Soldiers destroy weapons cache in Afghanistan
by Cpl. Keith A. Kluwe
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Army News Servioe, Jan. 13, 2003) - Members of the 731st Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company from Ohio celebrated the New Years with a bang when they destroyed nearly 7,500 lbs. of unexploded ordnance at two sites a few miles outside the main gate of Kandahar Air Base.
It was a dangerous mission, but extremely important, said Staff Sgt. Ernest Richter III, a team leader with the 731st EOD.
"We destroyed these weapons caches so they can't be used against us or the current Afghan government," he said. "(The ordnance) is all still serviceable. They could fire it at U.S. troops or at each other."
Richter said safety is a prime consideration throughout the planning of each operation and during a mission. Planning typically starts a week before the mission, and includes such things as calculating the safe distances for personnel from the blast and fragmentation.
The day of the operation begins with a safety brief for all soldiers participating. Because of the risks involved, EOD technicians clear a safe area that is used when personnel are not actively working with ordnance.
Once each area is cleared, the rest of the unit moves in.
One work area for this mission was a concrete bunker filled with Spanish-made AE-120 mm-high-explosive mortar rounds.
The bunker was covered with steel decking and sand, which had to be removed with heavy equipment. The remaining dirt had to be removed by hand, and the team removed the packing crates filled with mortar rounds.
There were enough crates of mortar rounds to fill a flatbed truck twice.
Another work area was an open pit containing more than 40 Soviet-made FOTAB 100-80 aerial-photoflash bombs. FOTABs are filled with flash powder and are used at night for photography.
The FOTAB bombs were blown in place, but the mortar rounds were moved to a different blast site.
Once at the blast site, the mortar rounds were taken out of their crates, removed from their packing tubes, and stacked in a row - 115 rounds long and three high.
It's tough work, said EOD members, but there is no room for complacency. They said dropping a 37-pound mortar round at your feet is dangerous, to say the least.
The team placed blocks of C-4 explosives in planned locations on the pile and laid Bangalor torpedoes on top. All non-essential personnel left the area while the explosives were wired for detonation.
All explosions are controlled with a remote-command detonator as opposed to a timer. This is a safety precaution for aircraft flying in the local area or people on the ground who might wander too close to the blast area.
"Our job here is trying to keep all the soldiers here safe," said EOD technician, Sgt. Justin Roe. "In addition to destroying ordnance, we give classes on different types of ordnance and what can happen if they are handled by someone who doesn't know what they are doing."
(Editor's note: Cpl. Keith A. Kluwe is a member of the 109th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.)
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