Every year the shop has a family day. They bring in people from family readiness and also the chaplain so they can give you information on their services. They also bring out the bomb suit for you to try on and a robot for you to play with. They cooked us lunch, we hung out and all in all it was a good time.
Here are some pictures of me getting the bomb suit put on
It was pretty interesting being in the bomb suit…especially because they didn’t hook up the air supply to the helmet. It’s pretty heavy and hard to move in seeing that your whole body is protected. Wikipedia’s info on EOD bomb suit.
So…What do a whole bunch of EOD guys do when they get a spouse in a heavy bomb suit???
Lay them down, of course! Watch them struggle to get up. I have to say, I did pretty well. They put me down on my back and I rocked from side to side a few times and got momentum to get up on my knees, then stand up. In this picture above was when I was rocking and made it onto my side. I felt like Ralphie’s brother in the Christmas Story where he was stuck on his back in the snow because he had too much winter gear on, but it only took me about 30 seconds to get up off my back and stand up, so not too shabby. Once I got up, they wanted to test me even further, so they places a small object on the ground and had me pick it up. Seeing that you barely can see anything in the suit, I couldn’t even see what they put on the ground. First instinct was to take a knee and pick up the object that way (there is no way you can bend over in this thing.) Then I heard from someone “That’s exactly how you would do it.”
So, during that whole time I was stuck in a closed helmet with no air supply. In this picture below Dan was generous enough to finally lift up the thick plastic part of the helmet and allow me to breathe fresh air 
Me and My Husband, Dan
Overall, it was a great afternoon. It’s always fun hanging with the EOD people at the shop. I am so thankful that these men and woman are SOOOO smart and do the things they do…one of the most dangerous jobs out there. I am proud to be an EOD wife!
That thing looks kinda scary! Did you feel claustrophobic at all without the air supply? I sure would have!
ReplyDeleteNot really. After They put me on the ground and had me picking things up I wanted fresh air. LOL. The whole thing was getting foggy, I couldn't see out of the helmet. The suits are 60-70 pounds, so pretty heavy.
ReplyDeleteI love the last pic of you and Dan together, so cute :-) The suit reminds me of a space suit.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you are having fun over there! It inspired me to fill out my passport application so I can get over there and have some fun with you! I think I'll go on Friday to turn it in and get my pictures taken :-)
I said that too once I had it on! I said I feel like I should be on the moon :)
ReplyDeleteGlad you are getting your passport stuff done, how exciting! Can't wait for you to come visit!