Two EOD Airmen Get Bronzes:

The Air Force has awarded Bronze Medals to two explosive ordnance disposal airmen assigned to the Air Mobility Warfare Center, Ft. Dix, N.J. TSgt. Vandiver Hood and SSgt. Michael Tesch received the medals for their work while deployed to Iraq. Hood served at Kirkuk Air Base, providing “direct combat support” to 368 soldiers as EOD team leader. He conducted more than 164 missions within a 2,200 square mile area. Tesch, who served at Sather Air Base, supported the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the Army’s 101st Airborne Division, the Air Force elements at Sather, and the Iraqi Ministry of Transportation. Tesch covered “the busiest area of operations in Iraq,” handling 226 improvised explosive devices and 47 unexploded ordnance responses.