Jamie Jones
Dalton Daily Citizen
DALTON — The Marine Corps has taken Dalton native Joey Jones from the beaches of Hawaii to the deserts of Iraq.
During his five years in the Marines, he’s also held a multitude of positions, including a “nerdy” desk job as a communications technician and a machine gunner in a security detail.
But his most rewarding military job starts later this month in Afghanistan as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technician. It’s his job to “render safe” — the term used instead of disarm — explosives in the field, whether it’s a roadside bomb, an unexploded shell or a land mine.
“Being in Iraq, seeing two or three guys come out risking their lives to save 30, 60, 100 others in just a couple of hours of their time would make an impact,” said Jones, a 2004 graduate of Southeast Whitfield High School. “If those three guys rendered safe an IED and found two secondaries, they took a big chance to do it, but they saved everyone in that convoy. Well furthermore, by saving the people in the convoy it can continue on and take the supplies to troops. It could affect hundreds.”
EODs have been in the news due to the success of “The Hurt Locker,” which on Sunday won six Oscars including the one for best picture. The movie chronicles a three-man EOD team stationed in Baghdad and follows the mental strain that goes along with the high-pressure duty.
Jones said he isn’t allowed to discuss “The Hurt Locker” with the media, but he did speak with The Daily Citizen about why he chose the career path as an EOD.
Jones, 23, was born and raised in Dawnville. After graduating high school, Jones drove a Hyster at Beaulieu of America and took classes at Dalton State College. He decided to join the Marine Corps after his two best friends at the time enlisted, one if the Army and one the Marine Corps Reserves. Jones graduated from boot camp in April 2005 and recently re-enlisted for another four years.
Why become an EOD? He was part of an EOD security detail for several months and he said he looked at them as “heroes.” The mission of an EOD is to protect life, limb and property — in that order. Being an EOD is a “100 percent volunteer” position, Jones said, and said members are allowed to come in and go out as they wish if they ever feel a job is unsafe or they are incapable of performing the job.
Of about 230,000 Marines, there are only 500 EODs. There are prerequisites for the job. The person must hold a sergeant rank, be older than 21, have a certain security clearance, pass a reading comprehension examination, score high enough on an aptitude test score and go through a screening process.
To become a part of the 1st EOD company based in Pendleton, Calif., Jones completed nearly a year-long course from July 2008 through June 2009. There, he studied in the classroom and in the field aspects of nuclear, conventional and biological explosives along with their electronic components. Marines and other members of the armed forces learn standard operating procedures which focus on identified objectives.
“Nothing we do is unsafe,” Jones said. “Everything we do is time-tested and approved through all four services. Everything that is taught at the school is taught to all four services.”
He said there is not one personality type that the EOD field attracts.
“You go to an EOD platoon and you’ll find one of every type of personality,” Jones said. “Very unique bunch of people in themselves, but the common motivation is the same to do more for their country, to do more than they have done or try to do more than those around them, without sounding self-righteous in any way.”
Jones understands the danger of his job but said he won’t be able to verbalize it until he begins his latest tour in Afghanistan.
