EOD experts keep assessors safe Published June 30, 2003 By Capt. Roger Burdette Combined Weapons Effectiveness Assessment Team Public Affairs BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFPN) -- Finding a bomb that accurately struck an Iraqi target but did not go “bang” is not a good thing, according to combined weapons effectiveness assessment team officials. They said unexploded ordnance is not good because it is a weapon that did not perform as intended. It is also a danger for both Iraqis in the area and for members of the assessment team, who crawl over sites targeted during Operation Iraqi Freedom to assess the effectiveness of coalition weapons.Identifying unexploded ordnance and dealing appropriately with them are what explosive ordnance disposal experts do best. For that reason, there are six EOD specialists included on the assessment team.At the vast majority of the more than 250 sites inspected so far, the weapons successfully detonated, but at a few sites, the team has found unexploded ordnance.At each site the team examines, most members of the team do not enter the area until EOD experts go in first. The EOD troops scour each site for unexploded weapons.“We are identifying hazards on site – (unexploded ordnance) or anything else explosive related,” said Master Sgt. Eddy Dominguez, a 20-year EOD veteran deployed to Iraq from the 437th Civil Engineer Squadron at Charleston Air Force Base, S.C.When they locate unexploded ordnance, the EOD specialists advise team leaders about appropriate safety precautions and record the precise location using the Global Positioning System. Then they pass the information to an Army detonation team, who destroys the ordnance. With the help of a translator, they also advise local residents about how to stay safe around the ordnance.In most cases, the assessment team is still able to examine the sites.“Just because there’s (an unexploded ordnance) in the area doesn’t mean the team has to come to a screeching halt, and we have to avoid that target,” Dominguez said. “All that means is we have to observe certain safety precautions associated with that type of ordnance. We can work well around the ordnance and still continue to collect data.“In essence,” he said, “we keep the team going forward.”The team will present a report of its findings to U.S. Central Command Air Forces this fall.