Military Bomb Disposal ?-Is this a stupid way to dispose of cluster bomb?

Reading the story of this local young soldier who lost his leg and his eyesight, I was struck by the method of disposal of the cluster bomblets we dropped in Iraq. I'm a civilian, but it struck me as a stupid way of disposal especially in this day and age when protective equipment, even robots are available. I see the bomb disposal people in this country suited up in full protective suits with a face shield. Why didn't this young soldier have this equipment I ask and why was he diposing of the bomblets with a shovel? Seems to me he was just fodder. I admire that the young soldier was trying to dipose of these bomblets we dropped to try to protect Iraqi kids and citizens. But what a price to pay! Would love to hear comment from DU vets.

--snip--
After arriving in Baghdad, Ross spent about a month collecting and defusing bomblets and shells that had been dropped from airplanes but hadn't exploded in combat. On May 18, he and five other soldiers were removing cone-shaped bomblets, each about 4 inches long, from a field in southwestern Baghdad where local children had been killed by the deadly objects.

One by one, Ross picked up about 20 bomblets with a shovel and slid them into a hole for demolition. The next one blew him off his feet and 30 feet into the air. Bits of shrapnel also injured another soldier and a bystander slightly, but Ross took most of the impact.

--snip--

At a military hospital in Rota, Spain, and later at Walter Reed, doctors found that shrapnel had nearly sheared off Ross' left leg, leaving it gangrenous and forcing them to amputate it. Debris also had torn through his right calf, leaving a fist-sized hole.

His eyesight was gone in one eye; the other registered only light and darkness despite surgeries to reattach his retinas and transplant a cornea. His left eardrum was punctured, his skull was fractured and his sinuses were smashed. His skin looked like Swiss cheese, pierced in dozens of places by more splinters of shrapnel.

http://www.post-gazette.com/localnews/20030817ross0817p1.asp

I was EOD in the navy. I left the navy in 1960. At that

time cluster bombs ( we called them butterfly bombs)

because when the cluster bomb was blown open the

bomblets sprung two 'Wings" and they would "butterfly" to earth.

The spinning motion of the wings also armed the bomblet.

There were three firing methods, none of which can be

determined by looking at the out side. The firing methods:

detonate when hitting the earth, detonate on contact with feet, or movement,

time delay. The rendering safe procedure (RSP): retire to a safe distance

smoke a couple of cartons of cigarettes: see if you can get a friend to do it:

Put in for special liberty or emergency leave. When all else fails: sand bag and blow in situ.

Never, never pick up or move a bomblet.

I expect they are much more sophisticated now days. Perhaps they have time delayed

self safing devices today.

It was a foolish thing the soldier was doing. I doubt if he was trained EOD.

Ed

You have to wonder why they couldn't have just cordoned off the area and called in the right guys to do the job as safely as possible.

Seems to me this war is costing a lot of our soldiers - that live - their limbs.

BTW, I posted a story about this same soldier I believe a couple of weeks ago from Dicky Mellon Scaife's paper where they called the them "Iraqi cluster bombs". Either bad writing or Dicky's paper had to color even this so it wasn't apparent that it was our ordinance that cost this soldier so dearly.