Toughest Forces on Earth (2024) s01e08 Episode Script
Dive to Survive
1
[electronic warble]
[exhales]
[electronic warble]
Go!
- [Dean] Is that Ryan?
- [man 1] Yep.
[electronic warble]
[man 2] Go!
- [Ryan] Is it on?
- [man 3] Yeah, it's on.
Fire in the hole.
Fire in the hole. Fire in the hole.
- [opening theme playing]
- [blades whirring]
[Ryan] We are three former
Special Operations soldiers
on a mission to go deep inside
the most elite and secretive
fighting forces in the world.
[gunshots]
[Dean] I'm Dean Stott,
former SBS British Special Forces.
Times like this,
you can hear your heartbeat in your ears.
[gunshot]
[Cameron] I'm Cameron Fath,
former United States Army Ranger.
- Not bad for a day's work.
- [gun cocks]
[Ryan] And that guy, at home in the swamp,
that's me, former Navy SEAL, Ryan Bates.
I'm not gonna lie. I'm kind of a big deal.
And these are
the Toughest Forces on Earth.
- Good to go.
- [gunshot]
[blades whirring]
[electronic warble]
[upbeat music playing]
[electronic warble]
[alligator grunting]
[Cameron] Home turf. The USA.
Sunny Florida. Here we are.
Dean, how are you gonna handle this sun?
You know, me and Cameron, we've got,
a little bit of, uh, Mediterranean in us,
but you kind of look like a cross
between the Silver Surfer and Voldemort.
[Cameron, Dean laugh]
From Harry Potter.
Gonna be able to handle the sun?
I was thinking more Jason Statham
and Dwayne Johnson.
[Ryan laughs]
Ryan, what are we doing here, man?
I've arranged for us to join
the most elite US bomb squad,
the US Navy EOD.
All right, dude. Sounds exciting.
They're honestly some of the best
in the world.
[Ryan] The US Navy
Explosive Ordnance Disposal
are the American military's
bomb disposal experts.
I've worked with them
on countless operations.
They deal with anything that goes bang.
When I see a bomb, I move away.
But these guys,
they go after it, and they make it safe.
[upbeat music playing]
[Cameron] Eglin Airforce Base,
home to the Navy's EOD school.
This is where we'll be meeting up with
the members of the elite EOD force.
First step, since we're not in uniform,
what's the military courtesy
for meeting a commanding officer?
I think if they don't have headgear,
we come to a position with hands.
Yeah, yeah. You don't salute.
You never salute unless you have headgear.
- And inside.
- [Ryan] Never salute without your cover.
You're supposed to go over your heart
if you don't have your cover on.
Right?
[upbeat music ends]
Attention on deck.
Good morning. Welcome to
Naval School Explosive Ordnance Disposal.
My name is Captain Steve Beall.
I'm the commanding officer here.
This school you're about to join
is the only school that teaches EOD
in the Department of Defense
and over 100 partner nations
around the world.
Make no mistake about it, gentlemen.
You will find it both mentally
and physically challenging.
Gentlemen, tomorrow morning at 05,
you'll muster at the barracks
to meet up with the class in your fatigues
because you'll be taking
the PT test first thing.
Yes, sir.
[marching band playing]
[electronic warble]
[Cameron] Whichever way they're facing,
we fall on the left.
[Ryan] Is that a military bearing thing?
[Cameron]
Uh, yeah, it's just Formation 101.
- [Ryan] You guys wanna hold hands?
- [Dean] No.
[soldier] Left, right, left.
[soldiers chanting indistinctly]
[Cameron]
You guys literally run everywhere.
[man] On the compound for sure.
Okay. For sure. What happens if they
If you don't run and they catch you?
- Usually you get wet.
- Does that mean you get wet?
- [man] Yes.
- [Cameron] They dunk you?
- Yeah.
- That's cool, dude.
- It's a nice way. It wakes you up.
- Yeah, sure.
We gotta get ready for PT.
- [Cameron] Okay. Let's do it.
- Sweet.
[tense music playing]
[Shearman] EOD is serious work.
Whether it's P
or we're doing technical skills,
whatever it is in the job,
we have to have the right attitude,
the right mindset,
because we're working to try to practice
so we get things right every time.
When it comes to dealing with ordnance,
it's it's unforgiving.
We're actually working to be in shape,
so that when we get to our job,
we're able to focus
and do what we need to do.
All right, listen up.
You're gonna perform 50 push-ups.
Two-minute time limit. Ready.
Begin.
- [instructor] Forty.
- [man 1] Forty.
[man 2] Forty.
[Dean] Before the EOD let us touch
any explosives,
we need to prove to them
we're physically and mentally prepared.
You will represent EOD
the way we tell you to.
- [man 1] One, two, three
- [soldiers] Four.
[instructor] People depend on you.
Without your eyes,
without your critical thinking,
without you being in physical top shape,
people die.
[tense music playing]
- [man 1] Three. Seven.
- [soldiers] One. Two.
We're gonna break you up into squads.
We're gonna run
all the way to Turkey Creek.
At Turkey Creek,
you're gonna find your respective boats.
It is a race back.
So let the best squad win.
[soldiers] Hooyah!
- With that rifle in my hand ♪
- I'm gonna be a shooting man ♪
[Ryan] Little nervous about this, er,
PT test or anything that's gonna happen
- A shooting man ♪
- A diving man ♪
because I've got five herniated disks
in my back,
my lower spine, and a fused wrist.
- [man 1] Get in the water!
- [man 2] In the water.
[Ryan] So I might look nimble,
but I'm not these days.
But I'll push through.
[Holland]
All right, get to the boats, gents.
[tense music playing]
[Holland] One
[Ryan] We're off to a slow start.
[Holland]three, four.
Nice and easy, fellas.
Two, three. That side, go hard
[Ryan] We've caught up to second place,
but to get ahead of 'em,
we'll use some dirty tactics.
Jump ship! Jump ship!
[indistinct shouting]
[Cameron] Grab them. Their paddles!
Come on!
[soldier] Let's go, guys! Let's go.
[Ryan] Go! Come on.
[Ryan] But just as we catch up
to the lead
Our boat's leaking.
[Ryan] disaster.
Our boat's losing air.
The boat sucks!
[tense music continues]
- Straight towards that beach.
- [soldiers] Row.
[Cameron] Go. Come on, men. Let's go!
[Holland] Two, three, four.
[soldiers chanting indistinctly]
[Ryan] We're last.
[soldiers cheering]
[Ryan] But at least we're losers together.
In all seriousness, fellas,
you guys worked together great as a team.
You communicated effectively. So good job.
[gentle music playing]
[Ryan] When I was younger,
I was the top of my class.
Runs, swims, push-ups, o-course.
I think my o-course
still holds to this day.
Nowadays, I'm older.
I'm just trying to maintain.
[man] Hurry up!
It was kind of a rude awakening,
but I got it done. A pass is a pass.
Let's move on to the rest
and crush the rest.
[gentle music ends]
- [tense music playing]
- [electronic warble]
Because Navy EOD was started during
World War II to rid the ocean of sea mines
we will be training
one of their primary tasks,
raise, tow, beach.
This involves raising a mine
from the ocean floor,
towing it, beaching it,
examining it for any intelligence,
and finally, disposing of it.
Today's mission, divers are gonna be
Cameron and Dean.
They're gonna jump out,
and with their sonar,
they're gonna look for this mine.
Once you guys are done locating it,
you're gonna grab our charge,
and they're gonna neutralize the mine.
So then we're gonna take it
all the way to the beach,
and that's the scheme of maneuver
of today's event.
Let's break.
[Dean] What is it just shorts
and T-shirt and trainers?
- [Ryan] So these are called UDTs.
- What does that stand for?
Underwater Demolition Team.
It stemmed back from
the old World War II guys.
We're wearing the same shit they did
in the 1940s.
[Ryan] These UDT shorts are designed
to be quick-drying and flexible.
But honestly, they're made out of cotton,
and until you break them in,
they chafe the hell out of your legs.
Don't get me wrong.
I like tight clothes, but there's a limit.
- [Ryan] You wearing those underneath?
- [Cameron] Making sure they fit.
Don't be the only person
wearing shit underneath.
- Well, I'm just making sure they fit.
- Okay.
[rock music playing]
[Ryan] My job on this mission
is to locate the mine.
I've got the coordinates
and the GPS, so let's do this.
[Ryan] One hundred feet to target.
I'm going to find it,
locate it, drop the marker,
hopefully within
about ten feet of the mine.
- [Holland] Hit bottom?
- [Ryan] Hit.
[Holland] We're right on top of it.
[Ryan] Dean and Cameron
are gonna follow this line down now
and find the mine
from where I've dropped this marker.
[tense music playing]
[Cameron] I'll be diving down
onto the MK 52 sea mine.
Dropped from aircraft,
it lies on the ocean floor.
Acoustic and magnetic sensors
detect when there's a ship overhead,
initiating the detonation.
Weighing in over 1,000 pounds,
of which over half is high explosive,
it is powerful enough
to sink a battleship.
Our job is to place an explosive charge
on the mine.
When detonated,
this will disrupt the sensors,
so we can bring the mine
to the surface safely.
[blows]
[Ryan] Try to act like a Navy SEAL
and pull this off.
I used to pull this off hungover
with no electronics.
- Okay.
- [laughs]
Your mission success
is entirely up to you guys.
It's a little nerve-racking.
I mean, a lot can go wrong underwater,
but I'm feeling good.
I'm trusting my equipment.
So I'm just gonna get this mission done.
[Holland] Okay. Let's send it.
[Ryan] Cam.
[Holland] Diver left surface.
[Ryan] So, a lot of pressure on Cam.
He's a newbie.
He's never really dove before.
Luckily, he's got old Dean overlooking him
with a bunch of experience.
I've done hundreds of hours of diving.
I've been on operations and exercises
and probably most comfortable underwater.
Diving's quite an alien environment,
and if you're not used to it,
uh, it can be quite terrifying.
[Cameron] My first challenge,
finding the mine using sonar.
The sonar device works
by emitting sound waves.
These are reflected back off the mine
and displayed on a screen
showing its size, shape, and location.
[tense music continues]
Next, Dean attaches
the disruption charge to the mine.
When detonated,
this will disable the sensors
meaning it will be safe
to bring up to the surface.
Done. Now, let's get up to the surface
and blow this thing.
[Holland] Both divers good to go.
All right, gents. Come on in and enter.
[boat engine revving]
[soldier] Ten seconds.
- Ten seconds.
- Ten seconds.
[soldier]
Fire in the hole. Fire in the hole.
Fire in the hole.
- Wow!
- Whoa!
[Cameron laughs]
[electronic warble]
[rock music playing]
[Dean] Wow. That was impressive.
- [Cameron] That was great.
- Yeah.
I felt it under the water.
- Yeah.
- You felt it in the water, right?
[Cameron] Now the movement sensors
have been knocked out,
it's safe to tie ropes to the mine
and use a lift balloon
to raise it to the surface.
We can then tow it to the beach.
Let's go, guys.
Get the job done today, boys.
- Always supervising. Right on cue.
- [Ryan laughs]
[Cameron] I'm sure on land attaching ropes
to this mine would be an easy task,
but underwater with limited visibility,
it's a whole different ball game.
He's gonna get caught at the bottom
with all that silt,
so he's not gonna be able to see
four inches in front of his face.
He's really gonna have to rely
on his sense of touch,
and then when he gets in there,
he's gonna have to
somehow tie that bomb up
to raise it to the surface,
which can be
a pretty big challenge for him.
If they don't pull off this attachment,
and it slips out,
[clicks tongue] that's it.
[Cameron] Okay, bag attached.
Hopefully. Now, back up to the surface.
[Holland] All right, gents.
You've done the hard part.
- [Ryan] Think it's gonna work?
- Absolutely.
- One in ten. One in ten. Eleven?
- Eleven.
- That's how confident I am.
- [Holland] Pull when ready!
[Dean] Here we go, boys.
- [tense music playing]
- [Ryan] Oh!
[Ryan, Cameron] There she is.
[Ryan] Yeah!
[Cameron laughing] Yeah! All right.
Dean, Cameron, good job.
That's awesome.
You definitely didn't Ranger this up.
[Cameron] Yeah, no, I didn't.
- Still got to get it on the beach.
- [Cameron] Yeah.
Let's move out.
[tense music intensifies]
[Holland] Let's go.
[Cameron laughing]
So does this mean
I'm a proper diver now or what?
- I think so, buddy.
- Um
- You're a diver.
- You're a diver.
[tense music ends]
[Holland] Heave!
[Cameron] The last step of RTB is
to tow the mine onto the beach,
so we can rip out that detonator
and render this thing safe.
[Holland] Until we actually take
the primary out of the explosives
- [Ryan] Yeah.
- it's still unsafe.
[Cameron] Each mine has a detonator
called the extender.
Water pressure pushes this
into the explosive core, arming the mine.
We have to use
a series of pulleys and a rope
to pull that detonator out
from a safe distance and disarm this mine.
[Ryan] It seems sketchy.
It is a possible 1,000-pound bomb
that you're It's unknown, you know?
-100%
- Yeah.
[tense music playing]
[Cameron] I think that'll be good.
So we've really taken the time
to ensure a good alignment
on the pulley system with the detonator.
We've got a nice knot securing it,
so when we pull, it should just
[mimics popping sound]
like a greased hot dog.
- [Holland] Take out the slack.
- [Dean] Take the slack.
[Holland] Keep going. Keep going.
All right. Tension.
[metal squeaks]
[Ryan] If the rope and pulley
are not dead straight,
the detonator won't pull out cleanly,
and it'll be one hell of a bang.
[tense music intensifies]
[Ryan] Three, two, one.
[metal clanging]
Go!
[detonator pops]
- Yeah!
- [Cameron] Let's go, baby!
Well, that was super anti-climactic
but in a good way.
- Mission success.
- [Ryan] Mission success.
[Cameron grunts]
Oh no.
[Cameron, Ryan laughing]
[tense music playing]
[Cameron] The next morning, our sea mine
is transported to a local range
for destruction.
Now, EOD guys don't just need to know
how to stop a bomb from going bang,
they also need to know how to blow it up
in a safe manner
to stop it from being ever used again.
- You excited?
- Yeah. I am. [laughs]
[Ryan] Dean's played his part
by placing the charges
that disrupted the mine's sensors.
So now he's leaving
the next detonation to us.
[man] We're going down, blowing up
500 pounds of old ordnance.
We can't use it anymore.
The shelf life's expired.
Okay, so the only way to get rid of it
is to blow it to high hell.
Yep.
[Cameron] Bombs past their shelf life
are considered unstable
and need to be disposed of.
So today we're going to assist the EOD
in disposing of some unexploded ordnance
that they need to get rid of.
[Fleischman] Got two bombs, 250 pounders.
Six five-inch rounds,
then four 60-millimeter mortars.
We'll just use that big ordnance
to destroy the small ordnance,
make sure it all goes away.
- Nose to nose.
- [Cameron] Nose to nose.
- Come on, man.
- [Cameron] Yep.
[Fleischman] Push that bomb in.
Make sure everything's tight, touching.
The easiest way to set these bombs off,
two pounds of explosive.
We've put C-4 where the fuse would go,
really ensure that we set everything off.
[Ryan] Stuffing it up that ass of that?
- Correct.
- [Ryan] Awesome.
[Cameron] What's the thought
behind the placement?
So you want those bigger objects
touching each other.
That way if the C-4 doesn't set it off,
the round going off next to it will.
And that blast wave will travel
through everything and set everything off.
[Cameron] And now it's time to rig our
sea mine for its own separate demolition.
[soldier] You take this and you wrap.
[Cameron] I see.
A pretty charge is a happy charge.
- [Ryan] Is it gonna be pretty?
- It's gonna be beautiful.
[Ryan] Okay.
[soldier] Charge will go right here.
- [Ryan] Just blow it?
- [soldier] Yep.
- Okay, let's do it.
- [Ryan] All right, let's go.
Because of the size of this explosion,
we're gonna go to a bunker
that's a half mile away.
[tense music playing]
[soldier] Fire in the hole!
Fire in the hole! Fire in the hole!
There she is.
[Ryan] Whoa.
Made the windows shake. See that?
That was cool, man.
[upbeat music playing]
Look at that hole.
That takes a lot
to move earth in this fashion.
[Ryan] Yeah. Get in there.
[Cameron] I don't think I can fit.
[Ryan] God, you look like a tiny man
in that big hole.
You are a tiny man in that big hole.
[laughs]
- Oh man.
- [Ryan] Let's get out of here.
[upbeat music ends]
[tense music playing]
[Cameron] Although the Navy EOD
was started during World War II
to chase sea mines,
they're not just about the water.
These guys have to go
wherever the military goes,
which a lot of the time now
is on dry land.
And that includes
improvised explosive devices, IEDs,
that terrorists and insurgents use
around the world.
- [tense music ends]
- [electronic warble]
All right, guys. We're gonna
go over a few basic, uh, tools
that we utilize for disarming IEDs.
With this, it's a typical pressure cooker.
Uh, they're used all over the world
for main charges for IEDs.
This is the deadliest beef stew
I've ever seen.
[Deibert] It is. So the top, we've got
several things going on here.
Okay.
[Deibert] You've got the on-off switch
coming into here.
So, once you open this lid,
it's a victim-operated,
kind of a booby trap style.
So once you take that lid off,
it's gonna set the, uh, the charge off.
[Dean] So, IEDs are a real threat
on operations.
Unfortunately,
I've lost friends with IEDs,
and as the name suggests,
they're improvised explosive devices
using any materials you can get hold of,
you know,
some of them are filled with nails,
bolts, glass, plastic explosives.
[Cameron] These deadly weapons
were responsible
for two thirds of all coalition casualties
during Iraq and Afghanistan,
and for every soldier, four times as many
civilians were killed by them.
How much damage would
this pressure cooker do
if it's set off like an IED?
So it looks like we've got
about four pounds of, uh, Semtex in there.
Pretty significant.
Um, you're probably talking a kill radius
of probably, like, 50 to 75 feet.
Gotcha. When we patrolled,
we would always
They would patrol, I'd be point man,
and there'd be maybe two guys behind me.
They'd call you. We see something,
I'd step back and send you guys in.
[Deibert] Yeah.
[Ryan] One of my most intense times
working with EOD,
we were in Afghanistan.
We were clearing wells.
And we always clear them.
I went down there with the EOD guy,
and I saw a rock
leaned up against the wall,
and underneath it was a cache of RPGs.
Like, kind of in a potato sack.
I went to go move it, to grab it,
and I noticed that, uh, kind of a brick
the size of a brick but lead weight,
wedged between the rock and the wall.
And I stopped it,
and I told the EOD operator,
[splutters] "What is this?" and he's like,
"Don't move. I think it's an IED."
It was some kind of
big bomb underneath us.
So, I was stuck there, kind of
in this kind of position, holding it.
The whole time, I was like,
"I'm gonna get buried alive."
Wasn't worried about getting blown up.
"I'm gonna get buried alive."
He was able to blow it up and pretty much
get me out of that sticky situation.
It happened so fast, you know,
in those situations you think about it,
but once you get out of there,
you're like [exhales]
You know, you realize how close
you were to a really bad situation.
[Cameron] EOD has some truly creative ways
to disarm improvised explosive devices.
- [Ryan] When do you put the water in?
- So, we put the water in last.
This seemingly innocent plastic box
is actually a disruption charge
that we will be using to disarm
the pressure cooker bomb.
The box will be filled with water
and a small explosive charge.
It fires a jet of water at high velocity,
powerful enough to knock the lid off
and disable the IED.
And the great thing about water is
there's no shrapnel.
[Deibert] So a lot of times we'll come in
and set this up a couple of inches away,
kind of pointed up at that lid,
and the hope is it'll rip that lid off
and open it up
and disarm it at the same time.
- [Cameron] Let's do it. Excited.
- [Deibert] All right.
You wanna push the button,
Todd'll run you through it.
- Sweet.
- [Deibert] Um
But everything's set up down there.
We're ready to, uh, set off shots.
[Dean] Fire in the hole!
Fire in the hole! Fire in the hole!
[Cameron] He's a great button pusher.
All right, moment of truth.
- [Deibert] Looks like it's back here.
- [Cameron] Yeah.
[Deibert] Yep.
- [Ryan] It didn't knock off the lid.
- [Cameron] The lid.
Um, I think our stand-off was
a little too far to get the lid off.
All right, so it looks like
the match is good.
[Cameron, Dean] Oh.
That means the bomb didn't go off.
We dismantled it.
[Deibert] Yep, it did not go off.
So we successfully disarmed this IED.
[birds chirping]
[tense music playing]
The Navy EOD are trained to deal with
anything from bombs to bullets,
but their number one threat is
chemical, biological,
radiological, and nuclear weapons.
These are weapons of mass destruction.
[electronic warble]
Morning, gentlemen.
I'm here to brief you on our next mission.
We have reporting that a stolen,
uh, radiological source,
uh, is located at this target location.
[Cameron] Sources of radiation
could be used by terrorists
in order to create a dirty bomb.
This is an IED that spreads radiation
over a large, wide area.
So we'll be executing an operation
to go and confirm or deny
the presence of the source,
as well as try to recover it.
Anticipated time on target at that HLZ
is going to be right around dusk.
By the time we move to target,
we have the cover of darkness.
- [blades whirring]
- [tense music playing]
[Ryan] What is this thing?
It's a necessity kit bag.
Everything has a purpose on this kit.
- What is this? Oh.
- It's a Needle D, dude.
You want to know what it does?
- Uh-huh.
- I'll do it on you.
Me and Dean,
we're using what the guys use, you know.
We wanna get down into it.
But this kid's got more gear
than any three SEALs out there, you know?
[Cameron] These guys are old-school,
got a lot of hours, a lot of years.
But I didn't get out all too long ago,
uh, so I'm used to the new gear.
This is kind of my element right now,
so definitely gonna surprise them.
- [Dean] We're on a Navy base here.
- [Cameron, Dean] Yeah.
[Dean] You're catting around
with this Ranger.
- Hey! Hey!
- Oh! Oh!
[Dean] Purely out of respect, you know
Oh man.
[Dean] I'm proud of my unit.
You're proud of your unit.
But there's a time and place, hey?
We've got a couple rules as men,
and you never touch another man's patch.
[soldier 1]
Should be 90 knots to 100 feet there.
[soldier 2] 90 knots to 100. Roger.
[Cameron] There's no better feeling
than the helicopter screaming,
the rope going down,
testosterone's pumping,
you get down the rope,
and then the wind hits you.
Yeah!
It's gonna be
a good, fast, aggressive infil.
[tense music playing]
En route rally point.
- Do you have the Ranger handbook with you?
- Yeah, right here.
[Sharp] All right, circle up quick.
We're gonna do
what we call "fives and twenty-fives."
We're gonna look in our immediate area,
make sure we're safe.
Once that's good, you guys are gonna push
25 meters out into the woods.
[blades whirring]
As soon as you're ready.
- Yeah.
- [Sharp] Lead us out.
[Dean] Now we've been dropped off,
we've a ten-mile patrol through the woods
to reach the site
where radiation has been reported.
[Ryan] Cameron,
give us another hand signal.
Well, if we get into a wedge in the Army,
we do it like a banger,
but at nighttime it's the only time
we'll be like you guys.
[Dean] You're just making this up.
No, dude! I'm serious.
'Cause I've never heard of
any of these before.
He's got his own language.
Twenty-six-year-old Ranger language.
Yeah. That's what they do
on Call of Duty, apparently.
[Ryan laughs]
[Cameron]
Okay. So we've got to the target.
A friendly assault force has already
secured and cordoned off the area,
removing any enemy combatants.
Now, it's time for EOD
to get down to business.
[Sharp] All right. Hey, guys.
This is our target structure.
I want you guys working
with some sense of urgency.
If it's dark in there, keep it dark.
- Don't die.
- [Sharp] Yeah.
[ominous music playing]
[Ryan] Under the cover of darkness,
we enter the bunker.
- [Sharp] Ready to roll?
- [Cameron] Hooyah.
Hooyah. Let's do it.
[Cameron] I will be going in first
with EOD tech, Nate,
to make sure that
there is no IED threats or booby traps.
[Nate] I'll take the right side
of the hall and rooms in that direction.
- [Cameron] Roger.
- [Nate] Split, left.
Open up everything.
We need to make sure the place is clear.
- Good.
- [Nate] Got it?
- Let's rock.
- All right. Let's roll.
[Cameron] Until we've made sure
that the site is safe,
we cannot allow Dean and Ryan to begin
their search for the radiological threat.
Been a while since I've been patrolling
at night and bitten by mosquitos.
- I know.
- You know?
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
[tense music playing]
[Nate] Go internal, let me know.
Open everything up you need.
- We need to clear for secondaries.
- [Cameron] Okay.
- [Nate] Moving.
- [Cameron] Open door left.
We've got some fun toys on this one, dude.
[tense music continues]
Oh shit.
[Cameron] By using the PEQ laser
on my rifle, I spot something suspicious.
Hey, Nate, I've got a trip wire.
I think it's a landslide.
- [Nate] All right, back out.
- Roger.
[Cameron] "Landslide" is a code word
for finding an explosive device,
such as this booby trap.
[Nate] All right. I see it.
We've got a trip wire to a grenade,
tied off to a spot on the wall.
- I'm gonna take care of it.
- [Cameron] Roger.
[Cameron] It lets everyone know
to fall back and take cover,
while EOD neutralize the threat.
[scraping]
[Nate] All right, A, we're cleared.
You guys are gonna go back in.
Start doing our radiation search. Okay?
See if we can locate that source.
[Ryan] Now that the bunker is no longer
booby trapped, thanks to Cameron,
it's time for me and Dean to go in
and find the radioactive source.
We are using radiation detectors
to guide us.
[Dean]
Okay, so I've got a number four here.
[Ryan] The higher the number, the closer
we are to the radioactive source.
[Ryan] Oh. Two, five, three, two, five.
[tense music continues]
Oh. Six, seven. It's probably this thing
that says radioactive too.
[Dean laughs]
[Ryan] We found the radioactive source.
Neutralize target.
[Cameron] Once the source container
is determined safe to move,
it can be transferred to a specialist
to be made permanently safe.
That's good training today.
And you guys were able to utilize
our radiation detection
and locate the source.
We have a saying
which is "you train to standard,"
and you try to make training
as realistic as possible,
and in my opinion,
you try to make that training even harder
because when you experience it
in real life,
you have kind of a sense of relief,
well, you know,
"This didn't compare to what I did,
you know, back at home."
Let's get out of here. Head back to base.
- Let's do it.
- Sounds good.
[bird cawing]
[ominous music playing]
[truck beeping]
[Cameron] Training is over,
and it's the day of the final mission.
We will be joining an EOD team
and participating in an exercise
that is based off real events.
[electronic warble]
[Ryan] The final mission of the season,
and for Cameron and I in our own country,
we really need to nail this.
Morning, gentlemen.
So we've got intel.
Believe that a vessel
has been laying mines off the coast
where we've been operating.
Cameron, you're gonna hop on the boat,
confirm the condition
of the ordnance items on board,
and you're gonna help derig
the boat with the team.
Ryan, you're gonna helocast
and dispose of the mine in the water.
You'll be working with Cast-master P1, P2.
Take directions from them to a T.
Dean, you'll give that execution order
to explode the mine that's in the water.
I'll give you a direct order
to press that button.
Ryan.
What is, essentially, is he doing?
Just pushing the button?
[splutters] Does he need to practice this?
[Dean] During my time
in the Special Forces,
I was involved
in many maritime operations.
I'll be coordinating the overall mission
and will be responsible for
blowing up the sea mine.
[tense music playing]
[Dean] But first, I've got to head out
to sea and locate it.
[Ryan] All right, teach me.
[Ryan] While Dean goes
looking for the mine,
I'm getting some last-minute information
from Travis
on how to deal with this thing.
When I swim up to this thing,
if it's a live mine, do you touch it?
You're gonna have to actually touch it at
some point to wrap the charge around it.
What we want to do is
we want to place it on the bottom,
so that it can sympathetically detonate
the high explosive down here.
You want to stay away from the horns
that stick out from this thing.
- Okay.
- Because if you break the horns
- It'll go off.
- it goes off.
So now you look back at the boat
and they'll give you the signal, like,
"Hey, we're good. Go ahead and pop smoke."
- Then initiate it on your watch. Time it.
- Yeah.
- Let it float.
- Let it float.
And now you're swimming
to go get your helo or your boat.
All right. This seems all easy on land,
but out there in the swells,
it's gonna be a bitch, huh?
[Holland] It's hard.
I'm gonna get it done.
I promise. All right?
- [Holland] I know.
- Put me in the game.
We got you.
You're gonna be player number one, man.
[laughing] All right.
[boat engine revving]
That's the mine. That's what
we wanna be keeping clear of.
Let me know
whenever you're set and in position.
[rock music playing]
[Cameron] So Dean has located the mine.
Now, it's time for me and my team
to helocast into the sea, swim up to it,
and deal with it.
[Dean] Ryan now should be airborne
and on his way to us, you know,
him and the team
will be talking it through themselves.
The last-minute checking their equipment,
making sure they're ready to go
because, you know, time is critical,
and they need to make sure
this is a success.
[Cameron] While Dean and Ryan
have been tasked with finding
and destroying the sea mine,
I'm on a mission of my own.
The boat that laid the mine
has been spotted,
and a team, which includes EOD techs,
have been tasked
to parachute in to intercept it.
Here we go.
[Cameron] I meet the team
as they hit the water,
and we get to work
inflating our Zodiac boat.
[rock music continues]
[boat engine revving]
[Cameron] That's it.
[soldier] We need you up there.
Let's go. Hang on to it right there.
[Cameron] The noise has alerted
the crew of our presence,
so they've abandoned ship.
Time to get on board
and see if we have any more mines.
[tense music playing]
[Dean] Here they come.
[rock music playing]
Something about the sound of a helo
which, uh excites me.
[Dean] Once you're in position, you know,
you get the green light, you just go.
Go!
[Dean] One.
Go!
[Dean] Two.
- Is that Ryan?
- [man 1] Yep.
[loud bang]
Three. That's all of them in.
[rock music ends]
[tense music playing]
- [man 2] Good to go?
- [man 3] Hell yeah.
[Ryan] Yeah! Where's the thing at?
[man 3] The helicopter's gonna
position itself in line with the mine.
- [Ryan] Okay.
- [man 3] Swim towards the helicopter.
- [Ryan] Okay.
- [man 3] Place the charge and do our job.
[Ryan] Let's do it.
[tense music continues]
So what the guys'll do now is, obviously,
they may be disorientated
from going into the water,
and what they see in the sky is
different from what you see at sea level.
You know, luckily we're here today,
and the sea state is reasonably calm,
so they should be able
to have an eyeball on the mine.
That's Ryan and the team
putting the shape on the charge now.
Probably the most crucial part
of the mission, actually,
because if they don't get that right,
it could compromise the whole mission.
[tense music continues]
[Cameron] While Dean and Ryan
are dealing with the sea mine,
I believe we've located
the boat responsible for laying it.
All right,
what are we looking at here, Kai?
[Sharp] Yeah, we're just gonna do
a real quick look at these.
Start getting information
so we can pass that off to them.
Okay.
[Sharp] No pins?
Nothing like that protruding?
[Cameron] Nothing.
[Cameron] These mines don't have any pins
or detonators, meaning they're not armed.
[Sharp]
You see anything up on the top here?
Uh, I've got a space,
but there's nothing protruding out of it.
- It's just a couple of bolts.
- [Sharp] All right.
Hey, we're looking good.
No pins protruding or anything.
Everything looks intact.
Shipping configuration.
[Cameron]
Now, we can safely take them back to base.
Dean, this is Cam. Target cleared.
[tense music playing]
[Ryan] It's in place. Got it?
- [man] Yes.
- [Ryan] Is it on?
[Ryan] I've set the charge.
It's time to get out of here
before Dean accidentally hits a button
and blows us all up.
We're recovering one guy right now.
Second guy's up.
[Dean] We're just waiting on Ryan.
No change.
[helicopter blades whirring]
[Ryan] The green dye means I've crushed it
and successfully rigged
the explosive charge to the mine.
[Dlugolecki] And here comes your comrade.
- Is that Ryan?
- [Dlugolecki] Yep.
[Dean] What's the breaking strain
on those straps?
Because I'm a bit concerned.
Ryan's a big lad.
[Dlugolecki] All right, copy all.
We've got everyone set.
Stand by for high-alert detonation.
[Dean] Finally, the most important part
of the whole operation.
There's a lot of money and training gone
into these fingers, especially this one.
[tense music continues]
Fire in the hole.
Fire in the hole. Fire in the hole.
[all cheering]
[rock music playing]
[Cameron] First round on me.
Everyone on stand. Everyone on stand.
We had successful detonation.
Your guys are clear to clean up,
and after clean-up, RTB.
[rock music continues]
[Dean] It was great.
You know, I've never witnessed that
before. I've never had the experience
to detonate a sea mine.
So for me, it was a great experience,
and it's a comfort to know
that all the working parts,
all the teams did their jobs
so I was able to to press that button
and detonate.
It was definitely a good exposure
to what these EOD guys are capable of
and what sets them apart from other units.
[Ryan] The danger's just immense,
and getting to see what they do,
I've a lot of respect for these guys.
[Ryan] Let's get some drinks.
- Drinks are on Cameron.
- [Cameron] Ooh!
[Ryan laughs]
[rock music playing]
[Deibert] Oh, hey. What's up, guys?
- [Dean] What's up?
- You guys made it.
- Hey, what's up, guys?
- What's up, buddy?
So usually whenever we have people
come around that do good,
you know, we usually give them
a token of our appreciation.
So, we guys,
we, uh made something for you guys.
- Oh, what?
- What the? Damn!
- [Dean] Wow.
- [Ryan] What?
- From the boys of Platoon 232.
- Did you guys blow this in?
- [Deibert] Yeah.
- Yeah!
So those are explosively engraved plaques.
Obviously, they're personalized
to you guys. So I hope you guys like them.
- [Ryan] Oh sick.
- [Cameron] This is awesome.
We all signed the back of them.
So you guys'll never forget us, hopefully.
[Dean] Nate, why's your phone number
on mine?
[all laugh]
- Hey, Dean. You wish, man. You wish.
- [Cameron] Man, that's funny.
I never truly appreciated
what you guys do until coming here
and seeing how sketchy it is
working with mines and explosives.
And I never wanted to do it, you know?
Um, you guys are true,
humble professionals.
So here's to you, boys.
[all cheering]
[tense music playing]
[tense music ends]
[electronic warble]
[exhales]
[electronic warble]
Go!
- [Dean] Is that Ryan?
- [man 1] Yep.
[electronic warble]
[man 2] Go!
- [Ryan] Is it on?
- [man 3] Yeah, it's on.
Fire in the hole.
Fire in the hole. Fire in the hole.
- [opening theme playing]
- [blades whirring]
[Ryan] We are three former
Special Operations soldiers
on a mission to go deep inside
the most elite and secretive
fighting forces in the world.
[gunshots]
[Dean] I'm Dean Stott,
former SBS British Special Forces.
Times like this,
you can hear your heartbeat in your ears.
[gunshot]
[Cameron] I'm Cameron Fath,
former United States Army Ranger.
- Not bad for a day's work.
- [gun cocks]
[Ryan] And that guy, at home in the swamp,
that's me, former Navy SEAL, Ryan Bates.
I'm not gonna lie. I'm kind of a big deal.
And these are
the Toughest Forces on Earth.
- Good to go.
- [gunshot]
[blades whirring]
[electronic warble]
[upbeat music playing]
[electronic warble]
[alligator grunting]
[Cameron] Home turf. The USA.
Sunny Florida. Here we are.
Dean, how are you gonna handle this sun?
You know, me and Cameron, we've got,
a little bit of, uh, Mediterranean in us,
but you kind of look like a cross
between the Silver Surfer and Voldemort.
[Cameron, Dean laugh]
From Harry Potter.
Gonna be able to handle the sun?
I was thinking more Jason Statham
and Dwayne Johnson.
[Ryan laughs]
Ryan, what are we doing here, man?
I've arranged for us to join
the most elite US bomb squad,
the US Navy EOD.
All right, dude. Sounds exciting.
They're honestly some of the best
in the world.
[Ryan] The US Navy
Explosive Ordnance Disposal
are the American military's
bomb disposal experts.
I've worked with them
on countless operations.
They deal with anything that goes bang.
When I see a bomb, I move away.
But these guys,
they go after it, and they make it safe.
[upbeat music playing]
[Cameron] Eglin Airforce Base,
home to the Navy's EOD school.
This is where we'll be meeting up with
the members of the elite EOD force.
First step, since we're not in uniform,
what's the military courtesy
for meeting a commanding officer?
I think if they don't have headgear,
we come to a position with hands.
Yeah, yeah. You don't salute.
You never salute unless you have headgear.
- And inside.
- [Ryan] Never salute without your cover.
You're supposed to go over your heart
if you don't have your cover on.
Right?
[upbeat music ends]
Attention on deck.
Good morning. Welcome to
Naval School Explosive Ordnance Disposal.
My name is Captain Steve Beall.
I'm the commanding officer here.
This school you're about to join
is the only school that teaches EOD
in the Department of Defense
and over 100 partner nations
around the world.
Make no mistake about it, gentlemen.
You will find it both mentally
and physically challenging.
Gentlemen, tomorrow morning at 05,
you'll muster at the barracks
to meet up with the class in your fatigues
because you'll be taking
the PT test first thing.
Yes, sir.
[marching band playing]
[electronic warble]
[Cameron] Whichever way they're facing,
we fall on the left.
[Ryan] Is that a military bearing thing?
[Cameron]
Uh, yeah, it's just Formation 101.
- [Ryan] You guys wanna hold hands?
- [Dean] No.
[soldier] Left, right, left.
[soldiers chanting indistinctly]
[Cameron]
You guys literally run everywhere.
[man] On the compound for sure.
Okay. For sure. What happens if they
If you don't run and they catch you?
- Usually you get wet.
- Does that mean you get wet?
- [man] Yes.
- [Cameron] They dunk you?
- Yeah.
- That's cool, dude.
- It's a nice way. It wakes you up.
- Yeah, sure.
We gotta get ready for PT.
- [Cameron] Okay. Let's do it.
- Sweet.
[tense music playing]
[Shearman] EOD is serious work.
Whether it's P
or we're doing technical skills,
whatever it is in the job,
we have to have the right attitude,
the right mindset,
because we're working to try to practice
so we get things right every time.
When it comes to dealing with ordnance,
it's it's unforgiving.
We're actually working to be in shape,
so that when we get to our job,
we're able to focus
and do what we need to do.
All right, listen up.
You're gonna perform 50 push-ups.
Two-minute time limit. Ready.
Begin.
- [instructor] Forty.
- [man 1] Forty.
[man 2] Forty.
[Dean] Before the EOD let us touch
any explosives,
we need to prove to them
we're physically and mentally prepared.
You will represent EOD
the way we tell you to.
- [man 1] One, two, three
- [soldiers] Four.
[instructor] People depend on you.
Without your eyes,
without your critical thinking,
without you being in physical top shape,
people die.
[tense music playing]
- [man 1] Three. Seven.
- [soldiers] One. Two.
We're gonna break you up into squads.
We're gonna run
all the way to Turkey Creek.
At Turkey Creek,
you're gonna find your respective boats.
It is a race back.
So let the best squad win.
[soldiers] Hooyah!
- With that rifle in my hand ♪
- I'm gonna be a shooting man ♪
[Ryan] Little nervous about this, er,
PT test or anything that's gonna happen
- A shooting man ♪
- A diving man ♪
because I've got five herniated disks
in my back,
my lower spine, and a fused wrist.
- [man 1] Get in the water!
- [man 2] In the water.
[Ryan] So I might look nimble,
but I'm not these days.
But I'll push through.
[Holland]
All right, get to the boats, gents.
[tense music playing]
[Holland] One
[Ryan] We're off to a slow start.
[Holland]three, four.
Nice and easy, fellas.
Two, three. That side, go hard
[Ryan] We've caught up to second place,
but to get ahead of 'em,
we'll use some dirty tactics.
Jump ship! Jump ship!
[indistinct shouting]
[Cameron] Grab them. Their paddles!
Come on!
[soldier] Let's go, guys! Let's go.
[Ryan] Go! Come on.
[Ryan] But just as we catch up
to the lead
Our boat's leaking.
[Ryan] disaster.
Our boat's losing air.
The boat sucks!
[tense music continues]
- Straight towards that beach.
- [soldiers] Row.
[Cameron] Go. Come on, men. Let's go!
[Holland] Two, three, four.
[soldiers chanting indistinctly]
[Ryan] We're last.
[soldiers cheering]
[Ryan] But at least we're losers together.
In all seriousness, fellas,
you guys worked together great as a team.
You communicated effectively. So good job.
[gentle music playing]
[Ryan] When I was younger,
I was the top of my class.
Runs, swims, push-ups, o-course.
I think my o-course
still holds to this day.
Nowadays, I'm older.
I'm just trying to maintain.
[man] Hurry up!
It was kind of a rude awakening,
but I got it done. A pass is a pass.
Let's move on to the rest
and crush the rest.
[gentle music ends]
- [tense music playing]
- [electronic warble]
Because Navy EOD was started during
World War II to rid the ocean of sea mines
we will be training
one of their primary tasks,
raise, tow, beach.
This involves raising a mine
from the ocean floor,
towing it, beaching it,
examining it for any intelligence,
and finally, disposing of it.
Today's mission, divers are gonna be
Cameron and Dean.
They're gonna jump out,
and with their sonar,
they're gonna look for this mine.
Once you guys are done locating it,
you're gonna grab our charge,
and they're gonna neutralize the mine.
So then we're gonna take it
all the way to the beach,
and that's the scheme of maneuver
of today's event.
Let's break.
[Dean] What is it just shorts
and T-shirt and trainers?
- [Ryan] So these are called UDTs.
- What does that stand for?
Underwater Demolition Team.
It stemmed back from
the old World War II guys.
We're wearing the same shit they did
in the 1940s.
[Ryan] These UDT shorts are designed
to be quick-drying and flexible.
But honestly, they're made out of cotton,
and until you break them in,
they chafe the hell out of your legs.
Don't get me wrong.
I like tight clothes, but there's a limit.
- [Ryan] You wearing those underneath?
- [Cameron] Making sure they fit.
Don't be the only person
wearing shit underneath.
- Well, I'm just making sure they fit.
- Okay.
[rock music playing]
[Ryan] My job on this mission
is to locate the mine.
I've got the coordinates
and the GPS, so let's do this.
[Ryan] One hundred feet to target.
I'm going to find it,
locate it, drop the marker,
hopefully within
about ten feet of the mine.
- [Holland] Hit bottom?
- [Ryan] Hit.
[Holland] We're right on top of it.
[Ryan] Dean and Cameron
are gonna follow this line down now
and find the mine
from where I've dropped this marker.
[tense music playing]
[Cameron] I'll be diving down
onto the MK 52 sea mine.
Dropped from aircraft,
it lies on the ocean floor.
Acoustic and magnetic sensors
detect when there's a ship overhead,
initiating the detonation.
Weighing in over 1,000 pounds,
of which over half is high explosive,
it is powerful enough
to sink a battleship.
Our job is to place an explosive charge
on the mine.
When detonated,
this will disrupt the sensors,
so we can bring the mine
to the surface safely.
[blows]
[Ryan] Try to act like a Navy SEAL
and pull this off.
I used to pull this off hungover
with no electronics.
- Okay.
- [laughs]
Your mission success
is entirely up to you guys.
It's a little nerve-racking.
I mean, a lot can go wrong underwater,
but I'm feeling good.
I'm trusting my equipment.
So I'm just gonna get this mission done.
[Holland] Okay. Let's send it.
[Ryan] Cam.
[Holland] Diver left surface.
[Ryan] So, a lot of pressure on Cam.
He's a newbie.
He's never really dove before.
Luckily, he's got old Dean overlooking him
with a bunch of experience.
I've done hundreds of hours of diving.
I've been on operations and exercises
and probably most comfortable underwater.
Diving's quite an alien environment,
and if you're not used to it,
uh, it can be quite terrifying.
[Cameron] My first challenge,
finding the mine using sonar.
The sonar device works
by emitting sound waves.
These are reflected back off the mine
and displayed on a screen
showing its size, shape, and location.
[tense music continues]
Next, Dean attaches
the disruption charge to the mine.
When detonated,
this will disable the sensors
meaning it will be safe
to bring up to the surface.
Done. Now, let's get up to the surface
and blow this thing.
[Holland] Both divers good to go.
All right, gents. Come on in and enter.
[boat engine revving]
[soldier] Ten seconds.
- Ten seconds.
- Ten seconds.
[soldier]
Fire in the hole. Fire in the hole.
Fire in the hole.
- Wow!
- Whoa!
[Cameron laughs]
[electronic warble]
[rock music playing]
[Dean] Wow. That was impressive.
- [Cameron] That was great.
- Yeah.
I felt it under the water.
- Yeah.
- You felt it in the water, right?
[Cameron] Now the movement sensors
have been knocked out,
it's safe to tie ropes to the mine
and use a lift balloon
to raise it to the surface.
We can then tow it to the beach.
Let's go, guys.
Get the job done today, boys.
- Always supervising. Right on cue.
- [Ryan laughs]
[Cameron] I'm sure on land attaching ropes
to this mine would be an easy task,
but underwater with limited visibility,
it's a whole different ball game.
He's gonna get caught at the bottom
with all that silt,
so he's not gonna be able to see
four inches in front of his face.
He's really gonna have to rely
on his sense of touch,
and then when he gets in there,
he's gonna have to
somehow tie that bomb up
to raise it to the surface,
which can be
a pretty big challenge for him.
If they don't pull off this attachment,
and it slips out,
[clicks tongue] that's it.
[Cameron] Okay, bag attached.
Hopefully. Now, back up to the surface.
[Holland] All right, gents.
You've done the hard part.
- [Ryan] Think it's gonna work?
- Absolutely.
- One in ten. One in ten. Eleven?
- Eleven.
- That's how confident I am.
- [Holland] Pull when ready!
[Dean] Here we go, boys.
- [tense music playing]
- [Ryan] Oh!
[Ryan, Cameron] There she is.
[Ryan] Yeah!
[Cameron laughing] Yeah! All right.
Dean, Cameron, good job.
That's awesome.
You definitely didn't Ranger this up.
[Cameron] Yeah, no, I didn't.
- Still got to get it on the beach.
- [Cameron] Yeah.
Let's move out.
[tense music intensifies]
[Holland] Let's go.
[Cameron laughing]
So does this mean
I'm a proper diver now or what?
- I think so, buddy.
- Um
- You're a diver.
- You're a diver.
[tense music ends]
[Holland] Heave!
[Cameron] The last step of RTB is
to tow the mine onto the beach,
so we can rip out that detonator
and render this thing safe.
[Holland] Until we actually take
the primary out of the explosives
- [Ryan] Yeah.
- it's still unsafe.
[Cameron] Each mine has a detonator
called the extender.
Water pressure pushes this
into the explosive core, arming the mine.
We have to use
a series of pulleys and a rope
to pull that detonator out
from a safe distance and disarm this mine.
[Ryan] It seems sketchy.
It is a possible 1,000-pound bomb
that you're It's unknown, you know?
-100%
- Yeah.
[tense music playing]
[Cameron] I think that'll be good.
So we've really taken the time
to ensure a good alignment
on the pulley system with the detonator.
We've got a nice knot securing it,
so when we pull, it should just
[mimics popping sound]
like a greased hot dog.
- [Holland] Take out the slack.
- [Dean] Take the slack.
[Holland] Keep going. Keep going.
All right. Tension.
[metal squeaks]
[Ryan] If the rope and pulley
are not dead straight,
the detonator won't pull out cleanly,
and it'll be one hell of a bang.
[tense music intensifies]
[Ryan] Three, two, one.
[metal clanging]
Go!
[detonator pops]
- Yeah!
- [Cameron] Let's go, baby!
Well, that was super anti-climactic
but in a good way.
- Mission success.
- [Ryan] Mission success.
[Cameron grunts]
Oh no.
[Cameron, Ryan laughing]
[tense music playing]
[Cameron] The next morning, our sea mine
is transported to a local range
for destruction.
Now, EOD guys don't just need to know
how to stop a bomb from going bang,
they also need to know how to blow it up
in a safe manner
to stop it from being ever used again.
- You excited?
- Yeah. I am. [laughs]
[Ryan] Dean's played his part
by placing the charges
that disrupted the mine's sensors.
So now he's leaving
the next detonation to us.
[man] We're going down, blowing up
500 pounds of old ordnance.
We can't use it anymore.
The shelf life's expired.
Okay, so the only way to get rid of it
is to blow it to high hell.
Yep.
[Cameron] Bombs past their shelf life
are considered unstable
and need to be disposed of.
So today we're going to assist the EOD
in disposing of some unexploded ordnance
that they need to get rid of.
[Fleischman] Got two bombs, 250 pounders.
Six five-inch rounds,
then four 60-millimeter mortars.
We'll just use that big ordnance
to destroy the small ordnance,
make sure it all goes away.
- Nose to nose.
- [Cameron] Nose to nose.
- Come on, man.
- [Cameron] Yep.
[Fleischman] Push that bomb in.
Make sure everything's tight, touching.
The easiest way to set these bombs off,
two pounds of explosive.
We've put C-4 where the fuse would go,
really ensure that we set everything off.
[Ryan] Stuffing it up that ass of that?
- Correct.
- [Ryan] Awesome.
[Cameron] What's the thought
behind the placement?
So you want those bigger objects
touching each other.
That way if the C-4 doesn't set it off,
the round going off next to it will.
And that blast wave will travel
through everything and set everything off.
[Cameron] And now it's time to rig our
sea mine for its own separate demolition.
[soldier] You take this and you wrap.
[Cameron] I see.
A pretty charge is a happy charge.
- [Ryan] Is it gonna be pretty?
- It's gonna be beautiful.
[Ryan] Okay.
[soldier] Charge will go right here.
- [Ryan] Just blow it?
- [soldier] Yep.
- Okay, let's do it.
- [Ryan] All right, let's go.
Because of the size of this explosion,
we're gonna go to a bunker
that's a half mile away.
[tense music playing]
[soldier] Fire in the hole!
Fire in the hole! Fire in the hole!
There she is.
[Ryan] Whoa.
Made the windows shake. See that?
That was cool, man.
[upbeat music playing]
Look at that hole.
That takes a lot
to move earth in this fashion.
[Ryan] Yeah. Get in there.
[Cameron] I don't think I can fit.
[Ryan] God, you look like a tiny man
in that big hole.
You are a tiny man in that big hole.
[laughs]
- Oh man.
- [Ryan] Let's get out of here.
[upbeat music ends]
[tense music playing]
[Cameron] Although the Navy EOD
was started during World War II
to chase sea mines,
they're not just about the water.
These guys have to go
wherever the military goes,
which a lot of the time now
is on dry land.
And that includes
improvised explosive devices, IEDs,
that terrorists and insurgents use
around the world.
- [tense music ends]
- [electronic warble]
All right, guys. We're gonna
go over a few basic, uh, tools
that we utilize for disarming IEDs.
With this, it's a typical pressure cooker.
Uh, they're used all over the world
for main charges for IEDs.
This is the deadliest beef stew
I've ever seen.
[Deibert] It is. So the top, we've got
several things going on here.
Okay.
[Deibert] You've got the on-off switch
coming into here.
So, once you open this lid,
it's a victim-operated,
kind of a booby trap style.
So once you take that lid off,
it's gonna set the, uh, the charge off.
[Dean] So, IEDs are a real threat
on operations.
Unfortunately,
I've lost friends with IEDs,
and as the name suggests,
they're improvised explosive devices
using any materials you can get hold of,
you know,
some of them are filled with nails,
bolts, glass, plastic explosives.
[Cameron] These deadly weapons
were responsible
for two thirds of all coalition casualties
during Iraq and Afghanistan,
and for every soldier, four times as many
civilians were killed by them.
How much damage would
this pressure cooker do
if it's set off like an IED?
So it looks like we've got
about four pounds of, uh, Semtex in there.
Pretty significant.
Um, you're probably talking a kill radius
of probably, like, 50 to 75 feet.
Gotcha. When we patrolled,
we would always
They would patrol, I'd be point man,
and there'd be maybe two guys behind me.
They'd call you. We see something,
I'd step back and send you guys in.
[Deibert] Yeah.
[Ryan] One of my most intense times
working with EOD,
we were in Afghanistan.
We were clearing wells.
And we always clear them.
I went down there with the EOD guy,
and I saw a rock
leaned up against the wall,
and underneath it was a cache of RPGs.
Like, kind of in a potato sack.
I went to go move it, to grab it,
and I noticed that, uh, kind of a brick
the size of a brick but lead weight,
wedged between the rock and the wall.
And I stopped it,
and I told the EOD operator,
[splutters] "What is this?" and he's like,
"Don't move. I think it's an IED."
It was some kind of
big bomb underneath us.
So, I was stuck there, kind of
in this kind of position, holding it.
The whole time, I was like,
"I'm gonna get buried alive."
Wasn't worried about getting blown up.
"I'm gonna get buried alive."
He was able to blow it up and pretty much
get me out of that sticky situation.
It happened so fast, you know,
in those situations you think about it,
but once you get out of there,
you're like [exhales]
You know, you realize how close
you were to a really bad situation.
[Cameron] EOD has some truly creative ways
to disarm improvised explosive devices.
- [Ryan] When do you put the water in?
- So, we put the water in last.
This seemingly innocent plastic box
is actually a disruption charge
that we will be using to disarm
the pressure cooker bomb.
The box will be filled with water
and a small explosive charge.
It fires a jet of water at high velocity,
powerful enough to knock the lid off
and disable the IED.
And the great thing about water is
there's no shrapnel.
[Deibert] So a lot of times we'll come in
and set this up a couple of inches away,
kind of pointed up at that lid,
and the hope is it'll rip that lid off
and open it up
and disarm it at the same time.
- [Cameron] Let's do it. Excited.
- [Deibert] All right.
You wanna push the button,
Todd'll run you through it.
- Sweet.
- [Deibert] Um
But everything's set up down there.
We're ready to, uh, set off shots.
[Dean] Fire in the hole!
Fire in the hole! Fire in the hole!
[Cameron] He's a great button pusher.
All right, moment of truth.
- [Deibert] Looks like it's back here.
- [Cameron] Yeah.
[Deibert] Yep.
- [Ryan] It didn't knock off the lid.
- [Cameron] The lid.
Um, I think our stand-off was
a little too far to get the lid off.
All right, so it looks like
the match is good.
[Cameron, Dean] Oh.
That means the bomb didn't go off.
We dismantled it.
[Deibert] Yep, it did not go off.
So we successfully disarmed this IED.
[birds chirping]
[tense music playing]
The Navy EOD are trained to deal with
anything from bombs to bullets,
but their number one threat is
chemical, biological,
radiological, and nuclear weapons.
These are weapons of mass destruction.
[electronic warble]
Morning, gentlemen.
I'm here to brief you on our next mission.
We have reporting that a stolen,
uh, radiological source,
uh, is located at this target location.
[Cameron] Sources of radiation
could be used by terrorists
in order to create a dirty bomb.
This is an IED that spreads radiation
over a large, wide area.
So we'll be executing an operation
to go and confirm or deny
the presence of the source,
as well as try to recover it.
Anticipated time on target at that HLZ
is going to be right around dusk.
By the time we move to target,
we have the cover of darkness.
- [blades whirring]
- [tense music playing]
[Ryan] What is this thing?
It's a necessity kit bag.
Everything has a purpose on this kit.
- What is this? Oh.
- It's a Needle D, dude.
You want to know what it does?
- Uh-huh.
- I'll do it on you.
Me and Dean,
we're using what the guys use, you know.
We wanna get down into it.
But this kid's got more gear
than any three SEALs out there, you know?
[Cameron] These guys are old-school,
got a lot of hours, a lot of years.
But I didn't get out all too long ago,
uh, so I'm used to the new gear.
This is kind of my element right now,
so definitely gonna surprise them.
- [Dean] We're on a Navy base here.
- [Cameron, Dean] Yeah.
[Dean] You're catting around
with this Ranger.
- Hey! Hey!
- Oh! Oh!
[Dean] Purely out of respect, you know
Oh man.
[Dean] I'm proud of my unit.
You're proud of your unit.
But there's a time and place, hey?
We've got a couple rules as men,
and you never touch another man's patch.
[soldier 1]
Should be 90 knots to 100 feet there.
[soldier 2] 90 knots to 100. Roger.
[Cameron] There's no better feeling
than the helicopter screaming,
the rope going down,
testosterone's pumping,
you get down the rope,
and then the wind hits you.
Yeah!
It's gonna be
a good, fast, aggressive infil.
[tense music playing]
En route rally point.
- Do you have the Ranger handbook with you?
- Yeah, right here.
[Sharp] All right, circle up quick.
We're gonna do
what we call "fives and twenty-fives."
We're gonna look in our immediate area,
make sure we're safe.
Once that's good, you guys are gonna push
25 meters out into the woods.
[blades whirring]
As soon as you're ready.
- Yeah.
- [Sharp] Lead us out.
[Dean] Now we've been dropped off,
we've a ten-mile patrol through the woods
to reach the site
where radiation has been reported.
[Ryan] Cameron,
give us another hand signal.
Well, if we get into a wedge in the Army,
we do it like a banger,
but at nighttime it's the only time
we'll be like you guys.
[Dean] You're just making this up.
No, dude! I'm serious.
'Cause I've never heard of
any of these before.
He's got his own language.
Twenty-six-year-old Ranger language.
Yeah. That's what they do
on Call of Duty, apparently.
[Ryan laughs]
[Cameron]
Okay. So we've got to the target.
A friendly assault force has already
secured and cordoned off the area,
removing any enemy combatants.
Now, it's time for EOD
to get down to business.
[Sharp] All right. Hey, guys.
This is our target structure.
I want you guys working
with some sense of urgency.
If it's dark in there, keep it dark.
- Don't die.
- [Sharp] Yeah.
[ominous music playing]
[Ryan] Under the cover of darkness,
we enter the bunker.
- [Sharp] Ready to roll?
- [Cameron] Hooyah.
Hooyah. Let's do it.
[Cameron] I will be going in first
with EOD tech, Nate,
to make sure that
there is no IED threats or booby traps.
[Nate] I'll take the right side
of the hall and rooms in that direction.
- [Cameron] Roger.
- [Nate] Split, left.
Open up everything.
We need to make sure the place is clear.
- Good.
- [Nate] Got it?
- Let's rock.
- All right. Let's roll.
[Cameron] Until we've made sure
that the site is safe,
we cannot allow Dean and Ryan to begin
their search for the radiological threat.
Been a while since I've been patrolling
at night and bitten by mosquitos.
- I know.
- You know?
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
[tense music playing]
[Nate] Go internal, let me know.
Open everything up you need.
- We need to clear for secondaries.
- [Cameron] Okay.
- [Nate] Moving.
- [Cameron] Open door left.
We've got some fun toys on this one, dude.
[tense music continues]
Oh shit.
[Cameron] By using the PEQ laser
on my rifle, I spot something suspicious.
Hey, Nate, I've got a trip wire.
I think it's a landslide.
- [Nate] All right, back out.
- Roger.
[Cameron] "Landslide" is a code word
for finding an explosive device,
such as this booby trap.
[Nate] All right. I see it.
We've got a trip wire to a grenade,
tied off to a spot on the wall.
- I'm gonna take care of it.
- [Cameron] Roger.
[Cameron] It lets everyone know
to fall back and take cover,
while EOD neutralize the threat.
[scraping]
[Nate] All right, A, we're cleared.
You guys are gonna go back in.
Start doing our radiation search. Okay?
See if we can locate that source.
[Ryan] Now that the bunker is no longer
booby trapped, thanks to Cameron,
it's time for me and Dean to go in
and find the radioactive source.
We are using radiation detectors
to guide us.
[Dean]
Okay, so I've got a number four here.
[Ryan] The higher the number, the closer
we are to the radioactive source.
[Ryan] Oh. Two, five, three, two, five.
[tense music continues]
Oh. Six, seven. It's probably this thing
that says radioactive too.
[Dean laughs]
[Ryan] We found the radioactive source.
Neutralize target.
[Cameron] Once the source container
is determined safe to move,
it can be transferred to a specialist
to be made permanently safe.
That's good training today.
And you guys were able to utilize
our radiation detection
and locate the source.
We have a saying
which is "you train to standard,"
and you try to make training
as realistic as possible,
and in my opinion,
you try to make that training even harder
because when you experience it
in real life,
you have kind of a sense of relief,
well, you know,
"This didn't compare to what I did,
you know, back at home."
Let's get out of here. Head back to base.
- Let's do it.
- Sounds good.
[bird cawing]
[ominous music playing]
[truck beeping]
[Cameron] Training is over,
and it's the day of the final mission.
We will be joining an EOD team
and participating in an exercise
that is based off real events.
[electronic warble]
[Ryan] The final mission of the season,
and for Cameron and I in our own country,
we really need to nail this.
Morning, gentlemen.
So we've got intel.
Believe that a vessel
has been laying mines off the coast
where we've been operating.
Cameron, you're gonna hop on the boat,
confirm the condition
of the ordnance items on board,
and you're gonna help derig
the boat with the team.
Ryan, you're gonna helocast
and dispose of the mine in the water.
You'll be working with Cast-master P1, P2.
Take directions from them to a T.
Dean, you'll give that execution order
to explode the mine that's in the water.
I'll give you a direct order
to press that button.
Ryan.
What is, essentially, is he doing?
Just pushing the button?
[splutters] Does he need to practice this?
[Dean] During my time
in the Special Forces,
I was involved
in many maritime operations.
I'll be coordinating the overall mission
and will be responsible for
blowing up the sea mine.
[tense music playing]
[Dean] But first, I've got to head out
to sea and locate it.
[Ryan] All right, teach me.
[Ryan] While Dean goes
looking for the mine,
I'm getting some last-minute information
from Travis
on how to deal with this thing.
When I swim up to this thing,
if it's a live mine, do you touch it?
You're gonna have to actually touch it at
some point to wrap the charge around it.
What we want to do is
we want to place it on the bottom,
so that it can sympathetically detonate
the high explosive down here.
You want to stay away from the horns
that stick out from this thing.
- Okay.
- Because if you break the horns
- It'll go off.
- it goes off.
So now you look back at the boat
and they'll give you the signal, like,
"Hey, we're good. Go ahead and pop smoke."
- Then initiate it on your watch. Time it.
- Yeah.
- Let it float.
- Let it float.
And now you're swimming
to go get your helo or your boat.
All right. This seems all easy on land,
but out there in the swells,
it's gonna be a bitch, huh?
[Holland] It's hard.
I'm gonna get it done.
I promise. All right?
- [Holland] I know.
- Put me in the game.
We got you.
You're gonna be player number one, man.
[laughing] All right.
[boat engine revving]
That's the mine. That's what
we wanna be keeping clear of.
Let me know
whenever you're set and in position.
[rock music playing]
[Cameron] So Dean has located the mine.
Now, it's time for me and my team
to helocast into the sea, swim up to it,
and deal with it.
[Dean] Ryan now should be airborne
and on his way to us, you know,
him and the team
will be talking it through themselves.
The last-minute checking their equipment,
making sure they're ready to go
because, you know, time is critical,
and they need to make sure
this is a success.
[Cameron] While Dean and Ryan
have been tasked with finding
and destroying the sea mine,
I'm on a mission of my own.
The boat that laid the mine
has been spotted,
and a team, which includes EOD techs,
have been tasked
to parachute in to intercept it.
Here we go.
[Cameron] I meet the team
as they hit the water,
and we get to work
inflating our Zodiac boat.
[rock music continues]
[boat engine revving]
[Cameron] That's it.
[soldier] We need you up there.
Let's go. Hang on to it right there.
[Cameron] The noise has alerted
the crew of our presence,
so they've abandoned ship.
Time to get on board
and see if we have any more mines.
[tense music playing]
[Dean] Here they come.
[rock music playing]
Something about the sound of a helo
which, uh excites me.
[Dean] Once you're in position, you know,
you get the green light, you just go.
Go!
[Dean] One.
Go!
[Dean] Two.
- Is that Ryan?
- [man 1] Yep.
[loud bang]
Three. That's all of them in.
[rock music ends]
[tense music playing]
- [man 2] Good to go?
- [man 3] Hell yeah.
[Ryan] Yeah! Where's the thing at?
[man 3] The helicopter's gonna
position itself in line with the mine.
- [Ryan] Okay.
- [man 3] Swim towards the helicopter.
- [Ryan] Okay.
- [man 3] Place the charge and do our job.
[Ryan] Let's do it.
[tense music continues]
So what the guys'll do now is, obviously,
they may be disorientated
from going into the water,
and what they see in the sky is
different from what you see at sea level.
You know, luckily we're here today,
and the sea state is reasonably calm,
so they should be able
to have an eyeball on the mine.
That's Ryan and the team
putting the shape on the charge now.
Probably the most crucial part
of the mission, actually,
because if they don't get that right,
it could compromise the whole mission.
[tense music continues]
[Cameron] While Dean and Ryan
are dealing with the sea mine,
I believe we've located
the boat responsible for laying it.
All right,
what are we looking at here, Kai?
[Sharp] Yeah, we're just gonna do
a real quick look at these.
Start getting information
so we can pass that off to them.
Okay.
[Sharp] No pins?
Nothing like that protruding?
[Cameron] Nothing.
[Cameron] These mines don't have any pins
or detonators, meaning they're not armed.
[Sharp]
You see anything up on the top here?
Uh, I've got a space,
but there's nothing protruding out of it.
- It's just a couple of bolts.
- [Sharp] All right.
Hey, we're looking good.
No pins protruding or anything.
Everything looks intact.
Shipping configuration.
[Cameron]
Now, we can safely take them back to base.
Dean, this is Cam. Target cleared.
[tense music playing]
[Ryan] It's in place. Got it?
- [man] Yes.
- [Ryan] Is it on?
[Ryan] I've set the charge.
It's time to get out of here
before Dean accidentally hits a button
and blows us all up.
We're recovering one guy right now.
Second guy's up.
[Dean] We're just waiting on Ryan.
No change.
[helicopter blades whirring]
[Ryan] The green dye means I've crushed it
and successfully rigged
the explosive charge to the mine.
[Dlugolecki] And here comes your comrade.
- Is that Ryan?
- [Dlugolecki] Yep.
[Dean] What's the breaking strain
on those straps?
Because I'm a bit concerned.
Ryan's a big lad.
[Dlugolecki] All right, copy all.
We've got everyone set.
Stand by for high-alert detonation.
[Dean] Finally, the most important part
of the whole operation.
There's a lot of money and training gone
into these fingers, especially this one.
[tense music continues]
Fire in the hole.
Fire in the hole. Fire in the hole.
[all cheering]
[rock music playing]
[Cameron] First round on me.
Everyone on stand. Everyone on stand.
We had successful detonation.
Your guys are clear to clean up,
and after clean-up, RTB.
[rock music continues]
[Dean] It was great.
You know, I've never witnessed that
before. I've never had the experience
to detonate a sea mine.
So for me, it was a great experience,
and it's a comfort to know
that all the working parts,
all the teams did their jobs
so I was able to to press that button
and detonate.
It was definitely a good exposure
to what these EOD guys are capable of
and what sets them apart from other units.
[Ryan] The danger's just immense,
and getting to see what they do,
I've a lot of respect for these guys.
[Ryan] Let's get some drinks.
- Drinks are on Cameron.
- [Cameron] Ooh!
[Ryan laughs]
[rock music playing]
[Deibert] Oh, hey. What's up, guys?
- [Dean] What's up?
- You guys made it.
- Hey, what's up, guys?
- What's up, buddy?
So usually whenever we have people
come around that do good,
you know, we usually give them
a token of our appreciation.
So, we guys,
we, uh made something for you guys.
- Oh, what?
- What the? Damn!
- [Dean] Wow.
- [Ryan] What?
- From the boys of Platoon 232.
- Did you guys blow this in?
- [Deibert] Yeah.
- Yeah!
So those are explosively engraved plaques.
Obviously, they're personalized
to you guys. So I hope you guys like them.
- [Ryan] Oh sick.
- [Cameron] This is awesome.
We all signed the back of them.
So you guys'll never forget us, hopefully.
[Dean] Nate, why's your phone number
on mine?
[all laugh]
- Hey, Dean. You wish, man. You wish.
- [Cameron] Man, that's funny.
I never truly appreciated
what you guys do until coming here
and seeing how sketchy it is
working with mines and explosives.
And I never wanted to do it, you know?
Um, you guys are true,
humble professionals.
So here's to you, boys.
[all cheering]
[tense music playing]
[tense music ends]