Thanks Michelle! It would be great if somehow we could know what the jobs are of each soldier in Iraq and what sorts of things they do on a daily, weekly, hourly basis. Just an outline would be great...from gunner, to supply agent, to medic, to engineer, th military police and everything in between.

It's not the Engineer's responsibility to take care of the road side bombs (IEDS). It is the responsibility of Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technicians. Engineers only recently learned what IED's are just like most of the civilians watching the news. EOD has long been leading the fight against IED's. Sure Engineers use explosives, but do they know how to render safe the devices they encounter? I don't think so. I went to a school in Florida that taught the basics of IED's. I went to a school at Stump Neck, Maryland that taught Advanced Access and Disablement, and I hope to go to the Brit IED course. They are the experts just as the Israelis are. Engineers have had no schooling in defusing road side bombs. They should stay in their lane.

I have to disagree with you Rich. Combat Enginneers are trained in explosive ordinances. Who clears mine-fields among other things lol? I can assure you that in 2003, Combat Engineers with the Big Red One were fighting insurgents and IEDs in Ramadi, not learning about IEDs "like most civilians" watching the news....

FYI: Ordnance is not spelled with an "i". Just to keep things straight. Engineers have a mission just like EOD has a mission. But, don't confuse yourself enough to believe that you can string wire with the Grunts one day and be dismantling a Category A incident the next. Engineers can blow it up, but only EOD is going to RSP it. RSP's are what seperates EOD from the rest, to save life, limb, and property. Sound familiar...