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)
The Space Development Agency says it’s on track to issue its next batch of missile warning and tracking satellite contracts this month after those awards were delayed by the Pentagon’s decision to divert funds from the agency to pay troops during this fall’s prolonged government shutdown.
