Ellsworth Explosive Ordinance Disposal
Local News
by
Adam Uhernik
last edited on
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
The movie “The Hurt Locker” swept the Oscars this past weekend.
It focuses on one of the deadliest jobs in the armed forces, diffusing bombs. And at Ellsworth Air Force Base there are a number of men and women in the Explosive Ordinance Disposal field.
It takes almost two years of training before airmen are ready to diffuse a real bomb. Students learn how to drive and maneuver a robotic car to manually disarming a possible suicide bomb vest.
Team leader Jayson Wells says he's honored someone took the time to make a movie about his career.
Wells says, "I appreciate the fact that someone took the time to tell our story the best way that I think they could. I think it's even better that it won six Oscars. But you're never going to fully understand the losses of the guy that was sitting in your office; you're never going to fully understand some of the horrific things we've seen down there."
Unlike the Hollywood version the men say they never run at bombs and just start cutting wires. They work with more precision to make sure the job gets done right.