TSgt. Ronnie Brickey, an explosive ordnance disposal instructor at the US Air Force Special Operations School at Hurlburt Field, Fla., received a Bronze Star medal, his fourth overall, for his work as an EOD team leader during his most recent deployment to Afghanistan. “Sergeant Brickey will tell you, ‘I was just doing my job,’ but the job he chooses to perform is vastly different from other jobs,” said Col. Eric Ray, USAFSOS commandant, in Air Force Special Operation Command’s May 15 release. As team leader, Brickey was responsible for disposal of more than 6,000 pounds of unexploded ordnance items, 70 improvised explosive devices, and 24 weapons caches. Among his accomplishments, he successfully disarmed a sophisticated IED with an anti-tampering device that would have prompted detonation with movement in excess of three millimeters and performed lifesaving medical treatment on two Army soldiers struck by an IED, said AFSOC officials. Brickey said the award was truly an honor. “I really appreciate it,” he said. (Hurlburt report by Rachel Arroyo)
Celebrating 100 Years of Liquid-Fueled Rockets
March 11, 2026
March 16, 2026, marks 100 years since Dr. Robert H. Goddard launched the world’s first liquid-fueled rocket. Over the past century, new and ever more capable liquid-fueled rockets have literally propelled humanity into space. Why liquid-fueled rockets?