Memorial Day 2013

This Memorial Day, remember to pray or recall those who gave their tomorrows for our todays.

Dedication for the Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Bronze Relief

There are several bronze reliefs at the Navy Memorial commemorating various aspects of naval service. The EOD plaque was added on April 18, 2000. For this event the Reverend M. Cary Kauffman gave the invocation. It was:

"Divine Spirit -

In a world that contains turmoil and chaos, conflict and evil, the world and especially its children are bless that some men and women are and have been willing to risk their lives to make the world safer.

We are blessed by their example of courage and talent and commitment.

We are blessed by their believe that they can out-think the enemy and outwit the surprises that nature can provide.

We are blessed by their kindness and generosity.

We are even blseed by their sometimes outrageous sense of humor; for without it, they probably could not do what they do.

We are blesses by those who train and support these women and men through their long arduous and continual training.

We are blessed by those who lead them, helping to keep them motivated, trained, and in good order.

Divine Spirit, we are also blessed by those who have come before them, who then, as now, often had to dispose of dangerous explosives - as much through intuition and luck, as through skill, knowledge, and teamwork - and who then tired to understand and pass on the skills and knowledge that produced that intuition and luck.

We are blessed by the staff, the alumni and the families and the friends who rpovide the support and environment in which these men and women can do their jobs,

and - we are blessed by the talents of the sculptor and those who produced the sculpture and the efforts of those who enabled this event to happen today.

May we who are here and those who see this memorial be touched by the example of these men and women and inspired to live out lives more fully and more committed to bettering this world.

Amen, Shalom, Salaam...May it be so."

Navy EOD, Then and Now on Video

On October 13, 2010 I was honored to join the panel "Navy EOD, Then and Now" at the Navy Memorial. It was filmed by EFXTV. The event was is available for viewing in 8 parts on Navy TV.

Navy EOD: A Blast Through The Years

Jerome Mapp wrote a nice piece about the Navy Memorial's event "Navy EOD, Then and Now," for which I served as a panelist. Jerome shares his own experience of working with EOD Technicians. The article can be found in its entirety here: "Navy EOD: A Blast Through The Years."

Navy EOD, Then and Now

On the Navy's birthday, October 13, Stephen Phillips will join the panel at the Navy Memorial Event, Navy EOD Then and Now.

From the Navy Memorial website:

"The Hurt Locker gave the public an intimate look at the Army's bomb disposal experts, but few know that the Navy has a long history of defusing mines at sea and bombs ashore for the fleet and Marines.

Join the Navy Memorial and Jones International University® as we host a panel of Navy EOD veterans past and present sharing the stories and challenges faced by today's Navy EOD professionals, as well as the legacy and lessons of their predecessors, Navy frogmen and UDTs."