My son in the Army

Nothing to do with boats, but I figured I'd mention it in the open discussion forum anyway....

My younger son Dwaine was sworn into the US Army yesterday, and accepted for training as an EOD Technician. That stands for Explosive Ordinance Disarmament, and it's a fancy name for the Army Bomb Squad. After a 9 week boot camp, he'll go through another 38 weeks of training to earn his badge.

Obviously I'm proud of him, both for joining and for qualifying for an elite specialty. But I hope I can be forgiven for saying that as a father, I'm not wild about the job he chose...

 

That's something that really needs time and some good army experience under your belt before going into. I had the opportunity to volunteer for EOD while in the British Royal Engineers, with a mechanical and electrical background I probably could have done quite well. In the end Colonel Sanders had a hand in it!! I wish you son well.

 

Why worry about a carreer like that ? You'll probably find more people get killed in car accidents than with explosives. It seems you are the one with the doubts Oh it's the combined risk... Well, just keep him off the roads then

If you've been following the pirate thread, then he may become our contact in defending ourselves. We need an explosive source...

Besides, you don't want him to become a pen pusher in an office where he can get fat and die of a heart attack at age 30, eh !

He'll be ok, if he's half as smart as the old man, right ?

 

Tell him to specilize in the operation of robotic vehicles. Good luck to him and you during his service.Better than a MOS of
"tunnel rat"

 

Oh, he's at least as smart as the old man; maybe smarter. But I wasn't smart enough to stay out of trouble, or to avoid collecting miscellaneous holes in my skin.

Let's hope he's half as lucky as the old man.

 

As a retired Coastie I salute him and thank him for his service' especially in times of war. Yes his MOS is dangerous, but a lot less dangerous than being a grunt, and being the poor ******* "on point". They learn how to safely dispose of those things. I was in ordinance in my enlisted days so I know a little about it. Today they use a lot of remotely operated devices as was pointed out. Besides, if he deiceds not to reenlist he will have great qualifications for a job in civilian life.

Bravo Zulu to him (That means well done to CG and Navy people)

 

Agreed.

 

I have nothing but admiration for him. that takes Guts Good on him. he will save lives instead of staring down the sights of some machine gun
found this, maybe he would like to read


Colonel Bob Seddon on the 'psychological price' of the job

The Army's top bomb disposal officer has resigned, the MoD has said.

The BBC understands from army sources that Colonel Bob Seddon, of the Royal Logistic Corps, quit over fears bomb disposal training could be compromised.

There has been pressure on the Army to produce more bomb-disposal experts quickly as a result of the threat of roadside bombs in Afghanistan.

An Army spokesman said it "remains committed to the counter improvised explosive device (IED) effort".

Soldier 'shortage'

BBC defence correspondent Caroline Wyatt said the resignation may have been partly motivated by fears that pressures within the Army to do more to fight the threat from roadside bombs could lead to soldiers being sent to the front line with less training.



There has been intense pressure on the Army to produce more counter-IED operatives to tackle the threat faster in Afghanistan

Caroline Wyatt
BBC defence correspondent

Why did bomb expert resign?
Widow: 'He was so tired'

In an interview with the BBC's Panorama, Col Seddon, who held the post of principal ammunition technical officer, said he was concerned about the impact on his team of a shortage of soldiers trained to defuse homemade explosives.

He also said he is worried about the length of tours and the lack of rest for his elite unit.

He was interviewed for the programme by Christina Schmid, the widow of Staff Sergeant Oz Schmid, who was killed in Afghanistan in October 2009.

Col Seddon, who won a Queen's Commendation for Bravery in Iraq in 2006, said: "I'm very concerned that in the longer term that some of my people who have done phenomenally difficult and dangerous work in Afghanistan may pay a deeper psychological price for the work that they've conducted."

'Indiscriminate threat'

He said measures are in place to bring in more explosives experts but it takes at least six years to fully train a specialist operator, meaning the pressure on existing units is not easily abated.

"It means the existing cohort are going to be under pressure."

Two of the most experienced men in 11 EOD Regiment died during its last tour of Helmand - Staff Sgt Schmid and Captain Dan Read.

The Ministry of Defence said steps are being taken to recruit more soldiers to the job.

The Army has begun to offer £50,000 payments to top bomb disposal soldiers willing to sign on for another tour of duty in Afghanistan in a bid to ease the pressure on the units already deployed.

In a statement to the BBC, the MoD admitted guidelines for rest periods and the length of tours had been broken in Afghanistan.

"Unfortunately at a time of high operational commitment, breaches of harmony guidelines do occur but we are taking steps to address the situation."

New defence secretary Liam Fox, who visited Afghanistan this weekend, said he would make sure everything possible was done to ensure that British forces had what they needed to deal with the "indiscriminate threat from IEDs".

 

Well gee, that certainly eases my worries about the kid's new job....

But I had already assumed the Army is getting desperate for EOD personnel, because they've started taking raw recruits into training straight out of boot camp. Traditionally, soldiers couldn't even apply for it until they'd been in for a couple of years.

He's a sharp young man in a lot of ways, and I imagine he'll be OK. He'll be under experienced men who make the critical decisions for several years anyway, if I understand the system properly.

But yeah, I worry. I sweated bullets when he got his driver's license and started careening through traffic on his own, too. And when he started going swimming....matter of fact. I worried when he started walking, because he might fall and knock his little punkin head on a sharp corner.

I suppose my boys are about all I do worry about; I pretty much take everything else as it comes. Maybe that's because I didn't have any kids until I was into my 40's, so they were an unexpected blessing.

Of course I'll never tell them that I worry; I've worked hard at turning loose and teaching them to stand on their own two feet. On this one it seems to have worked. On his older brother (my stepson), not so much...he's in his twenties and still attached to his mama's apron strings. I guess you can only fight heredity to a point; he's disturbingly like his natural father in some ways.

 

I know some guys who are EOD, never really met a closer group of guys, although they were Navy the go to the same training as their Army counterparts I hope he does well and enjoys the service, best decision I've ever made.

 

Update: I just talked to the young'un by phone; I haven't been able to make it home this week (overtime at work).

He's supposed to report to Ft. Jackson, South Carolina, on October 5th. He'll have 9 weeks of boot camp, of course.

Then he'll head to Redstone Arsenal in Alabama for 10 1/2 weeks of EOD training, and finish up with 28 1/2 weeks at Eglin AFB in Florida. That's pretty much a full year of training before he sees his first duty post.

Time to start stashing travel money, I guess. We can probably save that up just by not having to feed him....I never have figured out where he stashes all that food in his long, lanky body. His ears and his feet, maybe?

 

No, around the middle. But it becomes apparent only later in life

Mmmm... I can see he's going to leave you all kinds of booby traps and little sirprises as his courses proceed. The 'see if you can get home' or the fish dam will explode... or 'one of the light switches is booby trapped' but which one ???

But don't worry, it will be as much as a learning curve for you as it is for him You can of course have the clock ticking in a box under his bed (audible of course) which is rawl bolted to the floor... kind of a revenge welcome back home thingy. It goes off at 12h01 and you should have, true to all US devices as in the movies a digital display on it counting down...

Two kinds of people have antique furniture - those with money, and those with children Ha ! You may even think about a boat now...

 

Joining the military is willing to fight for political decisions. I believe it is morallly wrong to go to war to defend economic interests of the fat cats.

 

When the British Army was first organized, it was to defend the British people from the heathens invading the land to rob, pillage and ****. Alfred the Great did not fight to defend rich fat cats. He fought to save his people from invading Vikings who would surely have killed or enslaved his people. Lately the fat cats have benefited, but be glad the brave men and women of the British Army are there because they are the only ones standing between your throat and the knives of the jihadists, or the French. Well, not the French, these days.

http://britishhistory.suite101.com/article.cfm/alfredthegreat

 

Not even going to argue that one with you, Gonzo. My family has a long tradition of military service, and it's a habit that isn't likely to change.