Photo By Anna Berrettini | After six years in the Navy, SSgt. Lucas Shappell found a perfect match in the Air...... read more read more
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Some careers are mapped out long before they begin. For Staff Sgt. Lucas Shappell, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team Leader with the 934th CES, the path to becoming an Air Force Reserve EOD technician wasn’t planned.
After six years in the Navy, Shappell thought his military career had come to an end. But in 2022, about a two-and-a-half-hour drive from his home, he joined an Air Force Reserve EOD unit.
“It was kind of a coincidence and a perfect match,” Shappell said. What began as a continuation of familiar work quickly grew into something more: a new community, and a new mission. This new beginning led to him being named one of twelve Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2025.
In the Navy, Shappell served under the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command, performing EOD work in support of special operations forces, including a deployment alongside SEAL Team Four.
Since joining the Air Force Civil Engineer community three years ago, Shappell has quickly come to appreciate its impact. On his first annual tour with the Air Force Reserve, he traveled to Kosovo to work alongside local EOD technicians and NATO partners. Many of them had been clearing ordnance since the Kosovo War, safely disposing of tens of thousands of munitions over more than two decades. Watching their calm dedication to such dangerous work, Shappell said, was both humbling and inspiring — a reminder of the enduring importance of the EOD mission.
Furthermore, Shappell expressed that to outsiders, CE work may not always look the most “flashy,” much of it involving construction, infrastructure, and behind-the-scenes effort. But to Shappell, that’s exactly why it matters. “Without those individuals, we don’t have the airfields that the planes land on, which is essential for airpower,” he explained.
That perspective shapes how he views his recognition as an Outstanding Airman of the Year. The award is not just a personal milestone, but a reflection of his team and the broader CE community. “Everyone around me in [my shop] could have gotten that award,” he said, noting that the honor feels like a win for EOD as much as for himself.
Shappell emphasizes that any success he has achieved is rooted in the example of his mentors. Among them are Senior Master Sgt. Robin Cunningham, EOD Flight Chief, and Master Sgt. Adam Jensen, EOD Quality Assurance Manager. He describes both as leaders who go to bat for their people, making sure the team can stay focused on training and mission success.
That same sense of support carries over into his personal life. Shappell credits his family, a source of constant motivation and strength, for creating a strong foundation at home. The structure of the Air Force Reserve, paired with the flexibility of his family and civilian employer, has also made it possible to manage military service, work, and family life. Even when the EOD community brings sudden schools or missions, that support system helps him stay steady and focused.
Over the course of his Navy and Air Force service, Shappell has carried forward lessons that define both his approach to the job and his outlook on life. The first is simple: safety comes before everything else. “Know what’s going to kill you first, know what’s going to kill you second, and have the right [Personal Protective Equipment],” he recalled being taught early in his EOD training.
Equally important is humility. At EOD school, he often heard the reminder that “you walk on the shoulders of giants.” Every procedure, every tactic, he says, exists because someone learned the hard way what didn’t work. “Whatever your [tactics, techniques, and procedures] are, they’re written in blood,” he explained. That perspective keeps him grounded and focused on his ultimate goal: making sure that he, his teammates, and those they support all come home safely.
Furthermore, in the EOD community, Shappell says knowledge is often hard-earned — and he considers it his duty to pass it on. Leadership means ensuring that the next Airman is better prepared, safer, and more confident than the one before. “Being a leader is not just going out and doing the job yourself,” Shappell explained. “It’s teaching other people to do that, getting them the opportunities to be able to do that.”
For Airmen just starting out, his advice is both practical and encouraging. Take opportunities when they come, even if they seem daunting. If nerves get in the way, do the task again and again until it becomes second nature. And above all, share knowledge. “Never hang on to information,” he said. “You never know if that’s going to be the difference between life or death, or just the difference between someone succeeding and not succeeding.”
Within both the CE and EOD communities, Shappell is looking forward to opportunities to attend new schools, sharpen skills, and work with different teams. Cross-training, whether with NATO partners overseas or other Air Force squadrons at home, excites him because it broadens perspectives and builds stronger bonds across the force. He’s also eager for larger CE exercises, like bivouacs, that show how EOD fits into the bigger picture of constructing and sustaining airfields.
Still, Shappell’s motivation is rooted in the simple joy of the job. “Anytime I get to go to the demo range and blow stuff up, it’s a good day,” he said.
Beyond the technical side, his vision for the future comes back to people: sharing knowledge freely, building resilient teams, and making sure everyone goes home safe. For Shappell, that is the essence of the EOD profession, and the legacy he hopes to continue passing forward.
| Date Taken: | 12.01.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 12.01.2025 11:10 |
| Story ID: | 552628 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 68 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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