EOD Airman receives third Bronze Star Medal

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Tammie Moore
  • 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  The ability to calmly clear an improvised explosive ordnance blast zone or care for wounded Soldiers during a firefight are qualities not everyone possesses.

Master Sgt. Van Hood, 4th Civil Engineer Squadron Explosive Ordnance Disposal NCOIC of operations, plans and intel, joined the Air Force in 1994. Since that time, he has deployed seven times and earned three Bronze Star Medals, the fourth-highest combat medal in the armed forces.

When Sergeant Hoods commander Lt. Col. William Mazzeno learned one of his Airmen was receiving his third Bronze Star he was not surprised.

"A couple things crossed my mind," Colonel Mazzeno said. "First, how this award is totally consistent with Sergeant Hood's record of performance, he never stops being an amazing leader and EOD technician. Second, we continue to send the best people to do the hardest jobs, and thankfully we're giving appropriate recognition for their efforts."

Sergeant Hood's latest deployment was to Forward Operating Base Airborne in the Wardak province of Afghanistan. There, he never knew what the next day would entail when he closed his eyes at night.

"There was really no such thing as a 'typical day'," said the Greensboro native. "A good day was getting to eat hot chow at least once and getting to take a shower. If you were running missions from the FOB this was usually possible."

Sergeant Hood split his time in Afghanistan between three functional areas: counter-IED missions, route clearance patrols and in the tactical operations center.

"CIED missions are emergency response missions so you just do normal work like check equipment, clean weapons, go to the range and shoot, ect.," he said. "When a call comes in that someone was hit or found an IED you grab your gear, load up and roll. This can make for a very busy day or a very boring day depending on what happens."

During his six-month deployment, Sergeant Hood's team responded to more than 150 CIED emergency response calls.

"On RCP we traveled with a team of Army engineers and helped look for then disarm IEDs allowing freedom of movement for units in our (area of operations)," Sergeant Hood said. "These mission lasted anywhere from six hours to two weeks depending on what we were clearing. When it was an overnight mission, we would just find a good area to stop, setup security and wait for morning. This was one of the more interesting things to do since it was just the EOD team of three and about 30 Army guys."

More than once while on CIED missions Sergeant Hood provided first aid to Soldiers wounded by an IED. During one such situation when he was loading causalities into a litter vehicle, the team took insurgent fire. His team responded to the threat quickly taking cover and defending their position.

Even in his off-duty time Sergeant Hood remained dedicated to protecting the lives of his fellow servicemembers.

"TOC duty was just something I did during any downtime in order to let the commander know what is going on and track activity in the AO," he said. "This just helped both me and the battalion by knowing what is going on."

When Sergeant Hood looks back on this deployment he feels a lot of pride in the work his team did in Afghanistan.

"I am proud of the team I worked with and being able to get out there and do our job," he said. "The job we did saved lives and allowed people to come home to their families."

Sergeant Hood attributes earning his medal to the actions of those he served with.

"We are out there to do a job and we do it well," he said. "Getting recognized is a nice result for everyone involved."

Knowing that Sergeant Hood is on the job teaching young Airmen in the 4th CES provides Colonel Mazzeno a sense of relief.

"I could worry every day and every night about what my EOD Airmen are doing downrange, but knowing MSgt Hood's and the rest of his flight's level of excellence makes me proud and totally confident in their abilities," the Colonel said.

The ability to work together as a team and really on his co-workers is what Sergeant Hood attributes to his career successes.

"Do your job, look out for your friends/wingmen/brother in arms," he said. "I could not have done anything listed in this medal, on this deployment, or throughout my career without the help of everyone around me. We are a team not an individual."