SOUTHWEST ASIA --
Explosive ordinance disposal Airmen with the 380th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron hosted an EOD Capabilities Carnival at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia, Nov. 27, 2015.
The purpose of the carnival was to familiarize U.S. and coalition personnel with the various equipment utilized by EOD Airmen. Primary activities of EOD include detecting, rendering safe or destroying explosive devices, improvised explosive devices and weapons of mass destruction.
“We’re always getting a lot of questions like ‘what kind of stuff do you have’ or ‘what do you do’ so this was a great way for us get out there and show everyone what we work with and give them a good feel for what we do,” said Tech. Sgt. John, EOD technician with the 380th ECES. “The carnival aspect of it helped keep the atmosphere light while allowing everyone to have fun”
John oversaw the mine-resistant, ambush-protected all-terrain vehicle demonstration during the two-hour event, giving personnel who’d never seen or been inside the vehicle before a closer look.
Other events held during the carnival included the Drive the Robot, Locate the IED and the Bomb Suit Pushup Challenge.
The pushup challenge in particular was a crowd favorite, according to John.
Contenders came forward to take on the challenge, donning approximately 80 pounds of gear before being laid on the ground by EOD Airmen to attempt do the most pushups they could muster in one-minute.
The top male challenger won the event with 64 pushups and the top female with 32 pushups.
“The EOD gear was extremely heavy, a lot more than I expected. I definitely would not like to be wearing it for an extended length of time, but at the same time it’s extremely easy to get off, which is very helpful if you need to take it off quickly,” said Royal Australian Air Force Flying Officer Andrew, an air battle manager attached to the 727th Expeditionary Air Control Squadron and competitor for the pushup challenge.
Passersby continued to flood the event well passed the two-hour time cap it was originally scheduled for - eager to see an event like no other.
“The fun aspect they added to [the carnival] made it to very enjoyable,” said Andrew. “We don’t get the opportunity to speak to the EOD guys very often so this is definitely something we’ll remember.”
(Due to security and safety concerns last names were removed)