Fairchild Airman awarded Purple Heart

Brig. Gen. Del Eulberg, director of installations and mission support, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, presented the medal to Airman 1st Class Brandon Guingrich.

Airman Guingrich experienced a severe ringing in the ears, temporary hearing loss, damaged blood vessels in his right eye causing blurry vision, and overall soreness after being thrown nearly 20 feet from an explosion.

According to the award citation, he and other EOD personnel were called upon to destroy a large cache of Iraqi ordnance. Because the quantity of ordnance was so large and the explosives required to destroy them exceeded the on-base range limit, the Airmen had to travel to an off-base range.

After setting up the explosion, the team traveled to a safe area approximately one mile away, ensuring protection from over-blast and fragment dissemination.

"After we set off the explosion, a team went down to check the results," said Airman Guingrich.

Still in hostile territory, Airman Guingrich and three others moved to the top of the "safe-area" berm to provide protection for the inspection team.

"After a few minutes, an improvised explosive device that had been pre-placed by the enemy was detonated 30 feet from our position," said Airman Guingrich.

The force of the explosion threw Airman Guingrich approximately 20 feet down the side of the berm.

"I didn't have time to be scared," said Airman Guingrich. "We originally thought we were under a mortar attack, so we were scrambling to find cover."

Shortly after the explosion, the group surveyed each other's injuries and set up a perimeter to await the arrival of the rest of their team.

A post-blast analysis uncovered the reason for the explosion -- an IED that the enemy had remotely detonated.

Airman Guingrich was the only person injured in the incident.