FORT STEWART, Ga. – U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal Soldiers trained to field new EOD robots on Fort Stewart, Georgia.
Soldiers from the 756th Ordnance Company (EOD) learned about the CRS robot system during a training class.
Sgt. Joseph Serafini from Palm City, Florida; Sgt. Eric Forgarsi from Raleigh, North Carolina; Spc. Patrick Doherty from Kansas City, Missouri; Spc. Ryan Huffhines from Hollywood, South Carolina; and Pfc. Christian Wilson-Garcia from Puyallup, Washington, participated in the training course that was cut short by Hurricane Ian.
The Fort Stewart, Georgia-based 756th EOD Company “Blasters” are part of the 184th EOD Battalion and 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command, the U.S. Department of Defense’s premier all hazards command.
Soldiers and U.S. Army civilians deploy from 19 bases in 16 states to tackle the world’s most dangerous hazards in support of military operations around the world and domestic authorities across the nation.
According to 1st Lt. Houston T. Buxton, a platoon leader with the 756th EOD Company, the new robot will increase the EOD company’s arsenal of weapons needed to defeat dangerous explosive devices.
“The size and operability of the robot make for a great reconnaissance tool,” said Buxton. “This robot will get used frequently on various mission sets, given its portability. Its quick startup will cut down on idle time leading up to missions and allow team members to focus their attention on more pertinent tasks.”
Buxton said the Blasters will use the new robots to get ready for an upcoming training rotation at the National Training Center on Fort Irwin, California.
“After the fielding, the 756th EOD Company will set up different robot lanes in preparation for NTC,” said Buxton, a Seattle native who graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York. “These lanes will key us in on which robots to use during mounted operations. Similarly, we will use these robots for team leader certifications and other training events to better prepare our EOD techs for future missions.”
Highly trained and equipped for operations around the world, U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians are experts who can render safe anything from a hand grenade to a nuclear weapon.
Headquartered on Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, the 20th CBRNE Command is home to 75 percent of the active-duty U.S. Army’s EOD technicians and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) specialists, as well as the 1st Area Medical Laboratory, CBRNE Analytical and Remediation Activity, five Weapons of Mass Destruction Coordination Teams and three Nuclear Disablement Teams.
U.S. Army EOD units from 20th CBRNE Command deploy to the U.S. Central Command and U.S. Africa Command areas of operations while also supporting U.S. Indo-Pacific Command exercises and Defense Support to Civil Authorities missions for U.S. Northern Command.
The 756th EOD Company deployed to Syria and Iraq from April 2021 to December 2021.
As a part of their homeland response mission, the Blasters also respond when military munitions are found on or off base in the coastal areas of Georgia, including everything east of Atlanta, north of Jacksonville, Florida; and south of Fort Jackson, South Carolina.
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