FORT LEE, Va. (Sept. 1, 2011) -- Sgt. 1st Class Ronald Pearson remembers his explosive ordnance disposal advanced individual training at Redstone Arsenal, Ala. and how ill-equipped he felt during the subsequent, more in-depth phase of the course at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.
"When I was going through the 89D course, I didn't get to see any of what was expected of me out at Eglin," he recalled.
Pearson became an EOD instructor a few years ago, and with fresh memories of his AIT days, began an effort with others to better prepare students to tackle the second phase of EOD training.
The 89D Challenge was the result of their work. It's essentially an end-of-course capabilities test designed to give students critical thinking and teamwork skills needed for success in phase two of the course at Eglin.
"It won't be a kick in the face when they get down there," said Pearson.
"Challenge," which began a year ago at Redstone, continues as a part of the 89D course now taught at Fort Lee. The first 89D class here graduated Monday as 15 students earned their phase one certificates. The 89D course was a part of the now-defunct Ordnance Munitions and Electronics Maintenance School at Redstone but is now a component of Fort Lee's Ordnance School.
Operations at Redstone were relocated here as a result of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure mandate. Roughly 1,500 students are expected to come here annually for the 10-week course that includes one day of live-fire training at Fort A.P. Hill.
Many of the students who successfully complete the course will end up in Iraq and Afghanistan where they will use their skills to combat the presence and proliferation of roadside bombs and improvised explosive devices.
Pearson, speaking at the "Challenge" exercise site Friday, said the two-day event wraps up "everything they've learned from day one in the form of EOD incident."
Day one begins with a record physical training test and proceeds with the EOD incident from start to finish. Pearson said day one is most critical.
"Anything that can go wrong will go wrong," he said. "It's easy to make a mistake and, in the real world, that mistake can be fatal."
The second day starts with a ruck march and moves on to a number of teambuilding exercises that emphasize leadership qualities and the sharing of ideas.
"The exercise lets them see that any member of the team can propose solutions or ideas and they can be received, applied and successful versus being passive and failing the mission," said Pearson.
All seven exercises included in "Challenge" require students to think critically, said Pearson, noting EOD technicians have to be "quick on their feet."
"That's something we have to do everyday," said the 30-year-old who has been deployed twice. "We have to be 'Johnny on the spot' with the good ideas right then and there."
Capt. Clifton Vincent, commander, Charlie Company 832nd Ord. Battalion, 59th Ord. Brigade, the unit to which the 89Ds are assigned, said instructor breadth and experience are important in conveying the criticality of their mission.
"These guys are all over it," he said of the EOD instructors. "You've got seasoned, well-experienced bomb techs instructing the course. These guys are coming out of theater with what's hot and what's not."
Pfc. Paul Martin, a student undergoing the "Challenge" on Friday, said his instructors impressed upon him that solutions to problems in the field probably won't be found step-by-step in a manual.
"Things are never going to be textbook," said the Chelmsford, Mass., native. "Things are going to be changed, different and awkward. A large portion of this is going to be improvisation. You have to be able to keep a clear head and think through things, learn not to panic or get down on yourself and freeze up."
For Pearson, that's the touchstone for success in the course and in the field.
"As long as they don't make the same mistakes they've made here in phase one, I'm glad to see techs come into the field," he said. "If they repeat the same mistakes, you just hope they get a second chance. That's the best you can hope for."
Social Sharing