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.
Air Force depots are not typically meant for quick repair jobs, but during Operation Epic Fury, the service moved some of its stateside heavy maintenance capability forward to fix battle-damaged aircraft closer to the fight.
