idea of blowing up their pumpkins," said Sergeant Brickey. "I thought it would be a cool way to get some training in and show the public what we do." 

The Cooley's explained that every year they try to do something extravagant to destroy the pumpkins such at last year hoisting a 1,000 lb. pound pumpkin up with a crane and dropping it onto a vehicle. 

"We wanted to help Team Travis host the world's largest pumpkin explosion this year," said Matt Cooley. 

EOD took delivery of two massive pumpkins the day before Halloween and using a chainsaw hollowed out an area to place their explosives. 

"On our range we are regulated to 3.5 pounds of explosives," explained Staff Sgt. Richard Dula, EOD team member. "Those 3.5 pounds will be more than enough." 

In the early morning hours of Halloween, the EOD team put the first pumpkin in place, to test the explosives. The first pumpkin, weighing in at 743 pounds was grown by Chris Gruenwald, a sophomore at University of California Davis. Surprisingly Mr. Gruenwald had no reservations about seeing the pumpkin he grew all summer being destroyed. 

"It was really cool," he said, after pressing the button that resulted in pumpkin fragments fly through the air. "I'd do it again in a heartbeat." 

The main event was a 1,300 pound pumpkin the Cooley's bought and donated. As Sergeant Brickey yelled "fire in the hole" all eyes focused downrange for what they came to see. 

Pumpkin shrapnel flew through the air at the press of a button, reaching more than 100 feet in the air. 

"It was an awesome sight to see," said Tech. Sgt. Donald Osborn, 60ty Air Mobility Wing public affairs non-commissioned officer in charge. "It's amazing what our EOD team does everyday working with explosives and training to keep our fellow Airmen safe downrange. 

The Cooley's shared the same sentiments, but Matt Cooley's mind quickly turned to next year's plans. 

"Maybe next year we can drop one out of an airplane," he jokingly said.