Guest Blogger 1LT Jason Nunn: Student Questions on Roadside Bombs - Blog Entry 3

    So I've received a lot of good questions from some students at Silk Hope and it seems that you guys want to know all about roadside bombs.  I personally have not dismantled a bomb, or handle any explosives, however being an Intelligence Soldier we do the analysis to find out where these roadside bombs are and what time they are most likely to be emplaced there.  We use a lot of different methods to find out where they are going to be.  We use analytical (math) products to create graphs to show the times and locations that are most likely to be used by the bad guys.  We use historical data and social studies to show certain groups of bad guys tactics, techniques, and procedures to identify which bad guys are trying to attack us in our area.  We get out and talk to the people much like the local police do to receive tips of where roadside bombs might be located.  Finally, we take all the products and give them to the soldiers on patrol and when they find a roadside bomb they call in the Explosives Ordinance Detachment (EOD) who come and dismantle or blow up the bomb.  Most of the time they will use a special robot to dismantle the bomb; that way they are a safe distance and don’t get hurt.

Some more questions are addressing what it's like living over here in Iraq.  How hard is it, what do we eat, and what time do I get up?  The US Military has been in Iraq for over seven years which means that we have had time to "dig in" or build bases.  Things now are not like they were in 2003 when the US Military first arrived in Iraq.  Back then soldiers were living out of their vehicles and moving all the time with no contact back home, laundry, or showers.  Now we have built large dining facilities, living areas, and showers.  It is still hard being away from your family for a year and working long days.  Every day I work from 0800-2100 (8:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.), seven days a week and workout every morning usually running 3-6 miles and lifting weights. We have a cafeteria much like you have at school that is almost always open and you can get whatever you want to eat.  The biggest secret is that there is always all the ice cream you can eat!

        Thanks for all the good questions.  





(Jason Nunn, a Northwood High School and Greensboro College graduate, will be a guest blogger in honor of Veterans Day.  He is a First Lieutenant in the United States Army and is currently stationed in Iraq.  We've asked him to give our Hot Topics Blog readers a first-hand account of his experience as the American Armed Forces wind down their mission in Iraq.  Our hope is for social studies classes to participate by asking him questions to help them make a real-life connection to history and current events.  See Lt. Nunn's previous blog posts for questions/comments readers are posting.)