>• The Hurt Locker is winning raves for its intense drama about a military bomb-disposal team in Iraq. Retired Navy Chief Warrant Officer Jim O'Neil, 54, survived a career in the job
YOU STARTED DOING THIS AT 20. DID YOUR PARENTS WORRY? It's a job you don't want to tell your mom you're going to do. But my parents, while scared to death, understood it was a noble cause.
WHAT'S THE MOST DIFFICULT PART OF THE JOB? To put that bomb suit on and do the exact same thing that killed one of your best friends the day before. That to me is courage. That to me is love.
WHAT'S IT LIKE IN THE SUIT? It's about 85 lbs. and very, very hot. It can be brutal, especially right now in Iraq and Afghanistan.
HOW DO GUYS DEAL WITH THE STRESS? You lock away your pain. Or you cry in your rack at night, especially if you lose someone.
HOW CLOSE IS THE TEAM? Tighter than most families. There aren't many families that look each other in the eye every day and say, "My life is going to depend on your actions today."
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