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Dover EOD named best in Air Force

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Kevin Wallace
  • 436th AW Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  An elite team of Airmen who operate in perilous environments around the world and protect on- and off-base populations here, was recently lauded as being the best in the Air Force.

The 436th Civil Engineer Squadron's Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight recently won the 2008 Senior Master Sgt. Gerald J. Stryzak Award, "Best EOD Flight in the Air Force."

"Team Dover EOD professionals participated in more than 700 combat missions outside the wire in Iraq and Afghanistan defeating the enemy's primary weapon used against coalition forces -- IEDs," said Senior Master Sgt. Jeffrey Hurley, 436th CES EOD superintendent. "Our team has been tested on the battlefield. They have lived the horrors of war and continue to perform their mission undaunted. This flight has witnessed friends injured and killed while performing this herculean duty, yet they continue to volunteer to return to theater ... it makes me proud to be part of this team."

EOD's mission is as varied as their demeanor and encompasses a wide spectrum of responsibilities. Dover-based EOD Airmen have fought the Global War on Terror, protected the DELMARVA Peninsula from unexploded ordnance, while simultaneously supporting the U.S. Secret Service to protect the President.

This unit's mission touches many people, explained Capt. Patrick Wren, 436th CES EOD commander. Unlike some organizations, EOD operations do not stop at the Dover AFB fence line.

In Delaware alone, Captain Wren's team recovered more than 1,200 ordnance items and was lauded by the Delaware State Police for this contribution.

"During a major dredging operation in the Atlantic Ocean, the work crews came across a projectile and called our team into action. We promptly mitigated the hazard," said Captain Wren, citing one of the many statewide operations his unit was involved in. "My guys put their lives on the line time after time and never ask for a 'thank you,' or to be put in the spotlight - it's just duty to them."

Though disposing of unexploded ordnance is their specialty, EOD Airmen take an aggressive approach to all aspects of their professional responsibilities, said Captain Wren. The flight has a 100 percent Air Force Physical Training passing rate and 80 percent of EOD Airmen hold their Community College of the Air Force associate's degree or higher.

Another unique mission performed by EOD is presidential protection. When the Secret Service is in need of hazardous device counter-measure expertise, Team Dover has answered the call, Captain Wren said. This EOD flight provided more than 580 man-days in 2008 alone. This operation tempo is unprecedented for a 14-person flight.

With their lives on the line, it is paramount that EOD technicians be both physically and mentally alert at all times. For that reason, Sergeant Hurley admits that he and the commander are hard on their EOD Airmen, but are confident the discipline they instill will someday save those same Airmen's lives.

"Within the EOD career field and with what we are charged cannot be taken lightly," said Sergeant Hurley. "Every day, some of the finest Air Force, Navy, Army and Marine Corp EOD units voluntarily places themselves in harm's way, this is just a fact of the job."

Every Dover-based EOD Airman knows well what is required of them and rises to exceed each challenge they face, Sergeant Hurley said.

"Just like all EOD professionals, Dover EOD Airmen are willing to make personal sacrifices in support of the mission," said Sergeant Hurley. "It is inspiring to see this dedication to duty and willingness to take that lonely walk down range to the unknown. When we're needed, we'll come -- it's that simple. For EOD Airmen world-wide, this is our calling and this is our job. To be named the Air Force's best is quite an honor."