Submitted Photo Members of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight work with local students through various events and activities.

MINOT AIR FORCE BASE – The Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight of Minot Air Force Base’s 5th Civil Engineer Squadron is the only active-duty explosive ordnance disposal unit in North Dakota.

Lt. Col. Scott Howe, squadron commander, said when people clean out old farmsteads sometimes they find ordnance from the World War II or Vietnam era.

“We’ll get a call from either a local fire department or local police department or FBI to come pick that stuff up and dispose of it properly,” he said.

The unit is both a conventional and nuclear explosives response force.

He said they also have interactions with the FBI when that agency needs help downtown.

Members of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal flight also have provided support for community projects including:

— Mentored students through 5 STARBASE events.

— Conducted an Easter egg hunt for visually impaired children for the North Dakota School for the Blind.

— Took part in a Minot Public Library STEM demonstration.

— Took part in a STEM talk for the sixth grade at Erik Ramstad Middle School in Minot.

Explosive Ordnance Disposal facts

MINOT AIR FORCE BASE — Minot Air Force Base’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight covers a wide area.

— EOD Flight members have gone as far as Havre, Montana, which is about seven or eight hours away.

— If local bomb squadrons cannot handle the call, the Minot AFB EOD team can take it and is required to take calls relating to military munitions if there is no military squad closer.

— Occasionally, team members may go and have gone outside of their typical radius, depending on which team receives the call and is most equipped to handle it.

— Source: 5th Civil Engineer Squadron