By Sean CW Korsgaard
CP Reporter
Each year, the U.S. Army brings the boom to Fort A.P. Hill when the six best two-man teams of EOD specialists in the Army come to compete in the Explosive Ordinance Disposal Team of the Year competition. This year though, the competition was only the beginning, as the past week, Fort A.P. Hill was the host of the grueling week long Ordinance Crucible, which ran from September 11th to the 15th.
While in years past, the EOD Team of the Year competition ran each team through a week long grueling obstacle course that tested their skills at everything from disarming bombs to proper ordinance disposal, as part of the larger Ordinance Crucible, it now also includes a physical fitness test, M4 qualification, and a 12-Mile Foot March.
“We’ve actually had a lot of people complain in years past that we’ve been too easy on them in years past, so we stepped things up this year,” said Brig. Gen. Michel Natali. “We bring together the best soldiers and the best training, we wear they bend and wear they break, and adjust accordingly, that’s why we run the team of the year competition.”
As for the events of the EOD Team of the Year competition, they ranged from rescuing trapped “soldiers” in a Husky mine detection vehicle from the middle of a simulated minefield, performing field analysis of drug labs and bomb making labs, and even using a combination of expanded polystyrene, water and mild explosives to dislodge a stuck round from the barrel of an artillery turret.
The six teams gathered were the 744th Ordinance Company out of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, the 65th Ordinance Company out of Fort Wainwright, Alaska, the 11th Chemical Company from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, the 720th Ordnance Company from Baumholder, Germany, the 21st Ordnance Company from Kirkland Air Force Base, New Mexico, and the 1108th Ordnance Company from the New York National Guard.
Sgt. Paul White, the team leader with the 11th Chemical Company, had just gotten through an exercise meant to simulate defusing a neck bomb, spoke briefly about the challenges, big and small, facing competitors.
“Everything we deal with here is meant to push us to our limits, be it facing events like we might on deployment, or even just acclimating to these muggy Virginia summers,” said White. “We’re doing our best, and we’re learning things, and even three days in, we’re still going strong.”
The purpose of the crucible and the team of the year competition isn’t only to test the Army’s best on their skills though, but to evaluate the Army’s current methods and training regiment, and adjust them accordingly each year.
Major Joe Cullingford, the executive officer of the 73rd Ordinance Battalion out of Eglin Air Force Base Florida, served as acting battalion commander over the course of the weeklong event, says more so than the competition, gauging the readiness and training is the most important thing they do, and it will have an impact on every EOD unit in the Army.
“I have been working in EOD for 25 years, and it not only changes every year, it changes every week, and the only stable rule is that every time we get a rulebook, it’s time to toss out the rulebook and make a new one,” said Cullingford. “That’s why we do this, we bring in the best of the best every year, so we can stay on top of this, and stay ahead of our enemies.”
The twelve soldiers taking part in the EOD Team of the Year are the best of the best, but only one could be crowned the winner, and this year it was Sgt. 1st Class Joshua Tygret and Sgt. Austin Murphy of the 744th Ordinance Company out of Fort Campbell, Kentucky. For their victory, they were both awarded the Army Commendation Medal, two pistols, and of course, bragging rights for the next year. Though exhausted, the pair were proud to be returning to Fort Campbell as victors.
“The point of these exercises are to push you to your very limit, and believe me, they did,” said Tyget. “We did our very best all week, and in the end, it paid off. Be nice to take a breather for a bit now though.”
“You know what though? We’ve had a blast,” said Murphy with a smile.
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