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EOD Mobile Unit 6 Det. 10 Returns Home

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS050505-10
Release Date: 5/5/2005 2:19:00 PM

By Journalist 1st Class (SW) Phil Beaufort, Maritime Force Protection Command Public Affairs

NAVAL AMPHIBIOUS BASE LITTLE CREEK, Va. (NNS) -- Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Mobile Unit 6 Det. 10 returned from deployment aboard USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) to Naval Station Norfolk, Va., April 18.

The eight-man detachment was assigned to Truman and spent four months in the Persian Gulf conducting maritime security operations (MSO).

MSO sets the conditions for security and stability in the maritime environment. MSO complements the counter-terrorism and security efforts of regional nations. MSO denies international terrorists use of the maritime environment as a venue for attack or to transport personnel, weapons, or other material.

While EOD's primary mission aboard Truman was handling and disposal of damaged and/or unexploded ordnance, detecting explosive threats while in port ranked just as high.

Since the USS Cole (DDG 67) bombing in 1996, Navy EOD has been charged with conducting pier sweeps and remaining on station in order to respond to any threat.

According to Lt. Benjamin Cipperley, Det. 10 officer-in-charge, his team provided service for any of the ships in the carrier strike group that needed their expertise.

The team also supported U.S. 5th Fleet and Central Command operations throughout the region.

"We were able to rotate guys into Iraq working with the Coalition EOD in Basra. They had so few EOD techs in country to manage the amount of calls they're getting that they were very welcoming of our support," said Cipperley.

"The first priority is IED's, but there are literally thousands and thousands of pounds of unexploded ordnance scattered around the country, and even if we could only send EOD techs at certain times it really helped them out. So even though we were just a small det, we really felt like we were able to contribute, that what we were doing had an impact on the work being done up there.

According to Chief Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Fuel) (EOD) Pat Altman, Det. 10's leading chief petty officer, Truman was an awesome platform to work from.

"The support we got on the ship is really incredible," said Altman. "The strike group commander understood our capabilities and was able to get us off the ship and in to the fight."

"We had guys out of EOD school just five months and we put them in-country doing what they trained for," said Altman. "This was really an invaluable experience for them and they took full advantage of it and it will really put them ahead on the power curve."

EOD Mobile Unit Six is homeported at Naval Weapons Station, Charleston S.C.