Travis EOD warriors – local heroes

  • Published
  • By Capt. Robbie Marcucci
  • Travis Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team flight lead
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  "Rendering safe" Improvised Explosive Devices in support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom, members of Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams throughout the Area of Responsibility are credited with saving thousands of lives.

But while the mission names and terrain may change, the risk and reward of their job continues at their home stations.

0928 hrs, 2 Feb 2009, Point Reyes National Seashore -

EOD team leader, Tech. Sgt. Ronnie Brickey and team member, Senior Airman Chris Bowen start their descent down a treacherous seaside cliff to their target some 300 feet below, a Mark-25 Marine Marker. Rappelling down the near-vertical rock face is no easy task, considering they just hiked two miles with their 30- pound packs stuffed with equipment and blocks of C-4 plastic explosive.

1045 hrs, Point Reyes National Seashore -

A thunderous boom is heard rippling down the Pacific shoreline. Having completed a successful reconnaissance and determining that the Marine Marker is too cumbersome and dangerous to take back up the cliff, the team successfully detonates the explosive hazard in place. They begin their trek back up the cliff.

1348 hrs, Travis AFB -

After a two-hour drive back to the base, the team works on storing explosives and reconstituting their equipment. No handshakes, no medals. Another successful mission completed.

Although not as glamorous as "rendering safe" roadside IEDs in Iraq, or detonating 6,000 lbs of enemy cache munitions in the hills of Afghanistan, the EOD operators of the 60th Civil Engineer Squadron take their home station jobs with the utmost of seriousness and professionalism.

Even though members routinely spend 50 percent of their time deployed to dangerous environments and look forward to some down time back here at Travis, a challenging mission awaits them here too.

Members such as Sergeant Brickey and Airman Bowen can be expected to be called to respond 24/7 to any number of explosive hazards, anywhere in their massive 30,000-square mile Northern California AOR.

At an average rate of once every week, Travis EOD members will be called on unique missions to disarm old military ordnance in the snowy hills of Yosemite, a discovered box of hand grenades at a deceased World War II veteran's home in Sacramento, naval rescue markers washing up on the shores of Monterey, or a host of other dangerous possibilities.

With 65 responses in the past year, (among the highest of any other Air Force EOD unit,) the Travis EOD Flight expertly prevents accidental high-order detonations, protecting life and property of grateful local citizens.

Just keep your ears peeled for sounds of detonations on the base EOD range, or for sirens leaving the front gate, because EOD is out there keeping the public safe. And as their motto "Initial Success, or Total Failure" indicates, there are no second chances.