 Happy to get these are anti-tank mines They've been stacked along with anti-personnel mines in a way to get the most effective detonation for disposal It's ordinance common around Thailand's borders from past conflicts Back in July I said face-to-face with about 200 pounds of explosive ordinance This is the story of the fight against landmines Our story takes place in the Kingdom of Thailand towards the border with Cambodia Best known for its elephants Place where people build and live their lives The borders are saturated with landmines from previous conflicts, landmines that have since been made illegal due to their inhumane nature The Thailand Mine Action Center is Thailand's authority for demining operations and has taken on the responsibility of eradicating landmines from Thailand These brave service members go down to the minefields not knowing whether they'll come back However, partner nations and allies have determined they wouldn't face this alone Enter US Marine Corps EOD These guys face a variety of explosive Unaliving devices before their Monday morning coffee a different breed of crazy Confined to an exclusive faction of less than 800 Marine During peacetime and dedicated to the preservation of life and property We're here training with TMAC during EOD level 3 EOD level 3 is a continuation From EODs level 1 and 2 where we teach the students more advanced techniques We get more in-depth on explosive theory methods of disposal So at this point the students are digging a hole for their disposal shot and Basically to maintain Contain a lot of that fragmentation being produced by the by the ordinance The EOD level 3 course is an advanced part of the EOD job field Dedicated to more complex ordinance items Well, right now what we're doing here is training the trainer, right? I'm trying to get a Tie EOD technicians or or personnel that can perform the duties necessary to get rid of explosive hazards This is a large-scale disposal of landmines coming around the border Stacked in a specific fashion To make sure they never hurt anyone ever again So the training in the EOD level 3 is an advanced part of the knowledge Let the trainer go back to work Let them have the power to deal with the danger that will occur And let them have the ability to deal with the explosion that they haven't yet With the way they Make them more safe Students of the course experimented with explosives making improvised shape charges with more common and accessible items I've had the opportunity to be able to meet some people that work in TMAC whether they are Instructors or students and I've already noticed personal and professional growth and their capabilities their willingness to take charge Honestly, all these students are that we've been working with have Taken what we teach and they and they apply it very well because they care about their job They want to make this place a bit safer, right? Right now. They're setting up their Improvised shape charges getting the distances the correct standoff In Thailand, they have to work together with the students that have finished their studies They have to work together with the development and the research The research is not the same as the research If the research is the same as it used to be It's like a working system That will make Thailand There is no explosion, no explosion With this system that comes in to help None of this could have been done without the interpreters and their role in accurately passing on the complex knowledge The instructors are also great. I mean they Explain stuff very well. They've been picking up what we've been putting down Honestly, I found as the team leader, it's much easier And they're more capable when I Loosen up on the reins and let them take it over. This is a program for them And it's for them to take ownership and I think we're crossing that bridge right now where they're hungry to take on more responsibility And new challenges as they come up Another contributor to the effort are NGO or non-governmental organizations Our main mission is to support talent-mind action center providing technical advice and support to MAH4PAC partner training programs which include EOD level one through three and a technical survey and Non-technical survey program. We also support by providing like EOD technical advisor and mentoring program They shared knowledge on a mobile cutting system which is substantially cheaper than using traditional explosives for disposal Their support is crucial to mission success Both on our behalf and TMAX Well it's the same reason why we train our guys the way we train them right I'm gonna give my guys everything I know. I'm gonna teach them the best ways of doing things the safest ways of doing things So they can go back home to their families They go to work and get a job. That's what makes us the biggest part of ourselves It makes us feel bad. Every time we get a job, it hurts I feel bad every time. Even when I try to improve myself, I try to teach them better I think at the end of the day they are gonna be the guys on top of the item. They're gonna be the guys on top of that landmine working it But if we have a better way of doing things, or a better way of doing things, we're gonna use it Training these level 3 students allows TMAX a better opportunity to train their own force Creating a foundation for Thai EOD technicians and this way they can go ahead take what we've taught them Build upon it and teach their own EOD technicians Once they can train their own force, they're more capable. Once they're more capable, they're more effective in the minefields And the more effective they are in the minefields means they're going to meet their mission sooner And allows those students to go back to their units as mentors and future instructors and release land quicker The mission is to support the mission and to support the students so they can get out and work in the minefields The mission is to support the students so they can get out and work in the minefields This is a mission, and its for students that are taught and working for the EOD after graduation I couldn't imagine living in an area like this where I could not allow my kids to just walk out the front door and go play just walk out the front door and go play. So to put myself in their position and think about how this would affect me, I think we would live our lives in fear. Especially the IOD technicians. We have a similar mindset, you know? Like we think kind of the same way. We're doing a very similar job and not the exact same job. And I've built a lot of friendships here. It brings both nations together, the United States and the Kingdom of Thailand. It also develops personal relationships that carry on for years.