Bomb Busters

The Marines are looking for a few good men -- with curly red hair, glasses and pocket protectors, according to the Marine Corps commandant.

Gen. James Conway was asked yesterday at the National Press Club what the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization should be doing more of. And he said:

You know, that’s a tough one. And I don't have a good answer for that question, quite frankly. I visited. They’ve got some wonderfully intelligent people over there that wear uniforms and that don’t wear uniforms. They realize the importance of what they’re doing. They’re looking at every aspect of it that you can imagine, and I would offer, more

And that's when it got a little weird. Conway said he still hopes for a groundbreaking high-tech solution that would help troops spot and eradicate improvised bombs at a safe distance.

He followed that with this:

You know, I still hold out hope that some day some guy with curly red hair and glasses and a pocket holder is going to come running out of his garage saying, 'I got it! I got it!' and we’re going to have a device that will detect and destroy at distance. But we’re not there yet. That magic device has not occurred.

Conway added, however, that he does not fault JIEDDO for anything it is doing.

“They’re making progress,” he said. “They’re putting things in the field as rapidly as they can for experimentation. And so I think they’re doing a very good job. We just hope someday that they find that answer, and the weapon becomes obsolete.”