A special team of Marines from Task Force Koa Moana, deployed in Peleliu State, located underwater unexploded ordnance from an area near Kambek, a popular tourist and recreation site in Peleliu.
According to a report from DVIDS, a specialized team of Marine explosive ordnance technicians, Littoral Explosive Ordnance Neutralization, or LEON Marines, on July 28, 2020, located and identified potential explosive threats on Peleliu.
“By locating and identifying those threats, potentially dangerous UXO can be avoided and eventually removed,” Torcello was quoted as saying. “Each explosive threat located is a potential life saved.”
Torecello said it is a historic moment for the Marines, as they used specialized equipment and are the first to succeed in detecting underwater unexploded ordnance outside of a training environment.
“It’s a historic moment,” said Torcello. “The LEON Marines have been training for a long time to do this, and Koa Moana is the first operational deployment of EOD LEON Marines and assets. We’re proving that the concept works, the equipment works, and that the Marines’ training works.”
The LEON Marines were able to conduct EOD procedures to safely remove the explosive threat from the water. ( B. Carreon)