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HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. (March 22, 2013) - A Bronze Star with Valor
was presented to an explosive ordnance disposal technician here
today.
Tech. Sgt. Ronnie Brickey, United States Air Force
Special Operations School Force Protection Branch noncommissioned
officer-in-charge, said receiving this particular Bronze Star was
humbling for him.
Tech. Sgt. Ronnie Brickey, United States Air Force Special
Operations School force protection branch noncommissioned
officer-in-charge, poses for a photo with his family and Lt. Gen.
Eric Fiel, Air Force Special Operations Command commander after
receiving a Bronze Star with Valor, March 22, 2013 at Hurlburt
Field, Fla. This is the fifth Bronze Star Brickey has received
during his 13-year Air Force career in Explosive Ordnance Disposal.
(U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Melanie Holochwost) |
The Oregon native said, “I feel honored to be this
decorated,” as he became the fifth airman to receive five
Bronze Stars in Air Force history.
Lt. Gen. Eric
Fiel, AFSOC commander, presented Brickey this medal for his
bravery during a mission in Afghanistan, June 1, 2011.
“Ronnie, your unmatched skills, courage, and
selflessness epitomize what being a warrior is all about,”
Fiel said during his speech at the medal presentation.
“You're an extraordinary example to us all.”
Brickey
said it all started while performing an improvised explosive
device post-blast analysis. He identified three additional
IEDs and knew he had to render them safe.
Although
this alone can be a normal day's work in the EOD business,
things went downhill fast for this air commando.
Brickey said he was able to eliminate the first two threats
pretty quickly; however, after he started working on the
third IED, his unit came under direct fire from multiple
positions.
Brickey protected his team of 20 U.S.
soldiers, four Canadian soldiers, and two Afghan National
Security Forces members throughout the 40-minute firefight
by posting himself next to the IED to prevent accidental
detonation. During this time, he repeatedly exposed himself
to direct fire, returned fire on the enemy, and directed his
team past the IED.
Finally, Brickey attached a
render safe tool to the IED and instructed his team to
disable it remotely. He also used his body to shield two
soldiers from the potential blast.
Because of
Brickey's efforts, his team was able to maneuver on the
enemy without unintentionally detonating an IED. The joint
force went on to lay lethal fire, which forced insurgents to
retreat.
To date, Brickey has been on 500 combat
missions and rendered 200 IEDs safe.
“I love being an
EOD technician,” he said. “I often felt like a kid on
Christmas morning when I would walk down a dirt path in
Afghanistan and identify a buried IED.
“Knowing that
a life is saved every time I remove an IED from the
battlefield is one of the greatest feelings in the world.”
By USAF Sr. Airman Melanie (Iannaggi) Holochwost
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2013
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