The Air Force has presented Bronze Stars to three explosive ordnance disposal specialists from the 96th Civil Engineer Squadron at Eglin AFB, Fla., for their efforts in Southwest Asia. For two of the EOD airmen, TSgt. Shane Lagrone and TSgt. John Beebe, this was their second Bronze Star award. Lagrone and Beebe together performed more than a third of their unit’s combat mission workload, clearing improvised explosive devices during 150 and 137 missions, respectively. SSgt. Daniel Batt received his first Bronze Star, in part for his “exceptional ingenuity” in employing a robot during one of his 70 combat missions.
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.