JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. —
The 628th Civil Engineer Squadron explosive ordnance disposal team in coordination with the Charleston Police Department safely recovered a cannonball from a construction site in downtown Charleston on Monday. The EOD team disposed of the ordnance on JB Charleston on Tuesday. “After x-raying the cannonball, we couldn't positively determine if it was filled with black powder or not, so we safely disposed of it,” said Air Force Staff Sgt. Mars Hansen Jr., an explosive ordnance disposal technician assigned to the 628th Civil Engineer Squadron, Joint Base Charleston. The Air Force explosive ordnance disposal work begins in dangerous situations and ends in safe solutions. EOD members apply classified techniques and special procedures to lessen or totally remove the hazards created by the presence of unexploded ordnance. This includes conventional military ordnance, criminal and terrorist homemade items, and chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. According to JB Charleston EOD technicians, coordination between EOD and the Charleston Museum historical curator, work together to determine rare items that should be preserved in a museum. In addition to manufactured munitions, EOD technicians also deal with improvised explosive devices. They are also experts in chemical, biological, incendiary, radiological, and nuclear materials. EOD personnel provide support to VIPs, help civilian authorities with bomb problems, teach troops about bomb safety, and aid local law enforcement. Some duties are dangerous, but EOD members are fully trained and equipped to safely deal with any situation. EOD personnel are part of an elite group of highly trained technicians that have a proud heritage of protecting personnel and property from the effects of hazardous unexploded ordnance. Prospective EOD technicians attend a grueling course of instruction at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, where they learn the principles behind recognizing, disarming and neutralizing explosive materials. This school is not easy and has a high attrition rate because of the very high standards necessary. ###