Cory S. is a sailor interested in the EOD community. He wrote, "Bravo Zulu Sir! I read through your Proximity and I loved it! I’ll be honest, I’m not a reader yet I’ve never moved so fast through a read. Your book is what I’ve been looking for. The EOD community is quite small and thus I’ve had difficulty trying to find information about the type of missions, work environments, etc. I had a good idea but have been always looking for someone to give me an inside look……and truly, your book sealed the deal in that I know the EOD is what I want to do. Combining physical and mental challenges, with an error in any of those areas will cost a life, that’s what I’ve been looking for! When Jazz used his intellect and reasoning to come to the magnet proposal, I thought, 'Wow! Science and explosives to save the day…has me written all over it!' HOOYAH!"
Thanks, Cory...I'm glad that you enjoyed it. I wrote Proximity hoping to inspire and educate sailors who are interested in the community.
Chris C. also sent me a note:
"Steve, the book made it into my hands last evening....and, I can't put it down. Are you working on the screenplay, yet?"
Hooya, Chris. You're not the first person to comment that Proximity reads like an action movie. I do hope it finds it way to the silver screen.
Have an opinion, comment or critique of Proximity? Feel free to post a comment here.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
SWJ - "Civil Affairs Confronts Weapons of the Weak"
I'm a fan of the Small Wars Journal. They have a five part series entitled "Professors in the Trenches." SWJ describes this series as: "Each article was co-authored by one Army soldier/civilian and one university professor/academic as part of a joint research project. This project and product responds to the Army’s objectives regarding the integration of cultural social sciences into its training and operations."
Number 2 in the series is "Civil Affairs Confronts Weapons of the Weak." It has a very interesting counter-IED (C-IED) construct. I recommend this as reading for any EOD Tech or student of counter-insurgency (COIN).
Number 2 in the series is "Civil Affairs Confronts Weapons of the Weak." It has a very interesting counter-IED (C-IED) construct. I recommend this as reading for any EOD Tech or student of counter-insurgency (COIN).
Monday, March 9, 2009
FREE 19!
I want to send a "Hooya!" to Midn 2/c Gulliksen, Midn 3/c McCrary, and the Plebes of FREE 19! Thank you all for the Naval Academy clock. As suggested, it is now displayed prominently in my bar. I will remember a fun Saturday morning training lecture with you guys....especially the 70% who chose to stay on for the second hour. The rest of you...bring around a Form Two!
Monday, March 2, 2009
FAQ #2: How can I learn more about an EOD career?
I'm often contacted by those who are interested in a career as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician. This community was practically unknown before the war on terrorism, and is still not well understood today. Still, the Military Channel did a great program on the Navy's EOD community. It is available on You Tube starting with this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMVJlk1bVgY.
After seeing this program, if you are still interested, I recommend "hitting the books." On this page I've posted some of my favorites. If you search "EOD" or "Bomb Squad" on amazon.com you will note I've reviewed many of them there. I recommend first reading America's First Frogman: The Draper Kauffman Story by Elizabeth Kauffman Bush. Next, pick up Eight Lives Down by Chris Hunter. The Kauffman book will provide an important historical understanding of the roots of this community. Chris Hunter describes counter-IED operations while serving in Basra, Iraq which provide a sense of EOD work in the war on terrorism.
For the best insight into a Navy EOD career I recommend visiting the Navy EOD recruiting website at: http://www.eod.navy.mil/. I'm certain that the other services have similar websites.
FAQ #3 You mention in the opening of "Proximity" that EOD procedures are often classified. How then were you able to publish?
The exact quote in the front of Proximity is:
"The methods, tactics, and procedures used by military Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technicians are often classified. This is to prevent the architects of military ordnance or improvised explosive devices from incorporating countermeasures into their design. This book only reveals procedures that are intuitively obvious or so widely publicized that mentioning them here could not be considered irresponsible. Where required, the methods described are fictitious while maintaining the flavor of explosive ordnance disposal work."
To ensure that I did not unwittingly publish classified information I submitted this manuscript to the U.S. Navy's Office of Information and Personnel Security. They authorized it for release after a nine month review. Since that time, I've submitted a collection of historical accounts. One of which has been published as an article in the Small Wars Journal entitled The Birth of the Combined Explosives Exploitation Cell.
"The methods, tactics, and procedures used by military Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technicians are often classified. This is to prevent the architects of military ordnance or improvised explosive devices from incorporating countermeasures into their design. This book only reveals procedures that are intuitively obvious or so widely publicized that mentioning them here could not be considered irresponsible. Where required, the methods described are fictitious while maintaining the flavor of explosive ordnance disposal work."
To ensure that I did not unwittingly publish classified information I submitted this manuscript to the U.S. Navy's Office of Information and Personnel Security. They authorized it for release after a nine month review. Since that time, I've submitted a collection of historical accounts. One of which has been published as an article in the Small Wars Journal entitled The Birth of the Combined Explosives Exploitation Cell.
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