Photo By Lt.Cmdr. Kara Handley | 190627-N-UP025-006 IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif. (June 27, 2019) Capt. Oscar Rojas,...... read more read more
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Two Sailors from Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit Eleven (EODMU11) were awarded the Bronze Star Medal with the 'V' device authorized for valor during an award presentation held onboard Naval Outlying Landing Field Imperial Beach today.
During the award ceremony at EODMU11 headquarters, Capt. Oscar Rojas, commodore, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group One, presented the medals to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician First Class Petty Officer Christopher Greene and Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician First Class Petty Officer Travis Holland.
Rojas said, “The words captured in the citation, they have true meaning behind them because our Nation rates the world’s most premier EOD force. The bronze stars placed upon our warfighter’s chests symbolize everything that is good about our Nation.”
Greene, from Prescott, Arizona, demonstrated courageous leadership and superb tactical expertise by enabling a direct action raid on an enemy underground headquarters overseas. Despite the constant danger of explosive hazards, he cleared an enemy cave complex of improvised explosive threats and shielded his teammates from close-range enemy fire.
During the same mission, Holland, from Golden, Colorado, demonstrated superior tactical acumen while conducting a thorough secondary clearance and site exploitation. He identified 15-20 enemy fighters preparing to throw grenades into the main cavern and positioned himself in the open to shield his team from a potentially fatal blast, while also engaging the enemy combatants.
Both EOD technicians were deployed to support Special Operations Task Force-West in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.
This award ceremony held special meaning as the presentation was held in front of EODMU11’s memorial for their fallen service members. Rojas said, “Having this ceremony right in front of the memorial of our fallen is a sobering reminder of the business that we are in. To be able to say that we protect and defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic, those are not shallow words. Those are very powerful words.”
EODMU11 provides operational EOD capabilities to include locating, identifying, rendering safe, exploiting, recovering, and disposing of all explosive ordnance including chemical and nuclear weapons while providing access for conventional and special operations forces to maneuver across the full range of military operations.
U.S. Navy EOD is the world’s premier combat force for eliminating explosive threats so the Fleet and Nation can fight and win wherever, whenever and however it chooses.
For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.
For more news from Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 1, visit www.navy.mil/local/eod1/.
| Date Taken: | 06.27.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 06.27.2019 20:57 |
| Story ID: | 329540 |
| Location: | IMPERIAL BEACH, CA, US |
| Hometown: | GOLDEN, CO, US |
| Hometown: | PRESCOTT, AZ, US |
| Web Views: | 787 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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