From USA Today

[Grant Lamontagne]

I thought this was a cool article:

BAGHDAD — Haqy Asaad scanned the twirl of wires running from the bleeding man's chest and saw what he was looking for: wires tucked into a pants pocket. The man, twitching in the back of a pickup, had approximately five pounds of explosives stuffed into a homemade flak jacket, with wires jutting out in different directions.

Asaad, 38, a member of the Iraqi Explosives Ordnance Detachment, mouthed the same prayer he always recites at bomb sites: There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is the messenger of Allah. Then he pulled a Leatherman knife from his hip holster.

It was a homemade contraption: four metal plates — covering the front, back and sides — hung between layers of the vest. Between the layers were also hundreds of marble-size metal ball bearings and B-4 explosives, he said. Several wires jutted out from one side, and one was attached to a button detonator on the man's right side.

He has learned to disarm roadside bombs, long the preferred weapon of insurgents, with just a Leatherman knife, he said.



I am assuming they mean a Leatherman multi, because I don't know how long the knives would have been available over there.  I am sure Andrew will be along shortly to correct me, but it seems that in the time the LM knives have been available, it would be difficult to teach yourself about bombs.  If course, the thing about bomb techs is that they are very limited in the number of mistakes they can make!
Def

[J-sews]

Oh mah gawd. Can you imagine?

Haqy Asaad has definitely got bigger balls than me. 

[spirited]

That is a cool article. Makes me appreciate how safe I am, mainly using a Leatherman as a glorified can opener/box cutter these days.

I am sure they mean a multi tool as well. I think almost nobody even knows Leatherman also makes knives. They talk about a "leatherman knife" as they would talk about a "swiss army knife". Leatherman is almost a synonym for multitool I think.

[J-sews]

Oops. Pardon my language spirited.

[Grant Lamontagne]

This is the tool I prefer to use when dealing with explosives:



They used to train the guys on these across the road from my house when I lived in CFB Borden.  If a guy failed and the charge blew smoke they made him go into the house and get it.  Talk about incentive!
Def

[eodtech]

I would guess first of all they are using "Leatherman" as a term to describe a multitool, similar to using Kleenex for a tissue. The USA issues SOG multitools ( regular and EOD versions ) to the troops  as standard issue. My guess is the guy was using a SOG EOD version of the multitool.  I started in EOD in 1967 and recall having been issued a silver scale electricians knive, Dupont crimpers , and a small flashlight - no robots - we used a very long rope and a large hook on the end of it to first move a suspicious package. If we wanted to open the package to see what was inside  a 12 Gauge shot gun with oo buck shot was sandbagged in place in an attempt to blow a corner of the package off to see inside - the trigger was pulled remotely with a piece of arming wire.  Not to say it's easier these days but a robot sure makes it alot safer for disarming a device. I am sure the Iqaqi military is learning this disarming procedures from USA - EOD troops in country. EOD school in the USAF was 6 months in munitions school in Denver , Colorado and 7 months NAVY EOD school at Indianhead , MD - just outside Washington, DC - (ALL EOD troops now go to USN EOD school, now located at Eglin AFB in the Florida panhandle ). The nationals in Iraq are getting OJT probably for just in country ordnance - car bombs, human suicide bombs, recovered ordnance in the desert from oldm stockpiles that were buried, etc.

I sure am glad I'm not over there, these EOD sure are earning their Hazardous Duty Pay these days, our prayers are with them.

[Fred]

I like this one better:

on top of defusing bombs he also dances!