Part 6 - Order from Chaos: The EOD Learning Curve

Refinement & Mentorship

2008–2019 — From Navy Instructor to International Advisor

When my active duty time at Explosive Ordnance Disposal Training and Evaluation Unit ONE (EODTEU ONE) concluded, I didn’t simply step away from the fight against global threats — I carried those hard-earned lessons and an unwavering commitment into new, broader arenas. My deployments in hostile environments had endowed me with critical, firsthand knowledge of improvised explosive device (IED) warfare, but my subsequent experience as an instructor revealed an even more profound truth: knowledge, however vital, only achieves its true potential when it is meticulously and effectively passed forward. From 2008 onward, this conviction became the core of my professional mission.

Leveraging my background as a combat-hardened subject matter expert in explosive ordnance disposal and counter-IED operations, I embarked on a large-scale training initiative. I personally trained over 10,000 U.S. Marines in highly specialized counter-IED tactics and procedures. Among them were Marines from 3rd Marine Regiment out of Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii — the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines (“Lava Dogs”), 2nd Battalion, and 3rd Battalion — along with aviation and logistics elements from MAG-24 and CLB-3.

This monumental effort directly contributed to a remarkable 80% reduction in battlefield IED casualties, a testament to the efficacy of the training. These weren’t mere statistics; they represented battalions of young men and women preparing to face the same ambushes and hidden dangers I had navigated in Iraq. My objective was to give them a greater chance of survival and success than my own units had possessed.

I remember one training lane vividly. I had set up a command-wire roadside IED along a dismounted patrol route. The Marines advanced cautiously, their formation spread just right, their outer elements scanning aggressively. Instead of walking blindly into the kill zone, their spacing and discipline paid off. The Marines on the flank identified my position as the “triggerman” before the patrol was fully committed, neutralizing me before the device could be fired. That moment drove home the point: positioning, awareness, and discipline saved lives before the blast ever happened.

To reinforce lessons like that, we designed and implemented highly realistic training simulations, integrating seamlessly with Army Special Forces and Naval Special Warfare. We pulled every lesson we had learned from urban combat in Ramadi into those training lanes, ensuring Marines didn’t just memorize procedures — they practiced survival under stress until it became instinct.

Concurrently, at EODTEU ONE, where I held the demanding position of Lead Training Petty Officer, I assumed direct responsibility for the comprehensive combat certification pipeline for more than 400 aspiring Navy EOD technicians. This role encompassed orchestrating and supervising a diverse array of high-risk training evolutions. I managed live-fire ranges, precision demolition exercises, advanced robotics laboratories, intricate post-blast forensics courses, and complex small-unit tactics evolutions. Throughout this intensive period, I maintained a flawless safety record, a testament to rigorous planning and execution. The unforgiving terrain of the Darwin Wash facility transformed into our expansive desert classroom, where I witnessed firsthand the transformative power of stress inoculation and hands-on experience with live explosives. Under these demanding conditions, nervous, inexperienced students were meticulously forged into confident, highly capable operators.

Building Doctrine and Tools

By 2012, my professional trajectory had transitioned into the private sector, where I continued to innovate and impact the field. Collaborating with Machstem International, a leading defense and security consultancy, I authored and developed a suite of groundbreaking advanced training programs. These included the proprietary EOD Integrated Assaulter (EODIA™), IED Counter-Proliferation (IEDCP™), and Special Event Rapid Assessment Team (SERT™) courses. Each program was meticulously designed to address specific, critical gaps I had personally identified during my overseas deployments: how to seamlessly integrate tactical EOD capabilities with Special Operations Forces (SOF), how to proactively interdict sophisticated bomb networks before devices could be deployed in the field, and how to thoroughly prepare security teams for high-threat protective missions in complex environments. My commitment to innovation extended beyond doctrine; I even conceptualized, invented, and successfully patented novel tools – small, yet profoundly disruptive technologies such as a revolutionary breakaway pulley system and an energetic water disruptor. This was born from the understanding that, at times, the right piece of specialized equipment could be just as crucial as the most refined tactical maneuver in ensuring mission success.

Reality-Based Training in Spokane County

2014–2015

After years of combat deployments and instructing Navy EOD techs at TEU, my work began to bridge into the civilian side. By 2014–2015, I was invited into Spokane County’s multi-agency Reality-Based Training (RBT) exercises. These were large-scale active shooter and Rescue Task Force drills run with law enforcement, fire, EMS, and university police.

Sgt. H.J. Whapeles of the Spokane County Sheriff’s Department introduced me to the cadre. I brought my background as a Navy EOD tech who had been embedded with SEALs, and the parallels were immediate. In Iraq, I had learned that you don’t survive on specialization alone — you survive by cross-training and anticipating the needs of the team beside you. In Spokane, that meant showing fire, EMS, and law enforcement how to train together under stress, instead of standing back in their own silos.

I wasn’t there to run their program — I was there to lend perspective. I explained how in Ramadi, when IEDs saturated the battlefield, we had to adapt fast. EOD couldn’t just wait for a call. We integrated into SEAL patrols, pre-mission planning, and every raid. That was the only way to survive. The same principle applied to Spokane’s Rescue Task Force concept: firefighters, medics, and deputies couldn’t train separately and then expect to snap together during a crisis. The only way to build efficiency was to train side by side.

I remember telling them plainly: “The only way this is done is by training together.” That became a theme that carried through their RTF program, and it echoed the same doctrine shifts I had lived through overseas.

The research paper that grew out of those Spokane trainings mentioned me by name — tying my work in Ramadi to the lessons they were trying to apply in Eastern Washington. It felt strange at first, reading my career reframed in the context of active shooter response. But it also felt right. The fight had shifted, but the fundamentals hadn’t changed. Anticipate. Cross-train. Build doctrine from experience, not theory.

In that time frame, my path had come full circle: from combat in Iraq, to teaching sailors at Darwin Wash, to standing in Spokane classrooms and training sites, helping shape how American communities prepare for their own worst days.

Mentoring Across Borders

While my years in the Navy had been characterized by leading elite teams in direct combat, my post-Navy career evolved into the strategic and impactful role of mentoring entire nations. Through the prestigious U.S. Department of State’s Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program (ATA), I delivered critical counter-terrorism and EOD-focused courses in a diverse array of international locations, including India, Greece, Nigeria, Kenya, and Iraq, among others. I was instrumental in launching the inaugural Explosive Incident Countermeasures (EIC) courses in East Africa, laying a vital foundation for sustainable, indigenous programs in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. It was incredibly rewarding to witness bomb technicians arrive with apprehension and uncertainty in their eyes, only to depart with profound confidence and newfound competence. This transformation wasn't achieved by simply providing them with rote answers, but by meticulously teaching them to cultivate the mindset of agile, analytical problem-solvers capable of confronting complex explosive threats independently.

A particularly impactful assignment was in Cameroon (2018–2019), where I undertook the critical task of mentoring 30 highly dedicated Groupement Polyvalent d'Intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale (GPIGN) EOD personnel across six distinct bomb squads. My role transcended merely demonstrating render-safe procedures; I was actively engaged in building enduring instructor capacity, meticulously coaching their emerging leaders on the art and science of effective teaching, the intricacies of program management, and the overarching principles of professionalizing their nascent national EOD capability. By this stage of my career, my focus had shifted from direct, hands-on ordnance disposal to empowering others with the advanced skills and knowledge necessary to perform these life-saving tasks long after my departure.

Shaping the Profession

My commitment to advancing the global EOD and counter-IED community extended to my work with the International Tactical Trainers Association (ITTA). Through this influential organization, I played a pivotal role in fostering robust multinational partnerships, notably establishing the first-ever Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the distinguished Korean National Police Agency. I assisted with international conferences, published insightful articles on cutting-edge counter-IED tactics, and consistently pushed the boundaries of professional discourse within the field. What had originated amidst the dust and danger of Al Kut and Ramadi had matured into a fundamental part of a critical international dialogue focused on fighting smarter, operating more safely, and engaging with greater foresight against evolving explosive threats.

A Different Kind of Fight

By 2019, I had dedicated over a decade to the comprehensive development of advanced security programs, the mentorship of professionals across continents, and the meticulous refinement of critical doctrine. It was undeniably a different kind of fight than the one I had initially embarked upon – less about the immediate, visceral struggle for personal survival on any given day, and significantly more about ensuring that others possessed the skills and knowledge to survive theirs. My primary tools were no longer exclusively explosives and firing lines; they had evolved to encompass meticulously crafted curricula, strategic policy frameworks, and transformative mentorship sessions. Yet, the fundamental mission remained immutable: to bring order to chaos, to empower others with the precision and expertise that had been instrumental in keeping me alive, and to build a more resilient and secure global landscape against the persistent threat of explosive violence.