The Nebraska National Guard                  Nebraska's Citizen Soldiers in the Twenty-First Century

Master Sergeant Martin Coleman   Ninety percent of Iraqis lead the same lives as Americans. They just want to get on with living. Master Sergeant Martin Coleman Master Sergeant Martin Coleman of Lincoln, a member of the Nebraska Air National Guard's 155th Air Refueling Wing, worked on explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), including Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), at the Baghdad International Airport in Iraq from March 2004 until June 2004 as part of the 447th Air Expeditionary Group. The 447th was based at the Sather Air Base at the Baghdad International Airport. He volunteered for his deployment and although his wife, Heidi, wasn't happy he was going, she understood and was supportive. Source: All objects were loaned by Martin Coleman  Army and Air National Guard Mobilization: Two Different Models Army National Guard personnel are usually mobilized as units and, in most cases, individual soldiers play no part in the decision. Army National Guard deployments are typically one year. Air National Guard personnel are often mobilized individually or in small groups as volunteers, under what is termed the Air Expeditionary Group concept. Active-duty, Reserve, and Guard personnel from several units or specialties are brought together to perform the mission. Members of an Air Expeditionary Group usually have the same duties and responsibilities as they did in their own units. Current Air National Guard deployments are typically four months.   Flyer's coveralls, Bagdad Bomb Squad   Meaning of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Badge       Air Force Commendation Medal earned by Coleman ID card for access to Camp Sather   Description of MRE (Meal, Ready to Eat)      MRE packets This tool is a set of blasting cap crimpers I used in the field. They are used to "crimp" a blasting cap onto a detonation cord or time fuse. Trip portion of a land mine. These are leaflets the U.S. dropped in Iraq to warn civilians not to disturb unexploded ordnance items. This is a photo of a VBIED [vehicle-borne improvised explosive device, or car bomb] in mid explosion. This was one of the last operations I worked on prior to leaving Iraq. All the black specks you see in the photo are car pieces and parts flying through the air. The EOD Flight was asked by the Australians to perform a subsurface check of an area just outside of the control tower area. This area was going to be used for visitor parking during the Anzac holiday. We found a lot of soda cans, and junk buried there, but no munitions. This operation was done as a personal courtesy for our Aussie friends at the tower. It also got us invited to the party. [Anzac Day is the Australian equivalent to our Memorial Day.] This is a photo (from the left ) of Staff Sergeant Lindsey Lietz sitting at the HMMWV [Humvee], Master Sergeant Mathew Ott, myself (black vest), and Technical Sergeant Kiren Flynn set up on Mission Supply Route Tampa, working on disposing of a roadside IED. Staff Sergeant Lietz is controlling the robot, while Technical Sergeant Flynn is watching the operation with binoculars. Master Sergeant Ott and I are relaying information between the other two, and observing the outlying area. The two HMMWVs are parked in the "V" to protect us from any potential blast, or small arms fire. MSR Tampa is a major transport route and is a busy location for roadside IEDs. This is a photo of my partner, Master Sergeant Matthew Ott, and I setting up a demolition charge. The charge was transported by our loyal and hardworking robot down to a roadside bomb so we could dispose of it.

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