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Show Feb. 16, 1995 - Hill bomb squad busy dismantling pipe bombs for local communities ,' c?, 1 by TSgt. Barbara Fisher ALC Public Affairs Office Ogden A1C Terrence Halt, 75th Security Police, puts Duck, a military working dog, 'incf lift Photo by Joy Joer through the SP training course. SP, military working dog train and work together by Jay Joersz Times Hilitop staff Just as an obscure item may be treasure to one person and junk to another, a single event in life may be a nightmare for some, but a dream come true for others, ' The latter was the case for a Hill AFB airman and his canine compan-ion. v When Hill security policeman A1C Terrence Hall received a call to hit the streets a little early and head into Ogden to search a rental van, - he thought it was just going to be another routine assignment. ry But as he approached the van's location, he knew it was going to be anything but routine. Flashing lights encompassed the area as at least a dozen law enforcement cars surrounded a small store on Patterson Street in Ogden. The area was cordoned off with rope and guarded by officers. d The event Hall and his found themselves in Duck, partner, the middle of was the Jan. 25 arrest of David Shane Shelby, who was nabbed by a swarm of federal and local officials at an Ogden business. Shelby had attempted to mail a light-bulbomb to Iresident Clinton and a package containing a handgun to convicted mass murderer Charles Manson. Shelby will face a U.S. District Court judge in early April as he is charged with seven felonies. Although Hall said he was excited and even scared with what was happening, he also said he was thrilled that he and Duck would get a chance to put their long hours of training to use. And their hard work showed very soon after arrival on the scene. Within minutes, they were asked to search a vehicle for possible explosives. Hall said he started to survey the vehicle without Duck to see if he could visually spot any explosives in and under the van. He said that approach only lasted about 45 seconds when he realized he really should have Duck with him. "I started to get a little scared." Hall said. "I thought to myself. 4I need to get Duck because hell know four-legge- b - if anything is here before I would,' " he said. Sure enough, as they circled the truck, Duck had a positive response in both the front and the back of the truck. "At that time, we got out of there, because it could blow at any " said. Explosive'Ord minute,"-Hanance Disposal troops from Tooele Army Depot moved in and eventuH ally discovered there were definitely explosives at the very places Duck had his reactions. The Alcohol, Tobacco and Fire-- : arms. J Secret Service and FBI agents were all impressed. So impressed, they quickly shipped Hall and Duck off to Shelby's residence to continue the search for explosives. Again, Duck discovered more. "I was on Cloud 9," Hall said. "Even though the adrenaline was flowing and my heart was pounding pretty fast, it was great to get an opportunity to use what I went to school for 14!i weeks to do. Besides, it wouldn't be worth doing if it wasn't dangerous. It just wouldn't be as much fun." HaU said the biggest thrill before this one was a recent search that turned up some leftover gunpowder, just four days before the Shelby incident. Hall has been at the SPs Military Working Dog Section since November and his partner. Duck, has been at Hill since August. Hall said he has basically been the only trainer for Duck and the two of them have developed a close relationship, sharing his patrol car while on duty. "I definitely feel more secure with him there." he said. "Dogs are very protective. It's like he is a second pair of eyes for me. I put total trust in him.' Although the Shelby incident has faded for most people. Hall said it is a night he will never forget and said it was like a "thank you card" for all the hard work he has put in. "An event like that is like a dream come true," he said. "It's every bomb dog handler's cherry pie. To take all the time to train Duck and make sure he is proficient and then to actually see him go through and perform so well, it makes it all worthwhile." Hilltop Times Sometimes when it rains it pours. Such was the case for the 75th Civil Engineering Group's Explosive Ordnance Disposal Division recently when they responded to three calls from local police and fire departments for assistance with suspected pipe bombs. The first pipe bomb was discovered Feb. 4 at the Ogden Golf & Country Club Golf Course. A member of the Davis County Sheriff's Office defused the pipe bomb that day and kept it in a secure storage area until the following Monday when the Hill EOD unit was asked to provide technical assistance to help dismantle it. "The sheriff's explosives expert had already taken it down to the point where it was safe to handle." said Capt. Zeth Devore. the commander of the EOD mmmmmm division. "But the actual dismantling of it is TSgt. Pamela Bruton and her team of explosive experts MSgt. Richard Johnson. TSgt. Thomas Caygle, SSgt. Daren Ferguson and SrA. Randall Newcomer were picking up the evidence after the dismantling and cleaning their equipment when a second call came in asking for help. Devore said that incident involved a small glass jar containing smokeless powder. He described it as "home- made fireworks." "It turned out to be a device that kids had put together in an experiment." Bruton said. "It was meant to explode, but I don't think it was meant to hurt anybody. It was one of those types of 'let's see what this will do." The next day, Feb. 7. the EOD team got another call for assistance. A concerned mother had read in the local newspaper about the discovery of several pipe bombs and suspected that she might have three of them in her hazardous, especially garage. They had been and brought with pipe bombs." discovered In addition to all the Pipe bombs home by her children. She called the local fire training Hill's EOD unit themselves, does for their primary department for help, and mission of dealing with because of the they in turn contacted the world's bombs and way they are the base. The devices turned out bullets, they routinely to be harmless and contrain on how to handle constructed, are and disarm what they tained a heating coil eleinherently call improvised exploment and nothing sive devices. like pipe dangerous to try explosive. That didn't mean they couldn't have bombs. to dismantle. been dangerous or that "They are a favorite the parent didn't do the terrorist weapon." Devore said. "They're very right thing in contacting and to construct authorities for help, the simple Copt. Zeth Dcvor the materials are found EOD experts said. Command. 7S Or almost everywhere in "I've seen devices nnfWAf Group EOO Divnoc the civilized world so made from a mason jar to pipes four inches in they're very handy, very easy to use. If you don't have access diameter and six feet long." Devore to conventional military weapons, said. "The thing most people don't then an improvised weapon is what realize is that you're dealing with you use." something that doesn't necessarily Within the last year the Hill unit has react the way you want it to. been asked to assist with about a "There have been many cases w here dozen incidents similar to this one. the person w ho is putting a homemade One reason, in addition to their techexplosive together has blown him- - or nical expertise, is the specialized herself up." he said. equipment the unit uses, like a porta"The people doing this also don't ble machine and a bomb trailer realize it's a felony." Bruton added. to make transporting hazardous That's probably why incidents like material much safer. this give the EOD specialists what That Monday, the unit the Bruton and Devore call "an adrenaline item, w hich the Davis County Sheriff's rush." Office then transported to the Davis "All the training we do keeps us to County Fair Grounds, before using the point w here we don't get so excited what they call a disrupter to take the we can't think fast." Bruton said. that ends off the pipe without destroying "But there is an adrenaline rush when all the evidence. "All improvised explosive devices the item is the real thing. It proves to are dangerous." Devore said. "Pipe us that all our training actually does bombs themselves, because of the way work." "Most of what we do is training they are constructed, are inherently and that gets routine," Devore said. "1 dangerous to try to dismantle. There's think we're all adrenaline junkies to always the possibility that the item could detonate even if the actual some extent." device or item that was intended to Bruton said the three calls for help detonate it has been removed. Just the were great experience. "It feels good act of dismantling it can possibly to be able to dispose of hazards to the detonate it." public." ly 66 99 X-ra- y What is the average duration of the moon 's circuit around Earth ? 27 days, 7 hours, 43.2 minutes A What is an eponym ? word named for a person (e.g.. braille) |