ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE BASE TINDAL, Australia -- For some people, sticking a six-foot rod into the ground and hoping it hits a bomb is the definition of crazy. But for the explosive ordnance disposal Marines of Exercise Southern Frontier it's just another day at the office.
As the exercise winds down, it's up to the EOD Marines to help their Australian allies clear away the unexploded bombs at the Delamere Range Facility to get them ready for the next exercise.
"We dropped it so we have to help clean it up," said Chief Warrant Officer Wesley C. Williams, station explosive ordnance disposal officer for Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni.
Williams and one other EOD Marine came down two weeks early to help clean up the ranges before Exercise Southern Frontier even started, and will stay nearly a month after everyone else leaves to ensure the ranges are clear for the next exercise.
The Australian EOD technicians were grateful for the help from their Marine counterparts. "We've only got a month to clean up this range for the next exercise," said Royal Australian Air Force Sgt. Adam Griffiths, senior non-commissioned officer for operations at the Delamere Range Facility. "The Marines are a great help."
But the cooperation doesn't stop at clearing the ranges of unexploded bombs. Both the Marines and the Australians showed each other their tricks of the trade during the exercise, including rendering bombs and mortars inert to use as training aids.
"We really appreciate them showing us their techniques, and the opportunity to show them ours", said RAAF Cpl. Lance A. Fountain, explosive ordnance disposal assistant with 322 Combat Service Support. "The real beauty is the trade sharing."
"We show them how we do things, they show us how they do things," said Williams, an eleven year veteran of the EOD field, about his RAAF counterparts. "I have a lot of confidence in their abilities."
The Marines were eager for the opportunity to come down to Australia for the exercise. "This is my first deployment where I really get to apply my training," said Sgt. Jennifer L. Ramsey, explosive ordnance disposal technician with Marine Wing Support Squadron 171. "It's nice to do something more than just range sweeps."
Ramsey enjoys the travel and learning experiences EOD has to offer but ultimately she does it because she likes to "blow stuff up." Working with the Australians during Southern Frontier gives her plenty of opportunities to do just that.
After finding the duds with the probe, Ramsey and the other EOD technicians mark the locations with red flags and record the sites on a global positioning system.
Once all the duds have been located, the Marine and Australian EOD technicians will return with an excavator to dig down to the bomb. After the bomb is exposed, an explosive charge is attached to it, and then set off, to dispose of the dud.
Dealing with explosives is a dangerous job. But Williams doesn't worry about working with the deadly materials. "Our procedures, along with our training, make it as dangerous as any other job in the Marine Corps," said Williams.
Williams also encouraged young Marines to think about EOD as a career. "Marines should do this job if they want to be a hero. Their job is to prevent things from blowing up. They're saving lives and making a safer place to live."