This year we spent our Memorial Day at the 2017 EOD Warrior 5K hosted by the EOD Warrior Foundation and it was by far one of the best experiences for us here at IRONSMITH®. Throughout the venue we met a lot of great people and got to showcase our brand-new designs to the EOD community here in San Diego.  Over 300 individuals of all different ages came out to show their support.

For those who don’t know the EOD Warrior Foundation is a nonprofit organization who provides financial support to active duty and veteran wounded, injured, or ill EOD warriors, including the families of the wounded and fallen. Our roots with IRONSMITH® have a deep tie to the EOD community and we are consistently striving to spread awareness of the dangers and sacrifice the men and women of this community make. With your help and support we have been able to give back to the community more every year.

Thank you to those who showed up, came by to check out the line, and said hi. We truly appreciate all of you and with every purchase we’ve begun to build a community of individuals who are striving to do the best, give back, and grow every single day. If you missed us this year, keep a look out for upcoming events. Otherwise we’ll see you at next years Memorial Day EOD Warrior 5k!

EOD or Explosive Ordnance Disposal is a small, relatively unknown community found within the US military, foreign militaries, and local and federal police departments. Better known to the public as a “bomb squad,” these teams of skilled individuals are tasked with a multitude of explosive hazards from disabling old WWII ordnance to nuclear weapon incident response.

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Kelsey L. Adams/Released

More notably has been their counter IED role in the OIF/OEF theaters to currently include Operation Inherent Resolve. The movie “The Hurt Locker” is derived from EOD’s actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, however quite fictional and not on par with actual EOD techniques, it still gave a glimpse into what dangers EOD techs face and the evolving threats on the battlefield.

Even with today’s modern technology such as robots, drones etc., EOD is still a dangerous job. This last year the US Navy lost two EOD techs in Iraq and Syria to improvised explosive devices. Not to forget the countless other sons, daughters, brothers and sisters killed or injured by IEDs since 2001.

Photo by Cpl Phil Ryan RAF

The EOD Warrior Foundation was created to help past and present EOD techs and their families through these tough recovery periods. Whether financially, physically or emotionally offering support, this foundation has made a major difference and given hope to those who have had very little.  That is why here at IRONSMITH® we wanted to do more than just create an athletic lifestyle brand but also give back and strengthen the community, continuing to serve our brothers and sister in the fight.

Feel free to donate to the EOD Warrior Foundation directly at www.eodwarriorfoundation.org, and as always a portion of all IRONSMITH® proceeds are donated every year to the cause. We thank you for your support, and for joining the IRONSMITH® community.