EOD Memorial: Need-to-know

If you ever have the opportunity to attend an EOD Memorial (held each year at Eglin AFB), here are the concise basic points on what you need to know. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and, not unlike the Changing of the Guard at Arlington National Cemetery, is a very moving occasion steeped in symbolism and tradition.

I've complied a practical list of need-to-know information if you plan to attend. Some of this is based on my own personal experience from attending this year. Most of this information, comes from a good and very knowledgeable Army Sister! 


What to expect:

• Plan to arrive an hour-and-a-half before the Ceremony. Parking gets tricky and seating is very limited...those arriving late are welcome to stand in the common areas throughout the duration of the Ceremony. If you're stuck standing, just be aware and sensitive that you are not blocking the view of others. 
• Plan for the Ceremony to be at least an hour long.
• Prepare for loud noises. The Patriot Guard Riders are likely to be present and, as is military custom, three volleys will sound near the conclusion of the Ceremony.
• Plan to make arrangements for young children. This is an intense and solemn event; one that often tests the boundaries of children's patience... This year, there was childcare provided on location. I'm not certain if this is available every year, so you'll want to check the EOD Memorial Facebook page for information.
• Plan for unpredictable weather. It almost goes without saying that Florida, in early May, can be hot & humid (like this year) or unseasonably chilly. There's always a chance for a stray shower or even unexpected thunderstorm. This year we had a very warm hazy day with a few sprinkles!  

What to wear/bring:

• Dress as you would for a graduation commencement, or a daytime social event, or church service - a proper fitting dress or skirt suit (with a respectful hem length) is most appropriate. Workout, beach, pool attire is NOT appropriate. Neither is tight, skimpy clothing - this detracts from solemnity of the occasion and is wildly disrespectful. This is your chance to honor the families of those who made the Ultimate Sacrifice. Consider, also, the neckline - it might be an unwise choice to wear a one-shouldered sundress if your evening gown (for the Ball held later that same night) is strapless.   
• Comfortable flats or wedged heels - you will do lots of walking and, obviously, spiky heels don't fare so well in grass.
• Sunscreen - even though the official ceremony is held earlier during the day than in years past, the sun can be a brutal factor.
• Hat - a tasteful dressy hat is not only stylish but, more importantly, can also provide relief from the sun.
• Sunglasses - see a common trend yet? The sun can put a damper on your morning if you don't take proper precautions.
• Kleenex - you will be emotionally moved. It's OK. Just be prepared.
• Pocket-sized travel umbrella - it's Florida, after all, and the weather is often unpredictable.

I hope this is helpful! Let me know if you have a favorite tip - please share below or message me and I'll consider adding them to this list. 

EOD Memorial: Just the Facts

A friend whom I grew up with shared this article about the Annual EOD Memorial. It is very well written by the NY Times and does a superb job explaining about the Memorial...I will excerpt heavily in this post, but here is the direct link to the full article if you'd like to read even more about this year's (2012) Memorial: http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/04/new-names-for-a-wall-that-keeps-growing/  

"Early this Saturday morning in the Florida Panhandle, in keeping with a schedule set in motion decades ago, a crowd will gather around a memorial for a solemn roll call – the names of a specialized group of American service members, 289 in all, who have died in the line of duty since 1942.

Each name belongs to a community within the military – explosive ordnance disposal, or E.O.D. — that has undergone a public and professional transformation in the last decade, a period when improvised bombs have become the primary weapon against the West and Western troops.

Insider sentiment and casualty statistics align on this point. As the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq exposed a generation of troops to the particular perils associated with makeshift bombs, the E.O.D. techs who specialize in finding and destroying hidden bombs have become among the preeminent and most appreciated specialists in the military. Once seen primarily as support troops, they have become a multiservice corps of experts regarded by fellow service members as shouldering risks to keep others alive, and to keep a fearsome weapon often at bay.

They have paid for this place. The ceremony to be held at Eglin Air Force Base on Saturday, organized by the Navy’s E.O.D school with the help of the nonprofit E.O.D. Memorial Foundation, will mark another annual commemoration of fallen E.O.D techs, with a emphasis on those killed in the last year.

A message will be obvious as the roll call proceeds. During a year when one long war appeared to be winding down, with the end of American combat operations in Iraq, and the beginning of the Pentagon’s drawdown in Afghanistan, service in the field for E.O.D. techs remained as dangerous as ever. The list of the dead says as much. Of the 289 names that will be read on Saturday, 177 died from 1942 to 2001. In the 11 years since the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, 112 more E.O.D. techs have died – a pace exceeding the rate at which they were killed in prior decades.

And after the unveiling of bronze name plates on the wall Saturday morning, 18 of the names will be new. They form the largest group of American E.O.D. techs ever to die in a 12-month period, the foundation’s officials said, making them a stark indicator of the role that E.O.D. has assumed at the front of modern American war.

Even then the list is incomplete, and not just because it does not include the large number of those wounded. Since the list was finalized and the plaques were made for this weekend’s event, still more E.O.D. techs have been killed, including a Navy officer, Lt. Christopher E. Mosko, 28, who died on April 26 in Afghanistan, the victim of a hidden improvised bomb.

And so as hundreds of past and present E.O.D techs and their families gather in Florida this week, others are clustering in grief and remembrance for Lieutenant Mosko, whose remains arrived in Dover Air Force Base in Delaware this week, and who will be buried next week in San Diego.

Families hold a central place in the E.O.D. Memorial Foundation’s ambitions. The foundation flies family members to Florida for the annual ceremony, and underwrites scholarships for the children and the spouses of techs killed on the job."

WE REMEMBER.

Blog Transition: OpLearn

Welcome to OpLearn (short for "Operation Learn")...glad you found the new site!

Since this blog is currently undergoing some growing pains, I decided that the link location needed a good, generic working name that describes my most common activity now-a-days: LEARNING.

The link/location for this Blog is: www.oplearn.blogspot.com

Thanks and happy reading :)

A

Florida Week

Last week was a frenzy of activity...could I interest you in an ultra-abbreviated, readers'-digest-ish re-cap instead?

Number of flying hours: 5
gate changes: 4
total days in Florida: 8
beaches visited: at least 5
hours in the sun: ?
locations where I (sun)burned: 5
rainy days: 1
seafood meals: 12
hours my husband was engaged in meetings/conferences: 45
airplanes, helicopters, and various other aircraft I saw: ?!
social functions attended: 5

For the most part, the week was great. I do wish I could've seen my mister a little more frequently...but their conference schedule was pretty intense.  We received a call at 4:30am on Thursday morning - some bad news from Afghanistan. Will you please pray for some family members who are grieving mightily this week? We'll be traveling on Thursday (day-after-tomorrow) to attend a memorial in Wichita...

Also, I'm working on a re-cap for the 43th Annual EOD Memorial.

Tools of the Trade

Still enjoying time away this week, but found this gem of a photo on my phone & wanted to share...

My hands have touched these items over the past month:

Not so scary anymore!

Doing more than I ever thought possible, y'all...some days I impress myself with my new found ability to channel my inner Bob Villa. 

WW: Beach...

Today's edition of "When my husband gets home Wednesday" is wholly delightful!

Fort Walton Beach, FL :)

Niceville

Not to be confused with the movie "Pleasantville," Niceville (Florida) is the name of the town where we're staying this week. And that just makes me want to add a smiley face or two to this blog post. :) :) 

My husband's time is required at Eglin Air Force Base for work this week...but while he's attending the EOD Commanders' Conference, I'll be doing my best to indulge in some of the sugary sand beaches on the Emerald Coast. And let me just say: I am literally thanking my lucky stars for this time in our marriage. There's no denying or sugar coating it - his job is very stressful right now but to have an entire, uncomplicated week together in sunny Florida is a very nice treat (and probably the only "vacation" we'll have together in these next 11 months). Our group did have a block of rooms reserved at a hotel property within very close proximity to the Emerald Coast Conference Center (and also right on the Beach in the Fort Walton Beach, FL area), but a last minute change of hotels now puts solidly in Niceville which is some 30 minutes from the Conference Center...and within very close proximity of Boggy Bayou. HA! It makes sense though, the room rates were much more affordable and it seems that, in light of the recent GSA spending debacle and Army budget cuts, our government agency is not taking any chances on appearances.

We plan to arrive a day early and depart a day later...so I've already researched local restaurants and points-of-interest. Perhaps a side-trip to Sandestin would be a good idea, too? And is it odd that I started mentally packing for this trip more than a 2 weeks ago? :)

Welcome to Niceville!