Heavy construction equipment rumbles up and down the mock runway on Andersen Air Force Base’s Northwest Field, vibrating the ground as many tons of steel and hydraulics forces the world into a new shape.
A group of NCOs stand in a loose circle, discussing the challenge ahead of them, while their Airmen practice with the equipment in the background.
“I think at its core the problem is that this is something totally different from what we’ve been doing for the past decade,” said Master Sergeant Harold Horton, 354th Civil Engineer Squadron Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) Flight Chief. “We’ve been focused so much on the IED (Improvised Explosive Device) threat that this kind of operation has been pushed to the back burner. But if you think about it, if you’re great at diffusing an IED you might save what, twelve, fifteen people? If you’re great at clearing a runway like we’re trying to practice here? You just might be winning a war.”
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Source: DVIDS