EOD teams compete in annual USARPAC TOY competition

By Staff Sgt. Taresha HillJuly 22, 2015

EOD teams compete in annual USARPAC TOY competition
1 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Staff Sgt. Dustin Bussard (left), EOD team leader, 74th EOD Company, 303rd EOD Battalion, 8th Military Police Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, and his team wait for a Black Hawk to land during the U.S. Army-Pacific EOD Team of the Year compe... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
EOD teams compete in annual USARPAC TOY competition
2 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Staff Sgt. Steven Huffman (left), EOD team leader, 718th EOD Company, 23rd CBRNE Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, U.S. Forces Korea, carefully neutralizes an explosive devise attached to a chair while the hostage waits patiently during the U.S. Army... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
EOD teams compete in annual USARPAC TOY competition
3 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Team members from the 65th EOD Company, 303rd EOD Battalion, 8th Military Police Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, and based in Alaska, carry a casualty after carefully clearing a pathway from a compound surrounded by improvised explosive dev... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
EOD teams compete in annual USARPAC TOY competition
4 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Staff Sgt. Ross Bryant, 65th EOD Company, 303rd EOD Battalion, 8th Military Police Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, and based in Alaska, digs around an unexploded ordnance during the U.S. Army-Pacific EOD Team of the Year competition held Ju... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
EOD teams compete in annual USARPAC TOY competition
5 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (From left) Staff Sgt. Dustin Bussard, Cpl. Ryan Voss and Spc. Matthew Hamilton, 74th EOD Company, 303rd EOD Battalion, 8th Military Police Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, wear their Army Commendation Medals while holding the USARPAC Team o... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii - Four explosive ordnance disposal teams from throughout U.S. Army-Pacific gathered, here, to compete in USARPAC's EOD Team of the Year competition, July 13-17.

The USARPAC level EOD TOY competition is conducted each year in order select the premier USARPAC EOD Team that will compete in the Department of the Army EOD TOY later this year.

This year the 303rd EOD Battalion hosted the competition in which the Army's best EOD teams were represented from 8th Theater Sustainment Command, U.S. Army Alaska and U.S. Forces Korea.

The weeklong competition tested and assessed the four teams on an array of events ranging from basic Soldier common tasks to EOD skill level knowledge and proficiency.

"It definitely forces you to the next step in the problem-solving process," said Sgt. Ryan Essenmacher, team leader, 706th EOD Company, 303rd EOD Bn., 8th Military Police Brigade, 8th TSC. "It challenges you to work adaptively, efficiently and to delegate appropriately in order to achieve the mission, all while under extreme time and resource constraints."

Essenmacher said that while this was his third time competing, it was his first time to do so as a team leader.

"I wanted to do it as a personal challenge and to validate to myself that I know what I am doing and that I am ready to take on the responsibilities of a team leader," said Essenmacher.

In addition to testing the teams' technical and tactical skills, the EOD team competition is also an event that helps to foster and develop leaders.

"This builds stronger leaders because the team leader that is in charge has to be a strong leader, he has to control his team and the scene," said Master Sgt. Chad Vervaet, operations noncommissioned officer in-charge, Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 303rd EOD Bn. "He is controlling everything around him."

Vervaet added, "This is just a test of that leadership."

The teams were put through many challenges testing their technical and tactical skills. Events ranged from the Army Physical Fitness Test, to marksmanship with five different weapons, ordnance identification, unexploded ordnance procedures, improvised explosive device procedures, a written test and information brief.

"We wanted the scenarios to be as realistic as possible," said Command Sgt. Maj. Brant Shyrigh, senior enlisted adviser, 303rd EOD Bn. "Some of the scenarios were even based on real-world situations."

In one event, a UH-60M Black Hawk flew each team onto the scene. Shyrigh said the teams really had to dig deeper and to continue to drive-on each day.

"It really puts you in situations, that unless you've been deployed, you really don't get to do," said Staff Sgt. Dustin Bussard, team leader, 74th EOD Co., 303rd EOD Bn. "You get pushed to the edge and find out what you really are made of."

The competition was grueling and fiercely competitive with each team running neck to neck. In the end, it was 74th EOD Co., who took first place and will continue on to represent USARPAC at the Department of Army level EOD TOY later this year.

Shyrigh said it was a tight race and praised the other teams for their hard work.

Shyrigh encouraged the other teams and said, "This year may not have been your year, just keep training and come back next year."

RELATED STORIES