CONTACT: Eric Durr, 518-786-4581 or (cell) 518-429-5186

FOR RELEASE: Friday, Apr 03, 2009

WHO:

Twenty-eight Soldiers of the Scotia-based 1108th Ordnance Company (Explosives Ordnance Disposal), who are specially trained to locate, identify, render safe and dispose of unexploded ordnance and enemy munitions.

WHAT:

CORTLANDT MANOR, NY (04/01/2009)-- Members of the media are invited to observe Soldiers of the 1108th Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company conducting training in locating unexploded munitions at the New York National Guard's Camp Smith Training Site on Friday, April 3. WHAT: EOD Soldiers will conduct a training exercise by sweeping the northeast quadrant of the Camp Smith Training Site. The Soldiers will search for World War I era Stokes Mortar rounds fired in the 1920s and 1930s which may still be in the area. The exercise allows Soldiers to employ the skills they may need for their combat mission overseas in places like Iraq or Afghanistan, and allows the New York National Guard to be a good environmental steward by locating and disposing of old munitions which may be discovered.

WHEN:

1 p.m. on Friday, April 3.

WHERE:

Camp Smith Training Site, Route 6 and 20, Cortlandt Manor.

Visual and Coverage Opportunities: Soldiers will be conducting line sweeps of the search area near Route 6 and the Bear Mountain Toll House. Unsafe ordnance which may be found will be will be removed or, if necessary, destroyed in place with small charges. 1108th Ordnance Company Commander 1st Lt. Jeffery Fiorito and his Soldiers will be available for interviews, as will Camp Smith Training Site Post Director Col. Mark Warnecke. Media members interested in covering the 1108th Ordnance Company (EOD) training must contact Camp Smith Range Control at 914-788-7372 and be at the Camp Smith main gate no later than 1 p.m. on Friday April 3 in order to be transported to the training location.

BACKGROUND:

1108th Ordnance Company (Explosive Ordnance Disposal): The New York Army National Guard's 1108th Ordnance Company is small unit whose members are specially trained to deal with mines, unexploded bombs, and other types of demolitions. In Iraq and Afghanistan EOD personnel play a critical role in keeping the supply lines that American forces count on clear by eliminating IEDs and other types of explosive weapons. The unit is expected to deploy to mobilize to deploy to Iraq at the end of 2009 The 1108th is one of five EOD companies located in five states which would be under the control of the New York Army National Guard's 501st Ordnance Battalion in wartime. Camp Smith Training Site: Camp Smith is a 1,613 acre facility that is the largest state-owned National Guard training site in New York. The facility has 126 acres that includes 50 buildings, 229 acres of ranges and 1,256 areas of wooded training area. Soldiers can train on M-4 carbines, M-16 rifles, M-240B machineguns, and M-9 pistols at the existing ranges , and conduct infantry tactical training on the wooded hillsides.The United States Military Academy at West Point and various federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies also use the ranges and training area. The site was first used by New York to train state militia in 1888. Camp Smith has been in continual use since then.