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Most
people
try to
avoid
deadly
improvised
explosive
devices
(IEDs).
Not
Marine
Corps
Staff
Sgt.
Daniel
Bogart:
As an
explosive
ordnance
disposal
technician,
it's his
job to
get up
close
and
personal
with
these
devices,
often in
combat
situations.
From
August
2006 to
March
2007,
Bogart
neutralized
65 IEDs,
saving
countless
soldiers
and
Marines
from
harm.
His
actions
– which
required
extensive
technical
knowledge
and
unflappable
concentration
– earned
him the
Bronze
Star
with “V”
for
valor.
Bogart's
tasks as
the team
leader
of the
1st
Explosive
Ordnance
Disposal
Platoon,
1st
Marine
Logistics
Group,
included
disarming
bombs
and
clearing
explosives.
A sense
of
normalcy
is a
sign of
success:
As
Bogart
told the
Midland
Reporter-Telegram,
“You
hear a
lot
about
the [IEDs]
that go
off, but
not
about
the ones
we take
apart.”
One of
Bogart's
most
harrowing
missions
involved
manually
disabling
three
IEDs in
Ramadi
while
under
small-arms
fire.
After
disarming
the
first
two, a
fourth
IED
exploded
just
three
feet
away,
damaging
Bogart's
ear
drums
and
injuring
his
partner
as
shrapnel
covered
the
area.
Despite
being
wounded,
Bogart
refused
to let
medical
personnel
into the
area
since he
knew
there
was at
least
one more
live IED.
Despite
his
injuries,
Bogart
defused
the
third
IED,
moved
the
injured
Marine
from the
blast
area,
and then
returned
to
perform
a
post-blast
analysis
– before
finally
allowing
himself
to be
medevaced.
After
spending
twelve
days
recovering
from his
wounds,
Bogart
returned
full-time
to his
job.
Bogart
participated
in more
than 170
combat
missions
during
his
seven-month
tour,
and
disposed
of over
11,000
pounds
of
unexploded
ordnance.
During
many of
these
missions,
Bogart
had to
avoid
enemy
machine-gun
and RPG
fire. He
is quick
to
credit
his
comrades-in-arms
for his
many
successful
missions:
“It is
easy to
do good
things .
. . when
you are
set up
for
success,
surrounded
by the
best
individuals
and a
good
chain of
command.
. . . I
could
not have
done
anything
on my
own – it
was a
team
effort.”
After
two
tours of
duty in
Iraq,
Bogart
is now a
team
leader
for
Marine
Corps
Air
Station
Beaufort's
explosive
ordnance
disposal
unit. In
that
capacity,
he
trains
other
Marines
in his
field.
Bogart
has also
shared
his
knowledge
with
other
coalition
forces:
In 2005,
he
provided
assistance
in
explosive
ordnance
disposal
training
to
Georgian
soldiers
set to
deploy
to Iraq.
While
IEDs
continue
to be
one of
the
greatest
dangers
our
troops
face,
the
efforts
of
servicemembers
such as
Bogart
have
greatly
reduced
this
threat.
On
October
12,
2007,
Bogart
received
the
Bronze
Star and
his
Senior
EOD
insignia,
a
well-deserved
recognition
of his
courage
and
expertise.
Bogart's
decorations
also
include
a Purple
Heart
and the
Combat
Action
Ribbon. |
