 ABOUT ME AND EOD My real name is Ed Rodgers, aka "Crazy Ed" or "AJ". I'm a retired Navy Master Chief Boatswain's Mate (Explosive Ordnance Disposal/Master Training Specialist). I was born in the 50's in Aylesbury, England. I lived there for 3 years and was imported to Roswell, New Mexico (or my space ship crashed there, I can't remember which LOL) as an Air Force brat. My family moved to Salina, Kansas when I was 9 and then to Fairfield, California when I was 11. I basically grew up there until I joined the Navy in 1973 at the ripe old age of 17. I joined the Navy at the MEPPS station in Oakland, California and was sent to boot camp in San Diego. I'll never forget the night I left home. They put us up in a seedy hotel in downtown Oakland. If being alone in Oakland at 17 wasn't bad enough I just happened to channel surf right into that movie about Jerry Lewis joining the Navy. After surviving boot camp, I attended and graduated from Personnelman (Personnel Clerk) Class A' School where I was taught to type and file and stuff like that.  When I could finally grab the pebble from my instructors hand [Grasshopper...] I was ordered north to Naval Air Station, Lemoore, California. I reported to Attack Squadron ONE FOUR SEVEN (an A7E Corsair II Squadron for all you aviation buffs) where I lived and learned from February 1974 to September 1977. During this tour I made 2 Western Pacific cruises on the USS CONSTELLATION (CVA-64). The "Connie" is an aircraft carrier (for all you land-lubber types). After surviving sea duty I was sent to the Personnel Office at Naval Air Station, Lemoore where I worked as the Separations/Reenlistment Supervisor until November of 1980. I am a "Plank Holder" at PSD Lemoore. For all my compadres who remember the old CADO data base; boy, things have sure changed. I still remember when we got our first IBM Selectric II typewriters in my first command! I believe I owe the rest of my career to a man named Ron Holman. Ron was my roommate at the barracks in Lemoore while I was at PSD. He is one of those unique individuals who ran in 100 mile marathons. Seriously. He got me started in running and shortly after that I took up weight lifting and distance swimming, all of which contributed to my success in the EOD field. With Ron's motivation I managed to get two marathons (26 miles) under my belt before starting EOD. So, "Thanks Ron"! After submitting my request for UDT/SEAL training I met the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Detachment from Concord, California. Actually PSD had no funds to send me to Coronado for an interview/screening test so the test was done by EOD who happened to come down to Lemoore for an Air Show. I passed the physical screening test for BUD/S. They (Jay Gonsalves, Ralph Vahle, Donnie Strohl, and Doug Bond) didn't have to try very hard to convince me that EOD was the career I was looking for so I changed my initial application from BUD/S to EOD. So off to EOD School I went!  EOD Det Adak Ordnance Disposal - Tanaga Island, Alaska EOD stands for Explosive Ordnance Disposal. For the uninformed, EOD Technicians are an elite group of Sailors in the U.S. Navy whose main job is to get rid of hazardous explosive devices, i.e. aircraft bombs, projectiles, torpedoes, land mines, sea mines, grenades, etc. etc. (either U.S. or foreign) that would probably hurt or kill someone if tampered with (either accidently or on purpose). We are also trained to deal with terrorist bombs and weapons of mass destruction (WMD). We are certified in both air and mixed gas scuba rigs so we can deal with nasty things under water. We also work with the U.S. Secret Service, providing presidential/dignitary protection support. Something I'll never forget is being on a Secret Service support team for President Reagan in 1984 in Hawaii, and in the lead motorcade car for President Clinton after the Summit of the Eight held in Denver, Colorado in June 1997. Naval School Explosive Ordnance Disposal (NAVSCOLEOD) located at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida is the foremost technical training institute of this type in the world. It is a joint-service command consisting of members of the Army, the Marine Corps, the Navy, and the Air Force. Oversight and management is the responsibility of the Department of the Navy. The EOD School mission is to train officers and enlisted personnel of the Army, Marine Corp, Air Force, and Navy in the best methods of detection, identification, render safe, and disposal of explosive ordnance and related devices. We also train foreign NATO military forces. Previously located at Naval Ordnance Station, Indian Head, Maryland; the command completed consolidation at Eglin AFB, Florida in 1999. I believe I was the last EOD Master Chief to leave Indian Head. Cliff Ancelet was the last Command Master Chief. He transferred a few weeks before I did.  Instruction included U.S. and foreign aircraft bombs, guided missiles, dispensers and payloads, aircraft explosive devices (egress systems, etc.), grenades, rockets, land mines, booby traps, projectiles, improvised explosive devices, weapons of mass destruction, sea mines, torpedoes, underwater operations planning and execution, demolition tools and procedures using explosives, and use of general EOD tools and equipment including the computer based EOD CD Rom publication set. Working under water (diving) on EOD class problems was an adventure in itself. Our first few exercises took place in practically pitch black water where we were taught to identify ordnance by feel alone. My class went to Solomons Island in January for our final U/W ordnance ops exams. Not exactly the kind of weather you would prefer to dive in. I still remember our face masks cracking from the cold as we practiced beach entries in Chesapeake Bay. We had to chip our boats off the pier each morning where they had been frozen in place. Good experience for two tours I would later complete on Adak Island in the Aleutians.  U/W Ord Practical: Me (in front), Steve Newman, Roy Bishop, Jaques Yves Gerwig The hard part is that each week would bring an entirely new challenge. After 4 days of classroom instruction you would be tested on explicit identification, what condition the item was in (armed, unarmed, armed and functioning, etc.) and proper use of the appropriate EOD tools to deal with how ever the practical problems were configured. After over 8 months of this, you still wouldn't know if you were going to pass or not, even down to the last problem. In my original class of 52, I was one of 4 that made it straight through. The rest either voluntarily dropped, failed academically, had some other issue come up which prohibited their completion of training, or academically failed and were "rolled" back into a later class to be given another chance.  At any given time, on any given day, an EOD Technician somewhere around the world is risking his or her life disarming or disposing of military ordnance or hazardous explosive devices. Each situation is unique, each it's own challenge. EOD Technicians are not only in the Navy. Some of my best friends are serving or have served in Army, Marine Corp, and Air Force EOD. We all attend the same school, which is now in Florida. May God bless all our bomb techs, military and civilian. If you're EOD now, ex-EOD, or thinking about joining; feel free to join us at either of the Yahoo Groups listed below.  Me At MK12 Diver Training in Indian Head, 1981
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