Stories

Tag: EOD

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Rohman Papayev, a metal worker with Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS) 373, Marine Aircraft Group 38, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, cuts metal remains of the Bailey Bridge with an air carbon arc cutting system during a bridge demolition operation as part of phase I of Strategic Mobility Exercise (STRATMOBEX) II at San Clemente Island, California, Jan. 6, 2024. During phase I, MWSS-373 demolished a hazardous bridge that hindered range control’s ability to insert targets into the Shore Bombardment Area of San Clemente Island. Phase I set conditions for phases II and III of STRATMOBEX II, the construct of a shallow water crossing and follow on missions. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jennifer Sanchez) - U.S. Marines with Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS) 373, Marine Air Control Group 38, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, detonate C4 to demolish the Bailey Bridge as part of phase I of Strategic Mobility Exercise (STRATMOBEX) II at San Clemente Island, California, Jan. 5, 2024. During phase I, MWSS-373 demolished a hazardous bridge that hindered range control’s ability to insert targets into the Shore Bombardment Area of San Clemente Island. Phase I set conditions for phases II and III of STRATMOBEX II, the construct of a shallow water crossing and follow on missions. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jennifer Sanchez)

3rd MAW Marines demolish 85-foot bridge on San Clemente Island

U.S. Marine Corps Col. John Ripley is legendary in the Marine Corps for his heroism in blunting a North Vietnamese offensive by destroying the Dong Ha Bridge during the Vietnamese War. As a Captain, Ripley labored for three hours to transport and attach 500 pounds of explosives to the Dong Ha bridge while under constant enemy fire by 20,000 troops and 200 tanks of the North Vietnamese Army. His courageous actions and the resulting bridge destruction are recognized as a key factor in the defeat of the NVA during the Easter Offensive in 1972.

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U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Paul I. Padilla, an explosive ordnance disposal technician with Marine Wing Support Squadron 372, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, demonstrates how to operate the 310 Small Unmanned Ground Vehicle tablet to an attendee of San Clemente High School’s military appreciation day at Thalassa Stadium, San Clemente, California, Sept. 8, 2023. Padilla demonstrated the equipment used by EOD Marines to locate, neutralize, and dispose of hazards with remote control robots and a bomb suit to students and parents of San Clemente High School. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jennifer Sanchez - U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Paul I. Padilla, an explosive ordnance disposal technician with Marine Wing Support Squadron 372, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, demonstrates how to operate the 310 Small Unmanned Ground Vehicle tablet to an attendee of San Clemente High School’s military appreciation day at Thalassa Stadium, San Clemente, California, Sept. 8, 2023. Padilla demonstrated the equipment used by EOD Marines to locate, neutralize, and dispose of hazards with remote control robots and a bomb suit to students and parents of San Clemente High School. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jennifer Sanchez)

Marine EOD Tech Inspires Students at San Clemente High School's Military Appreciation Night

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. - As the sun set on a Friday night football game at San Clemente High School, a different kind of spectacle captivated the crowd during the football team’s military appreciation night, Sept. 8. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Paul I. Padilla, an explosive ordnance disposal technician with Marine Wing Support Squadron 372, showed high school students, family members, and teachers how to handle Marine Corps robotic systems and helped them don bomb suits.

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