British Army EOD Program Mourns A Decorated EOD Hero

Afghanistan Warrant Officer 2nd Class Gary O'Donnell, a very experienced and highly decorated British EOD soldier, was killed after a booby trapped IED he was approaching exploded. O'Donnell was commanding a team of bomb disposal technicians at the time but choose to approach the IED himself. The incident occurred near the town of Musa Qaleh in Helmand Province.

A father or four children including a nine-week old baby boy was just days away from completing his 6-month tour of duty. He is the 118thmember of the United Kingdom's military to die in combat operations in Afghanistan. Gary dedicated the past 16 years to bomb disposal serving in Northern Ireland, Iraq, Germany and Sierra Leone. 11 of those years were spent with the EOD Regiment Royal Logistics Corps.

Gary O'Donnell was awarded the George Medal earlier this year for two outstanding incidents in Iraq in 2006. His medal citation stated: 'He has demonstrated consistent bravery in rendering safe devices intended to kill and maim by a highly sophisticated enemy'. Another example of Gary's heroism occurred earlier this summer when he safely managed to dearm an IED he found buried near a dam. Upon uncovering the IED, Gary noticed that the bomber had used a clothespin and a rubber band to make a crude a pressure switch. He quickly slipped his finger into the gap of the clothespin thereby temporarily disabling it. He then used his free hand to dismantle the rest of the IED.

Gary was a true EOD hero that will surely be missed by his family and friends and the entire EOD community.