The Explosive Ordnance Disposal Badge is a military badge of the

United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is ...

which recognizes those service members, qualified as

explosive ordnance disposal Bomb disposal is an explosives engineering profession using the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe. ''Bomb disposal'' is an all-encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated functions in the milit ...

(EOD) technicians, who are specially trained to deal with the construction, deployment, disarmament, and disposal of

high explosive An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An ...

munitions Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the component parts of other weap ...

including other types of ordnance such as nuclear, biological and chemical weapons along with

improvised explosive device An improvised explosive device (IED) is a bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action. It may be constructed of conventional military explosives, such as an artillery shell, attached to a detonating mecha ...

s (IED) and

improvised nuclear device Improvised nuclear devices or (INDs) are theoretical illicit nuclear weapons bought, stolen, or otherwise originating from a nuclear state, or a weapon fabricated by a terrorist group from illegally obtained fissile nuclear weapons material that p ...

s (IND). Also known as the “EOD Badge” or "Crab", the decoration is issued by the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

and

Marine Corps Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refl ...

. The EOD Badge is the only occupational badge awarded to all four services under the

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national sec ...

. First created in the 1950s, the EOD Badge is issued in three levels and is identical for all branches of service. Although each service has its own requirements the basic EOD badge is issued upon completion of explosive handling training and between 18–24 months of on-the-job field training. The Senior EOD Badge is issued after 3–5 years as an explosive ordnance specialist and the Master Explosive Ordnance Disposal Badge is issued after 7–15 years of service in a senior supervisory position.

The Meaning of the EOD Badge

The "crab", as it is commonly known, is the only joint service badge and can only be earned upon successful completion of the 42-week course at the Naval School of Explosive Ordnance Disposal (NAVSCOLEOD) located at Eglin Air Force Base,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. Prior to attending NAVSCOLEOD, Navy service members attend Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center (NDSTC) in

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, FL for a 9 week EOD Diver Course. Additionally the Naval students will attend the maritime ordnance section known as "Area 8" followed by Underwater division. After NAVSCOLEOD, Navy service members attend a 3-4 week course to earn "jump wings" at the Army's

Ft. Benning Fort Benning is a United States Army post near Columbus, Georgia, adjacent to the Alabama–Georgia border. Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve component soldiers, retirees and civilian employee ...

, GA. Army service members will attend a course at Fort Lee,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

for 7 weeks before attending NAVSCOLEOD. The Wreath Symbolic of the achievements and

laurels ''Laurus nobilis'' is an aromatic evergreen tree or large shrub with green, glabrous (smooth) leaves. It is in the flowering plant family Lauraceae. It is native to the Mediterranean region and is used as bay leaf for seasoning in cookin ...

gained minimizing accident potentials through the ingenuity and devotion to duty of its members. It is in memory of those EOD personnel who gave their lives while performing EOD duties. The Bomb Copied from the design of the World War II Bomb Disposal Badge, the bomb represents the historic and major objective of the EOD attack, the unexploded bomb. The three fins represent the major areas of nuclear, conventional and

chemical A chemical substance is a form of matter having constant chemical composition and characteristic properties. Some references add that chemical substance cannot be separated into its constituent elements by physical separation methods, i.e., w ...

/ biological interest. Lightning Bolts Symbolize the potential destructive power of the bomb and the courage and professionalism of EOD personnel in their endeavors to reduce hazards as well as to render explosive ordnance harmless. The Shield Represents the EOD missionto prevent a detonation and protect the surrounding area and property to the utmost.

Navy enlisted designation and warfare qualification

Prior to 1 June 2006, enlisted members of United States Navy that qualified as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Warfare Specialist were authorized to wear the warfare qualification as well as have (EOD) listed after their rating designator. For example, if Bob Jones was a Hull Technician First Class Petty Officer (Explosive Ordnance Disposal Warfare Specialist), then his title would be HT1 (EOD) Bob Jones. As of 1 June 2006 for E6-E9 and 1 October 2006 for E1-E5, U.S. Navy EOD Technicians have become their own rating within the Navy. Only after being qualified as a Senior EOD Technician, is the technician designated as an EOD Warfare Specialist. An example would be: Petty Officer First Class Bob Jones, who is a Senior EOD Technician, would have his title read EOD1 (EWS) Bob Jones. In 2007, the Special Operations Officer Community was rechristened "

Explosive Ordnance Disposal Bomb disposal is an explosives engineering profession using the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe. ''Bomb disposal'' is an all-encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated functions in the milit ...

," a change which the Navy felt also needed to be reflected in the EOD Officer warfare device as well. The new officer insignia is identical to the Master EOD warfare device, but is gold in color.

References

External links

Marine Corps Explosive Ordnance Disposal Program

Naval School Explosive Ordnance Disposal

History of DOD Explosive Ordnance Disposal
{{US Army badges United States military badges

The Meaning of the EOD Badge

Navy enlisted designation and warfare qualification

See also

References

External links