DVIDS – News – Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician Sharpens Warrior Skills in Mixed Martial Arts

CLARKSVILLE, Ky. – U.S. Army explosive ordnance disposal technicians honed their warrior skills during mixed martial arts training near Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

717th Ordnance Company (EOD) explosive ordnance disposal technicians recently conducted training to help improve their hand-to-hand combat skills and ability to operate under pressure.

Twenty-eight soldiers from the company trained in hand-to-hand combat at the Modern Martial Arts and Family Fitness Center in Clarksville, Kentucky.

Garrett J. McGuire, senior noncommissioned officer with the 717th EOD Company, U.S. Army Sergeant First Class, said the soldiers were practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Army combatant techniques.

“They learned the position hierarchy of BJJ, including mount, side control, guard and back control,” McGuire said. “We trained how to escape from back control and perform a rear naked choke, and how to escape from mount.”

McGuire has been studying Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for six months.

Capt. Joseph J. Carothers, commander of the 717th EOD Company, is a veteran Army combatant trainer.

As the U.S. Army's explosives experts, EOD technicians are responsible for everything from grenades to nuclear weapons.

The 717th EOD Company “Jokers”, based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, is part of the 184th EOD Battalion, 52nd EOD Group, and 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives, the U.S. Army's primary multifunctional CBRNE formation. (CBRNE) is part of the Command Center.

Headquartered at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, the 20th CBRNE Corps has deployable units located at 19 bases in 16 states, including active duty U.S. Army EOD forces and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) ) includes 75 percent of the unit, as well as the 1st unit. Regional Medical Laboratories, CBRNE Analysis and Remediation Operations, five Weapons of Mass Destruction Coordination Teams, and three Nuclear Failure Teams.

EOD technicians regularly conduct overseas and domestic explosives response missions. The Jokers returned from a deployment in April in support of Operation Inherent Resolve in the Central Command area of ​​operations.

The 717th EOD Company also supports domestic response missions from the Canadian border in Wisconsin to the southern border in Tennessee.

McGuire, a native of Hartland, Michigan, was deployed to Afghanistan during his 13 years in the Army and served in Jordan, Tajikistan and the Republic of Chad.

McGuire said his most memorable EOD mission was clearing the set of “Law & Order: SUV” during then-Vice President Joe Biden's VIP visit in 2016.

The senior sergeant said the endurance and resilience gained through mixed martial arts training prepares his soldiers for the rigors of high-stakes missions around the world.

“In my humble opinion, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and martial arts are best suited to prepare soldiers for combat by building physical and mental resilience,” McGuire said. “The only thing I can think of other than spending long hours in a bomb suit is testing my mettle, like having a grown man pin me down on a mat and force me into submission.'' It's a great test to see if you can withstand extreme conditions.”

McGuire said EOD technicians must be able to thrive under pressure every time they are called upon to confront and destroy explosives, and all combatants must be able to fight and win in hand-to-hand combat. added.

“Learning how to control yourself under immense pressure is the key to mission success at every level,” McGuire said. “Understanding the basics of how to engage a warfighter can definitely save lives on any battlefield.”