Mine-clearing personnel at Bagram AB, Afghanistan, found an 1,100-pound Russian penetrating bomb containing 167 pounds of explosives about 200 feet from the base’s runway. Normally, an explosive ordnance disposal team would blow unexploded ordnance in place, but, in this case, its proximity to the runway presented a problem. EOD airmen dug a trench and built up a mound of dirt around the big bomb, then placed a C-4 high-explosives charge to blow it up. Officials say the weapon was left over from the Afghan-Soviet Union war of the 1980s.
When Airmen eject, the mission is clear: America leaves no warrior behind. Airmen are trained to survive, evade, resist, and escape the enemy, and everyone from ground crew to rescue personnel and commanders are committed to doing everything necessary—and possible—to bring downed Airmen home.