Nine From Aberdeen Nine From Aberdeen , published in June 2012 , is the first academic military history solely devoted to the U . S . Army Ordnance Bomb Disposal service . These soldiers were the World War II forerunners of today ' s Explosive Ordnance Disposal or EOD branch . Written by Jeffrey M . Leatherwood , this 380 - page book includes an afterword from retired EOD Command Sergeant Major James H . Clifford , the chief military consultant for The Hurt Locker , the Motion Picture Academy ' s Best Film of 2010 . The product of nearly ten years , " Nine from Aberdeen " began in 2003 as the author ' s original master ' s thesis at Western Carolina University ' s Hunter Library . This expanded and revised book relies chiefly on veteran interviews and unit histories to present a cross - section of the whole World War II bomb disposal experience . " Nine From Aberdeen " also includes many rare photos from private and government collections , as well as charts and diagrams . The hardcover edition features a dust - jacket cover modeled on the U . S . Army Bomb Disposal School ' s Designated Unit Insignia , approved by the Department of the U . S . Army . Shortly after Pearl Harbor , Major Thomas J . Kane and eight other American soldiers traveled to wartime England in order to study methods pioneered by the Royal Engineers . At the time , the U . S . lacked any bomb disposal organization , while the British had the most advanced program at that time . Graduating from the Royal Engineer Bomb Disposal training course , the Americans were honored with honorary membership in the British service . Kane and his cadre returned in early 1942 to supervise the U . S . Army ’ s very first explosive ordnance disposal school at Aberdeen Proving Ground , Maryland . Originally conceived to defend the American homeland from aerial attacks on both coasts , Kane ' s bomb disposal branch realized its fullest potential in overseas battlefronts , from the Aleutian Islands to the Italian Alps . Kane ' s school was directly responsible for training eight companies and over 200 squads for field service with the U . S . Army and Air Forces . Three of Kane ’ s original cadre members from the British training mission volunteered to lead bomb disposal squads across the Mediterranean , European , and Pacific Theaters , where they repeatedly distinguished themselves for heroism and leadership . Capt . Ronald Felton ' s 12th BD Squad weathered the Italian mud . Capt . Joe Pilcher ’ s 17th BD Squad crossed over during the Normandy campaign and liberated Paris . Capt . Richard Metress died in 1945 along with three 209th BD Squad technicians while liberating the Philippines . They are memorialized at at Manila American Cemetery . Promoted to colonel , Kane carried out two significant missions for the War Department and Office of Civilian Defense , and later capped off his wartime career as Director of Bomb Disposal for Gen . Dwight D . Eisenhower in Western Europe . After the war , Col . Kane remained on active duty with the Army , supervising bomb removal operations with occupation forces in Japan , and overseeing the newly constituted U . S . Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal branch during the Korean War . Kane died in 1965 and is buried in the Arlington National Cemetery . He was inducted to the Ordnance Hall of Fame in 1969 . Ultimately , the Army ( and Air Force ) Bomb Disposal service took part in nearly all landings and ground operations in World War II , suffering ten percent casualties in the European Theater alone . After the Axis surrender in 1945 , bomb disposal technicians aided with post - war reconstruction efforts across the globe . However , Army bomb disposal ' s small unit increments and wartime secrecy kept them in relative obscurity for most of the duration of World War II . Matters were further complicated when some missions performed by Ordnance were credited to the Army Corps of Engineers , whose battlefield jurisdiction occasionally overlapped with that of Bomb Disposal . In 2004 , the 52nd Ordnance Group ( EOD ) dedicated Kane Hall at Ft . Gillem , GA . In the wake of Fort Gillem ' s closure in 2006 , the 52nd Ordnance Group ( EOD ) relocated its headquarters to Ft . Campbell , KY in 2009 . Dedication for a new Kane Hall took place on 29 March 2013 , presided over by Col . Marue " Mo " Quick , the 52d EOD Group commander . Jeffrey Leatherwood , author of " Nine From Aberdeen " , delivered the keynote address in honor of Col . Thomas J . Kane .