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THE REAL HURT LOCKER.
Two homemade bombs went off near a sidewalk in Sadr City, reports The Times, in a series of explosions that killed at least 15 people in Iraq and engulfed one vehicle traveling in a U.S. military convoy in flames. The attack serves as a reminder that the IED, or improvised explosive devise, is one of the most horrific aspects of the war.
This sort of scene is currently playing out on theater screens: The Hurt Locker, a new movie about Iraq, traces the lives of the men who are responsible for defusing the bombs. It seems super-realistic and authentic, even with its flaws (Tom Ricks on The Best Defense recommends the movie, but has pointed out quite a few of them). In truth, however, the experience of bomb-defusing in the summer of 2004, when the movie takes place, was quite different for a lot of the people who were actually involved in the undertaking.
On Sunday, I interviewed a former Marine who had been a bomb-defuser in Anbar Province during that time. We were sitting at a table at his grandmother’s house in Metamora, Illinois, and I asked him what it was like to defuse the IEDs. I said it must have been rough, and he said it wasn't bad, explaining that you just have to know how to do it right.
“No, it’s really hard and scary,” I said. “You haven't seen the movie!” (Hey, I was joking). Everyone at the table, his mom, his aunt, his grandmother, even he, laughed.
“Oh, she should know,” his mom said, “she's seen the movie!”
He told me that basically the heroes in the movie – EODs, as they were known, since they worked in Explosive Ordnance Disposal -- were understaffed and took forever to show up, sometimes six hours or more. “We call EOD guys ‘Engineers Off Duty’ because they’re OFP,” he said. They're their “Own Fucking Program.”
Another Marine who served in the same squad in Anbar Province – he is now living in Illinois, and is studying to be a paramedic -- told me that once they came across a bomb-filled mini-truck on the side of the road and contacted the people from Explosive Ordnance Disposal but had to wait so long for them that one of his friends just crawled underneath the truck and duct-taped C4 plastic explosives to the axle and then lit a fuse and left. He had less than four minutes to get out of the way. It worked. No robot suit or armor, either.
For all The Hurt Locker’s scariness and authenticity, the heroes in the movie have nothing on what these guys did.
--Tara McKelvey
COMMENTS (4)
Omg. Seriously, you did not talk to an EOD tech. Eod operates night and day. There is no sleep for them. The sad thing is there isn't enough of them out there to take care of everything. They are some of the bravest I know! There not sitting around off duty! There working 24/7, trying to render safe roads and ieds. They are the ones rushing into burning vehicles pulling out marines, when no one else will because of secondary ieds. I have lost too many friends, for some engineer to minimize what Eod does. No one else can do there job!!! Please get the story right! For my friends sake.
Posted by: Friend to eod | July 22, 2009 4:15 PM
Of course you're right: The EOD techs are incredibly brave and heroic. The Marines I talked to only wished there were more of them, that's all, and if they sounded sarcastic when they talked to me, that doesn't mean they don't understand how hard their jobs are.
Posted by: Tara McKelvey | July 22, 2009 5:26 PM
no, seriously... you did NOT talk to an EOD tech. sorry. lots of hot dogs talk about how they defused bombs. some of them did. especially engineers. lots of them get killed too. in large part because they are doing things training that EOD techs have behind them, not to mention the equipment. some of these hot dogs take a one day class in how to recognize a bomb (that they should leave alone and call EOD) and I swear they call that explosives training! who gave the class? EOD!
First clue you did NOT talk to an EOD tech? "He told me that basically the heroes in the movie – EODs, as they were known, since they worked in Explosive Ordnance Disposal -- were understaffed and took forever to show up, sometimes six hours or more. “We call EOD guys ‘Engineers Off Duty’ because they’re OFP,” he said. They're their “Own Fucking Program.”" EOD doesn't have to CALL EOD, they ARE EOD... think about it... and they wouldn't make fun of or belittle themselves, calling themselves OFP! nor would they say "they"!!! they would say "we"!!! no, you were NOT talking to an EOD member. sorry.
Donella
proud wife of a REAL (tho retired) EOD officer
Posted by: Donella Spencer | July 23, 2009 7:39 AM
dang it... the post didn't post the first time, and when it did the second time it took OFF several VERY VITAL words from my sentence!!!
"in large part because they are doing things training that EOD techs have behind them, "
should be: in large part because they are doing things WITHOUT THE MONTHS OR EVEN YEARS OF training that EOD techs have behind them,
sorry, don't know why that happened- maybe my post was too long!?!
Donella
Posted by: Donella Spencer | July 23, 2009 7:45 AM