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)
A new survey found that record rates of Active-duty military spouses want to leave the military community, with a large number of them frustrated by the difficulty of finding employment, child care, and reimbursement for moving costs after a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move.