Afghanistan Army EOD Staff Sgt. Israel Nuanes, 38, of Las Cruces, New Mexico was killed in Kandahar Province from injuries suffered during an IED blast. Nuanes was assigned to 741st Ordnance Company, out of Fort Bliss, part of the 84th Ordnance Battalion, 71st Ordnance Group.

Afghanistan Army EOD Staff Sergeant Zachary Hargrove of Wichita, Kansas died from what was reported as a non-combat related incident. The Army has not released any details surrounding the incident pending an investigation. Hargrove was 32 years old and assigned to the 84th EOD, 1st Sustainment Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas. He was on his 4th combat deployment to Iraq.

Afghanistan Sgt J.P. Huling, a 25-year old Marine EOD Technician was killed in an ambush while on foot patrol in Anwar Province. His attacker was reportedly a Taliban militant dressed as an Afghanistan military policeman. Huling was flown to the hospital after being shot in the chest but later died from the injuries. Huling was from West Chester, Ohio but lived in California with his wife. He was assigned to the 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, from Camp Pendleton.

Nawa District, Afghanistan Navy EOD Lt. Christopher Mosko, 28, of Pittsford, N.Y., was killed during combat operations near the Pakistani border when his vehicle triggered a roadside bomb. Mosko was assigned to EOD Mobile Unit 3 based in Coronado. In Afghanistan, he was a platoon commander for a Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force. He was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star for valor and a Purple Heart.

Helmand Province, Afghanistan Staff Sgt. Joseph H. Fankhauser, 30, a Marine EOD technician from McAllen, Texas, died during combat operations. Fankhauser was assigned to 7th Engineer Support Battalion and was on his fifth combat deployment. He deployed three times to Iraq and had deployed to Afghanistan last year. Two Purple Heart medals and two Combat Action Ribbons are among the more than a dozen military awards and decorations he earned since 2000 when he enlisted in the Marine Corps.

Afghanistan An IED claimed the life of another brave EOD technician fighting the war of terror, 29 year-old Staff Sergeant Joseph D'Augustine. Staff Sergeant D'Augustine had served a total of four tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq. Details surrounding his death have not been released. D'Augustine was from Waldwick, New Jersey and is survived by his parents and three sisters.

Article by Ward R Stern.

When working in a foreign and potentially hostile environment, the EX-PAT EOD/UXO contractor should always remain vigilant of the peripheral dangers, not the least of which is the potential from an insider threat. Whether it is an intentional act on the part of a nefarious character that has slipped through the vetting process or hazards manifesting due to the improper actions of a local hire employee; the informed EX-PAT EOD/UXO contractor technician becomes aware and is therefore better able to establish an effective protective posture plan against the potential of hazards which can approach and attempt to penetrate their protective security sphere from any direction or location.

An example of a real world situation in which vigilance paid off for me and the safety of others occurred back in 2010 when I was assigned as a Technical Advisor to an Afghanistan citizen comprised UXO team trained to International Mines Action Standards (IMAS). The team to operated in Samangan Province, Afghanistan and consisted of thirteen IMAS (Levels 1-3) technicians led by an Afghan Team Leader (IMAS Level 3). My direction (instructions received while in Kabul) was to mentor this team so that they could operate in a safe, efficient and effective manner. One facet of the assignment involved advising the team on best practices involving UXO safety, identification and disposal operations.

A primary focus of the team, observed on my arrival in Aibak, Samangan in early September 2010, was for them to travel out to villages in our area of operations and present UXO identification and safety awareness presentations to villagers. The team would liaison with a village elder or Malik (a village religious figure) prior, and set up a date, time and place (most times just a flat spot in the village where a carpet was placed) to conduct a presentation.

After a presentation had been made, the team leader would inquire if anyone in attendance had knowledge of the whereabouts of any UXO in proximity to the village. This inquiry would at times illicit a positive response from a village member that they had knowledge of the whereabouts of an ordnance item. The team would then, in theory, either dispose of the item or items in situ (i.e. blow in place [BIP]) or (if safe to transport) relocate and secure the item at a designated disposal range for disposal by detonation.

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Helmand Province, Afghanistan Three Air Force EOD Airmen were killed when their vehicle was struck by a roadside IED attack. The three brave Airmen included Airman 1st Class Matthew R. Seidler, Tech. Sgt. Matthew S. Schwartz, and Senior Airman Bryan Bell.

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Helmand Province, Afghanistan Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad R. Regelin, 24, of Cottonwood, California was killed during combat operations. Regelin was assigned as an EOD technician to Marine Special Operations Company Bravo and was stationed at EOD Mobile Unit 3.

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Helmand Province Marine Corps Staff Sgt Stephen Dunning was killed by an IED blast while on duty. Dunning, 31, was from Milpitas, California and was an EOD technician attached to the 9th Engineer Support Battalion under the 3 rd logistics group. He was less than two months into his second deployment to Afghanistan. The Marine Corps posthumously awarded the Purple Heart for his service.