August 24, 2012
Vol. 70 No. 34 Aug. 24, 2012 Word of the month: Confidence Team of Year EOD earns top honors By Andrea Sutherland Mountaineer staff A three-man explosive ordnance disposal team from Fort Carson emerged victorious in the EOD Team of the Year competition held Aug. 13-17 at Fort Knox, Ky. “It was humbling,” said Staff Sgt. Christopher Thompson, team leader, 663rd Ordnance Company, 242nd EOD Battalion, 71st Ordnance Group (EOD). “We competed against many EOD Soldiers and we competed in front of the entire command.” Thompson, along with Staff Sgt. Josue Sandoval and Sgt. Matthew Bagley, completed a dozen EOD tasks and defeated four EOD teams from across the U.S. to earn the title. Last held in 2001, this year marked the first time EOD Soldiers participated in the competition due to frequent deployments in support of operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. “For the EOD world, this is the Best Ranger or Best Sapper (competition),” Thompson said. “There wasn’t a lot of separation between first and last.” Competition officials said only a few points separated the field, which consisted of top teams from the 52nd Ordnance Group, Fort Campbell, Ky.; 49th Chemical Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas; and the 111th Ordnance Group (EOD), a National Guard unit from Alabama. “Being able to compete against the best EOD techs in the field, it’s an accomplishment,” said Sandoval. “This was basically the (U.S. Army Forces Command)- level competition,” said Capt. Clay Kirkpatrick, commander, 663rd Ord. “The ultimate goal is for next year to make this a (Department of the Army)-level competition.” Hosted by the 20th Support Command (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and high-yield explosives), the competition tested Soldiers with improvised explosive device, chemical ordnance and multiple conventional ordnance scenarios.
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