Ceremony Honors Fallen EOD Warriors

By Ed Barker, Naval Education and Training Command Public Affairs

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (NNS) -- The names of 15 fallen EOD warriors were added to the EOD Memorial wall during a ceremony at the Kauffman Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Training Complex aboard Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., May 7.

The names were of Army, Marine Corps and Air Force EOD technicians killed in action last year in Iraq and Afghanistan. This 42nd annual ceremony gave family, friends and members of the EOD community, past and present, a chance to honor their fallen comrades.

The event is sponsored by the EOD Memorial Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring the legacy of fallen EOD warriors by providing for the maintenance and upkeep of the memorial at Eglin. Hosted by the Naval School Explosive Ordnance Disposal, all preparations were coordinated and executed by staff volunteers from all four services at the school.

"The EOD Memorial Foundation funds the memorial's maintenance and assists EOD families with scholarships and travel expenses to and from the annual memorial ceremony," said Foundation President Robert Fay. "We work closely with the services to document and verify that the member was killed during an EOD-related incident to be eligible to earn a place on the memorial's wall."

Oversight and management of the EOD school is the responsibility of the Navy, with joint-service manning by the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and the Air Force. The school's mission is to train officers and enlisted personnel in the best methods of detection, identification, render safe, and disposal of explosive ordnance and related devices.

Capt. Adam Guziewicz, the school's commanding officer, said reading the new names placed on the wall at the annual memorial is a poignant reminder that EOD technicians are on the front lines, risking their lives every day. The fallen warriors added to the wall in this year's ceremony consisted of five Army, eight Marines and two Air Force EOD technicians. All received their training at the EOD School aboard Eglin.

"They sacrificed all for their country, and we will never know the countless lives they have saved," said Guziewicz. "Their legacy will live on in the lives of those they left behind."

Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. James F. Amos, served as the guest speaker for the ceremony.

"This memorial stands as a testament to the sacrifice and fidelity of our brothers and sisters-in-arms who gave everything so that Americans might live in peace," said Amos. "The explosive ordnance disposal family is a unique fraternity with a special bond, and we will always remember those noble warriors and their families for their supreme courage and steadfast loyalty to our nation and each other."

The EOD Memorial was originally built by EOD technicians in Indian Head, Md., the location of the first EOD School. The memorial was relocated to the Kauffman EOD Training Complex when the school moved to its present location in the late 1990's. The new memorial incorporates elements of the original in recognition of its history.