177th EOD Blows It Up

C-4 explosives are triple stacked and detonated on used BDU-50 500 lb. concrete-filled practice bombs to render them safe for recycling at Warren Grove Range in Ocean County, N.J. on April 29, 2016. U.S. Air Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal techs, civil engineers and range crew from the 177th Fighter Wing of the New Jersey Air National Guard and the 87th Civil Engineering Squadron at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst worked together during the annual EOD Week At The Range to perform range clean-up and target painting, as well as target set-up in the simulated village. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Andrew J. Moseley/Released)

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177th EOD Blows It Up

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Joseph Coates, Explosives Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technician with the New Jersey Air National Guard, points to the entry point of a BDU-33 practice bomb into a simulated village structure at Warren Grove Range (WGR) in Ocean County, N.J. on April 29, 2016. Coates, along with EOD techs, civil engineers and range crew from the 177th Fighter Wing and the 87th Civil Engineering Squadron at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst worked together during the annual EOD Week At The Range to perform range clean-up, target set-up and target re-painting. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Andrew J. Moseley/Released

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177th EOD Blows It Up

From right, U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Raymond Wayne, Explosives Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Technician with the New Jersey Air National Guard's 177th Fighter Wing, and Airman 1st Class Michael Glisan, EOD Tech with the 87th Civil Engineering Squadron, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, discuss by-the-book techniques for triple stacking C-4 explosives on used practice bombs to render them safe for recycling at Warren Grove Range in Ocean County, N.J. on April 29, 2016. EOD members, civil engineers and range crew worked together during the annual EOD Week At The Range to perform range clean-up and target painting, as well as target set-up in the simulated village. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Andrew J. Moseley/Released)

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177th EOD Blows It Up

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Raymond Wayne, Explosives Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technician with the New Jersey Air National Guard's 177th Fighter Wing, helps prepare C-4 explosives for placement on used practice bombs to render them safe for recycling at Warren Grove Range in Ocean County, N.J. on April 29, 2016. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Andrew J. Moseley/Released)

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177th EOD Blows It Up

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Michael Glisan, Explosives Ordnance Disposal Technician with the 87th Civil Engineering Squadron, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., prepares to triple stack C-4 explosives on used practice bombs to render them safe for recycling at Warren Grove Range in Ocean County, N.J. on April 29, 2016. EOD members, civil engineers and range crew from the 177th Fighter Wing of the New Jersey Air National Guard worked together during the annual EOD Week At The Range to perform range clean-up and target painting, as well as target set-up in the simulated village. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Andrew J. Moseley/Released)

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177th EOD Blows It Up

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Michael Glisan, Explosives Ordnance Disposal Technician with the 87th Civil Engineering Squadron, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., triple stacks C-4 explosives on used BDU-50 500 lb. concrete-filled practice bombs prior to detonation which renders them visually safe for recycling at Warren Grove Range in Ocean County, N.J. on April 29, 2016. EOD members, civil engineers and range crew from the 177th Fighter Wing of the New Jersey Air National Guard worked together during the annual EOD Week At The Range to perform range clean-up and target painting, as well as target set-up in the simulated village. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Andrew J. Moseley/Released)

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177th EOD Blows It Up

A close-up view of the rectangular deformation on a BDU-50 500 lb. concrete-filled practice bomb after C-4 explosives were triple stacked and detonated, rendering it visually safe for recycling at Warren Grove Range in Ocean County, N.J. on April 29, 2016. Explosives Ordnance Disposal techs, civil engineers and range crew from the 177th Fighter Wing of the New Jersey Air National Guard worked together during the annual EOD Week At The Range to perform range clean-up and target painting, as well as target set-up in the simulated village. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Andrew J. Moseley/Released)

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177th EOD Blows It Up

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Javan Haley, center, heavy equipment operator with the 177th Fighter Wing Civil Engineering Squadron, prepares to remotely detonate C-4 explosives attached to previously dropped BDU-50 500 lb. concrete-filled practice bombs to render them safe for recycling at Warren Grove Range (WGR) in Ocean County, N.J. on April 29, 2016. Haley, along with Explosive Ordnance Disposal techs, civil engineers and range crew from the New Jersey Air National Guard and the 87th Civil Engineering Squadron at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst worked together during the annual EOD Week At The Range to perform range clean-up and target painting, as well as target set-up in WGR's simulated village. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Andrew J. Moseley/Released)

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177th EOD Blows It Up

U.S. Air Force Explosives Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technicians and civil engineers with the New Jersey Air National Guard's 177th Fighter Wing and the 87th Civil Engineering Squadron, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. pose for a group photo at the conclusion of the annual EOD Week At The Range at Warren Grove Range in Ocean County, N.J. on April 29, 2016. The EOD techs, civil engineers and range crew worked together to perform range clean-up, including detonating C-4 explosives on used practice bombs to render them safe for recycling, target painting and target set-up in the simulated village. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Andrew J. Moseley/Released)

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177th EOD Blows It Up

Published May 19, 2016
By Master Sgt. Andrew J. Moseley
177th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

OCEAN COUNTY, N.J. -- Explosives Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technicians from the New Jersey Air National Guard finished their annual EOD cleanup week at the Warren Grove Range with a bang, exploding previously dropped practice bombs at the facility in Ocean County, New Jersey on April 29, 2016.

The 177th Fighter Wing EOD Techs were joined for the week by civil engineers from the unit and EOD Techs from the 87th Civil Engineering Squadron, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., and performed range clean-up and target painting, as well as target set-up in the simulated village.

C-4 explosives are attached to BDU-50s, 500 lb. concrete-filled practice bombs, connected by detonation cord and exploded, creating a rectangular shaped indentation, visually exposing the concrete filler inside.

"We have contactors that come in, take away the bombs and recycle them," said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Joseph Coates, 177th EOD Tech. "They want to be able to look at a bomb and be absolutely sure there are no explosives in it."

Active duty EOD personnel from McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst benefit from EOD Week at Warren Grove range because they don't have their own range that they're responsible for clearing.

"It's actually a requirement for a skill level certification for new guys to get out and do a range clearing," said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Raymond Wayne, 177th FW EOD Tech. "The experience with the demolition work like we did today is unique to range work. The particular things that we do with the explosives and how we make the BDU-33s safe for handling and how we expose the filler for the BDU-50s so they can be turned over and scrapped...the range is the only place you can do that."

EOD week at the range is an annual event which requires a good deal of planning including financing, lodging, special transportation requirements and notification of the event to the public in the surrounding area.

"I'd say that this week is probably my favorite time at work because it's great to get out here and clean everything up and these range guys appreciate it," said Wayne. "It's always a good experience. Warren Grove crew is really cool, too... probably the best bunch of guys I've worked with on a range. The weather wasn't great this year but we had a real good, safe time. That's always nice, too."