[
In her November 15, 2010, Signal Online story, writer Rachel Eisenhower tells about a US Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal technician, SGT Kent Byrd, who has found that his geocaching hobby not only helps relax him but it also helps hone the observational skills needed by EOD techs. The print story is titled High-Tech Hide and Seek. SGT Byrd has put up a You Tube video titled, “Geocaching has Kept Me Safer — The story of one Army Bomb Squad Sgt.”
As you watch the YouTube video, note the EOD insignia on the bill of SGT Byrd’s ballcap. That is the Master EOD badge (pictured). Here is the story of the badge, affectionately known as “the crab”:
[
THE WREATH is symbolic of the achievements and laurels gained by minimizing accident potentials, through the ingenuity and devotion to duty of its members. It is in memory of the EOD personnel who have given their lives while performing EOD duties.
[
THE BOMB was copied from the design of the World War II Bomb Disposal Badge; the bomb represents the historic and major objective of the EOD attack, the unexploded bomb. The three fins represent the major areas of nuclear, conventional, and chemical/biological warfare.
[
THE LIGHTNING BOLTS symbolize the potential destructive power of the bomb and the courage and professionalism of EOD personnel in their endeavors to reduce hazards as well as to render explosive ordnance harmless.
]
THE SHIELD represents the EOD mission which is to protect personnel and property in the immediate area from an inadvertent detonation of hazardous ordnance.
My boys and I once geocached. It was fun, though we never did find the cache hidden by the county building. We found the one on Tubbs Hill, though that was quite some time ago.
Comment by Dan — November 15, 2010 @ 1:57 pm
He was doing it for relaxation, but what he found was his observational skills were improved. More accurately, he began to notice things that didn’t belong, things that were out of place. That’s exactly what people need to see whether they’re looking for bombs or evidence. That’s what trackers do — or used to do — look for deviations, for things that don’t belong or that have been disturbed.
Comment by Bill — November 15, 2010 @ 2:44 pm
Had a friend who worked in EOD. He was stationed at the Presidio in San Francisco. Spent a lot of time up there with him and his wife, plus other EOD guys. He took that job very seriously. Retired a few years back with all his fingers.
Comment by Dan — November 15, 2010 @ 3:40 pm