7 CES NCO receives Bronze Star

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Robert Hicks
  • 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  A 7th Civil Engineer Squadron explosive ordnance disposal Airman was presented the Bronze Star Medal by the 7th Bomb Wing commander here Feb. 26 for his actions while deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Staff Sgt. Ryan Oliver, 7CES, received the fourth-highest combat award while working as a 755th EOD Battalion team leader.

This is Sergeant Oliver's second time receiving the Bronze Star Medal. He received one while deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and the other in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Having two medals is great, Sergeant Oliver said. I now have the opportunity to give both of my children a medal to stop the arguing over the one I previously had.

Sergeant Oliver's team was responsible for resolving more than 60 wide-ranging emergency response missions including, six fighter aircraft ground emergencies, 11 improvised explosive device incidents, as well as 27 tactical weapons caches and unexploded ordnance responses.

According to the citation, while deployed to the Middle East Sergeant Oliver was called upon to a checkpoint where he was able to locate an IED and direct his team to a safe area. The result of his actions allowed the road to reopen with minimal delay, restoring safety and security to the community.

"If I were to think of disarming bombs as saving lives it might make EOD feel like a job," said Sergeant Oliver. "I look at it more like a hobby or a game of cat and mouse. Insurgents build a device, we beat it, so they change it a little bit, and we beat it again."

Sergeant Oliver carried an 80 pound pack of explosives and specialized EOD equipment more than ten kilometers over mountains and rocky terrain. During the mission, he recovered and destroyed 13 artillery projectiles distributed among enemy tactical cache sites, staged for future attacks on coalition forces.

"This line of work is very addicting," said Sergeant Oliver. "The adrenaline rush from cheating death is amazing. After you make it through one IED you can't wait until the next."