MARINE CORPS AIR STATION YUMA, Ariz. -- For the majority of Marines, avoiding improvised explosive devices is a primary goal. But, for explosive ordnance disposal Marines, meeting an IED head on is part of the job.
“EOD offers something new every single day,” said Staff Sgt. Steven Pope, Headquarters& Headquarters Squadron EOD technician.
The mission of an EOD technician is to identify conventional, biological, chemical, nuclear explosives as well as IEDs, then disarm them.
“In order to take apart an IED you have to know how to put one together. That is part of the reason only non-commissioned officers are EOD technicians, our field is looking for that level of maturity,” said Pope, a native of Amarillo, Texas.
In order to become part of EOD you must first pass the Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal School at Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. However, not all make it through the 42-week course.
“Twenty-five started in my cycle and only six graduated,” said Pope.
“Only three of my original 25 graduated,” added Sgt. Mark Hupp, H&HS EOD technician.
“The Marine Corps has the lowest attrition rate. The other branches allow junior enlisted to attend the basic course and that group comprises the majority of the failures,” said Sgt. Aaron Koerner, H&HS EOD technician.
“There is not much room for mistakes in the school or in our field. There is a very steep learning curve and you have to constantly strive to improve yourself,” said Hupp, a San Diego native.
The training doesn’t stop once EOD technicians leave school for their duty stations.
Hupp said after basic school EOD technicians are constantly getting publications on the newest explosives, which they must study. They also have to go back to various schools for other courses such as Defense Nuclear Weapons School, Weapons of Mass Destruction Course and Dynamic Entry Course.
The skills acquired as an EOD technician are very lucrative to civilian employers. In turn, EOD reenlistment bonuses currently range between $56,000 and $78,000.
“In our MOS (military occupational specialty) the bonus system is backward compared to other MOS,” said Pope.
In the EOD field the more time in service and rank advancement a marine has, the higher bonus whereas the norm is to have the lower time in service and rank, the higher the bonus.
All the technicians agreed that another perk to their field is travel.
“We are constantly getting (temporary additional duty) assignments and various missions throughout the local area,” said Hupp.
Yuma EOD is responsible for possible bomb threats within a 100-mile radius around the air station.
Hupp said an interesting bomb call in San Luis, Ariz., led to the discovery of 1700 pounds of marijuana.
“We went in to diffuse a bomb, but it was definitely not explosive,” said Hupp.
The Yuma EOD works with the Secret Service, FBI, CIA, Border Patrol, and county and city police forces.
In addition to these local responsibilities, Marines here will soon be helping with a joint-service project in Laos and Vietnam to help recover those who died in the Vietnam War.
“I am looking forward to helping recover fallen service members from past wars,” said Sgt. Jared Mason, H&HS EOD technician.
Mason, a Highlands Ranch, Colo. native will be going to Hawaii and Thailand on his way to Lang Son, North Vietnam for two months as part of the excavation project.
The EOD technicians here all felt that they are happier with their careers in the Marine Corps since moving to EOD.
Hupp a former avionics technician said, “No one will micromanage you, no one will hold your hand if you fail. Now I have a lot more responsibility than I used to have, but it is also more gratifying to go to work.”