Specialist Stuart Steinberg and a
fellow Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Technician responded to a improvised
explosive device of "IED" placed under the seat in a movie theater.
They tied fifty feet of wire to the device, and from a position of cover,
pulled, remotely moving the bomb to
ensure it did not incorporate a anti-handling device. The soldiers then carried
it into the street to perform a render safe procedure. The bombmaker employed a
U.S. grenade fuze with a sophisticated time delay feature embedded in C-4
plastic explosive. The EOD Techs successfully disarmed the device, and received
a commendation letter for their action.
This story does not come from Iraq
or Afghanistan, but from Vietnam. Steinberg relays this and many other EOD
incidents in his war memoir, This is What Hell Looks Like. Published
in 2013 as an Amazon Kindle eBook, Steinberg makes it clear from the beginning
that the work will be raw. He notes that writing about his service, especially
in Vietnam, is cathartic, and assists
him in closing the door on post-traumatic stress and drug and alcohol use previously
employed to manage PTSD. Thus it is easy
for any reader to become empathetic and subsequently enthralled with This is What Hell Looks Like. Those who
enjoy military memoirs, especially EOD Techs will not be able to put the book
down.
Steinberg joined the Army in 1966.
He began his career assigned to Nike Hercules missile crew in the Everglades.
He determined quickly that he wanted to transfer because he was surrounded by
"ant-Semitic rednecks." To do so, he re-enlisted for four years and
volunteered for EOD school. This includes a $1000.00 signing bonus and a
promise of $55.00 a month in hazardous duty pay. Steingberg describes EOD
school and then his first assignment at Dugway Proving Grounds.
At Dugway, Steinberg disposed of
chemical weapons. The job frustrated, even angered him, because of the way the
Army handled an accident that killed local livestock. Wanting to leave Dugway,
he volunteered for Vietnam.
The bulk of This is What Hell Looks Like
is of Steinberg's service in Vietnam. Again, any fan of military history,
especially of war memoirs will enjoy this part of the book. It is a must read
for EOD Technicians or those who want to become EOD Techs.
Steinberg describes life in
Vietnam, operating with a small team, usually responding to EOD calls with two
men. He and his fellow EOD Techs enjoyed
freedom and priority access compared to others because of the nature and
importance of their job. Steinberg goes into the jungle to aid a team of
Special Forces and Montagnard tribesmen exfiltrate from a minefield. He renders
safe dud ordnance that the Vietnamese lobbed or fired at his compatriots.
Steinberg's team may be the only Army EOD Techs to ever respond to a limpet
mine placed on a ship!(There was no Navy EOD available and the tide and loading
made the limpet emerge above the water line.)
Perhaps the most interesting, and
most common EOD responses that Steinberg describes are when he and his team
respond to sapper attacks on ammunition depots. The Vietnamese realized that
any ordnance destroyed in situ would
not be used against them. Some of their attacks required EOD Techs from around
Vietnam to respond - conducting cleanup for months.
Recognizing that he is relying on
his own memory, Steinberg connected with
former teammates, asking them to relay or relive different missions/ responses.
Additionally, he conducted archival research, drawing on logs, reports, and
government memos. As a result, he uncovered records of incidents that he
participated in for which he had no memory. The whole project is then supported
by many of Steinberg's photos, including some of particular events. This
thoroughness enhances the readers understanding and puts many of the events in
context. Equally important is that author provides enough to be of real interest
to EOD Technicians, without putting in so much detail as to boor those simply
interested in historical accounts.
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