Meet the bomb squad, a US Army explosive ordnance disposal team serving under the NATO-led KFOR mission in Kosovo. Their job is to ensure that explosives that pose a danger to local communities are dealt with quickly, safely and permanently.
Synopsis
Meet the bomb squad, a team of US Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) specialists who were deployed in Kosovo. They served under the Kosovo Force or KFOR, the NATO-led mission in Kosovo mandated under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 of 1999 to ensure a safe and secure environment and freedom of movement for all communities in Kosovo. This team left after nine months of service, while another US EOD team rotated in.
The EOD team’s role is to help clear some of the thousands of explosive remnants of war left over from past conflicts. It’s dangerous work. The team is called out in pairs, often at short notice, and works alongside the Kosovo Security Force and the Kosovo Police to ensure explosives that pose a danger to local communities are dealt with quickly, safely and permanently.
In this short documentary, we meet the team and chronicle a small part of their mission. Please note that typical COVID-19 precautions are not displayed in the video because filming took place prior to the coronavirus pandemic.
Footage includes shots of the EOD team on an active mission to clear mines with the Kosovo Security Force, training with the Kosovo Police and training at Camp Bondsteel, a US Army base under command of the NATO-led Kosovo Force.
Transcript
Text on screen: FIRE IN THE HOLE
—SOT—(ENGLISH) “Fire in the hole!”
—SOUNDBITE—(ENGLISH) First Lieutenant Taylor Martin, Commander US 720th EOD Company
We are a US explosive ordnance disposal team that is a part of NATO’s Kosovo Force. We’re bomb technicians, to put it simply.
—SOUNDBITE—(ENGLISH) Staff Sergeant Andrew Himple, US 720th EOD Company
“We are here to protect the people of Kosovo.”
—SOUNDBITE—(ENGLISH) Specialist Giovanni Pando, US 720th EOD Company
“We’re just like a family. I don’t even look at it as work.”
—SOUNDBITE—(ENGLISH) Specialist Nicole Powers-Trimoit, US 720th EOD Company
“You’ll blend in a little bit better if you’re kind of a nerd.”
—SOUNDBITE—(ENGLISH) First Lieutenant Taylor Martin, Commander US 720th EOD Company
“Oh Sergeant Himple? Yeah, I don’t know, he likes Legos.”
—SOUNDBITE—(ENGLISH) Staff Sergeant William McLain, US 720th EOD Company
“To be part of this team, for me is one of the highest honours that I have. I make a difference in people’s lives. This is our life.”
