EOD

UPDATE: Guam bomb defusal successful

By Kevin Lilley on December 5, 2013 EOD, Historical, Navy

Sailors assigned to the Marianas detachment of Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 5 kept Guam safe from a blast from the past. On Thursday, after an evacuation, their “render safe” procedure on a 500-pound, World War II-era bomb found near the entrance to the naval magazine proved successful. The team disarmed the bomb’s tail and nose fuzes before it was removed from the area for disposal, according to a post on Naval Base Guam’s official Facebook page. The bomb was found on a construction site. Lt. Dhruy Parashar, the unit’s officer in charge, had some words of advice for others…

Dangerous history: Navy plans to defuse World War II-era bomb found on Guam

By Kevin Lilley on December 4, 2013 EOD, Historical, Navy

Sailors assigned to Navy Explosive Disposal Mobile Unit 5, Detachment Marianas, are about to get a history lesson. Everybody else is about to get out of the way. Beginning at 3 p.m. local time Thursday, the area surrounding Naval Base Guam Ordnance Annex will be evacuated to allow for a “render safe” procedure on a 500-pound, World War II-era bomb found earlier this week, according to this Naval Base Guam Facebook post. The bomb was discovered at a construction site near the entrance to the annex, formerly known as Naval Magazine Guam. Anyone within 2,150 feet of the construction site…

Lt. Brad Snyder represents Tampa Bay Rays at All Star Game

By Jacqueline Klimas on July 16, 2013 Baseball, EOD, Navy

Lt. Brad Snyder is the only sailor among 30 military members selected to represent a Major League Baseball team at the All Star Game at Citi Field in New York, an MLB release said. The “Tribute for Heroes” contest, run by MLB and People’s Magazine, selected 90 finalists, then let the public vote online for the top 30, who were announced last week. The winners, one for each MLB team, will be recognized during the pre-game ceremony on Tuesday. They also took part in activities in the days leading up to the game like a private tour of the 9/11…

Three days, two ceremonies, five Bronze Star Medals

By Kevin Lilley on July 10, 2013 Diving, EOD, Navy

In two ceremonies over a three-day span at the end of last month, four enlisted sailors and one officer received Bronze Star Medals. Navy Diver 1st Class (DSW/SW) John Hanson and ND2 (DSW/SW) Robert Klingaman received their honors June 25 at Southeast Regional Maintenance Center in Jacksonville, Fla., according to a Navy release. Both earned the awards while attached to Naval Special Warfare Group 3, for what the release called “a highly sensitive special operation critical to the national defense of the United States.” A spokesperson with SRMC could provide no further details; both men served with the Little Creek,…

Admiral the therapy dog helping patients at NMCP

By Toni Rico on June 28, 2013 Dog handling, EOD, Health, Military dog handling, Morale, Navy

Dogs have a long history of combat service in the military — they were first officially used by the U.S. in World War II. The military’s working dogs are trained at their own school at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. The dogs have been trained as sentries, to sniff for drugs, or simply catch bad guys while working with military police. And you can’t forget the military working dogs sniffing out bombs with Navy explosive ordnance disposal teams. So it comes as no surprise that the dog pictured at right is serving sailors off the battlefield. “Admiral” is not a…

Rare torpedo discovered by dolphins arrives at Navy Yard for restoration

By Jacqueline Klimas on June 4, 2013 Diving, EOD, Historical, Mine warfare, Navy, ordnance

The rare torpedo discovered by dolphins off the coast of California arrived safely at the Washington Navy Yard on May 30. Naval History and Heritage Command’s Underwater Archaeology Branch now has the remains of the Howell torpedo, a Navy release said. It is only the third one known to exist; the other two are displayed at the Naval Undersea Museum and the Naval War College. Before arriving in D.C., the torpedo was placed in fresh water, which helps leech the salt out of the artifact, the release said. “It’s kept in water because it was found in a saltwater environment,”…

Navy dolphins find old, inert torpedo off California coast

By Jacqueline Klimas on May 20, 2013 Diving, EOD, Historical, Navy

A group of Navy dolphins who detect underwater mines found something unique during a training session: a Howell torpedo that is more than 100 years old. In April, a bottlenose dolphin named Ten surfaced from a training dive off the coast of Coronado, Calif. and touched the front of the boat with his nose — a sign that he had found something during the dive, the Los Angeles Times reported. Navy personnel were surprised that he had signaled positive in a place they didn’t expect, but they were even more surprised when Spetz, another dolphin in the program, did the…

Navy lieutenant joins gold medalist, Prince Harry in opening 2013 Warrior Games

By Jacqueline Klimas on May 13, 2013 EOD, Navy

Lt. Brad Snyder, a former explosive ordnance disposal technician blinded by a blast in Afghanistan, lit the cauldron during the 2013 Warrior Games opening ceremony May 11. At the 2012 Warrior Games, Snyder won four gold medals in swimming and three gold medals in track and field events. Later that year, he went on to win two gold and one silver medal in swimming at the 2012 London Paralympics just one year after the improvised explosive device blinded him in Afghanistan in September 2011. “I am humbled by the opportunity to still be a part of something very near and…

Blind Lt., Paralympian to compete in Trident Challenge

By Jacqueline Klimas on April 25, 2013 EOD, Navy

Lt. Brad Snyder has already proven his dominance in the water, earning three medals at the 2012 Paralympics in London. Now he’s looking to show that being blind won’t hold him back on land or a surfboard either. On May 19, Snyder is participating in the Trident Challenge — a 5K run, 500-meter ocean swim, and 1.5K ocean surfboard paddle — as part of the Never Quit weekend in Jacksonville Beach, Fla. He will be guided in the run and the paddle by Bethany Hamilton, a surfer who lost one arm in a shark attack. Snyder, a former explosive ordnance…

Sea-Air-Space notebook: Blind officer, Paralympian talks about transition

By Jacqueline Klimas on April 8, 2013 EOD, Mentoring, Navy, Sea Air Space

Lt. Brad Snyder’s presentation at the Navy League’s annual Sea-Air-Space symposium outside Washington, D.C., didn’t have any PowerPoint slides. “I can’t see it, so you can’t either,” he said during the Monday afternoon speaker floor session at the Navy League booth. Snyder was blinded by an improvised explosive device blast during a deployment to Afghanistan in September 2011. During his recovery, the Naval Academy grad and former swimmer got back into the pool to regain his confidence. He never imagined it would lead him to the London Paralympics last summer, where he won two gold medals and one silver. The…

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