Army awards Airman Bronze Star for service

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Leticia Hopkins
  • 347th Rescue Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  A 347th Civil Engineer Squadron sergeant was recently awarded the Bronze Star medal by the U.S. Army for his efforts in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Tech. Sgt. Heath Tempel, 347th CES Explosive Ordnance Disposal flight support section chief, was deployed to Balad Air Base, Iraq, from Sept. 7, 2005 until March 6, as an EOD team leader. His EOD team worked closely with the Army which provided his team security to accomplish their missions.

"It was definitely an honor (to receive the Bronze Star)," said Sergeant Tempel. "I know there are a lot of people doing some dangerous missions that are not recognized. So, I feel lucky to get that recognition. My grandfather received a Bronze Star at Normandy, so, it has a sentimental attachment as well."

While deployed, Sergeant Tempel's four-man team safely resolved 272 EOD missions. He was credited with completing 390 combat hours and directing the safe disposal of 137 unexploded ordnances, caches, captured enemy ammunition and improvised explosive devices. Sergeant Tempel also led 47 post-blast investigations.

"Right from the get-go we were hopping; we were really busy," said the sergeant. "It was common for us to have three to four missions a day. Our record was six missions in one day; we spent about 10 hours outside the wire."

Early into his deployment, Sergeant Tempel showed he had the skills to accomplish the deployed mission. His team was preparing to conduct a post-blast analysis on a site when a second IED was discovered 25 feet from the incident control point. Sergeant Tempel evacuated his security, established a new safe area and directed the neutralization of the threat.

"It made me very alert, all of my senses were heightened," said Sergeant Tempel. "It was almost like I went into a different mode where I was aware of everything. The only thing I was thinking about was getting the mission done and getting it done safely."

The sergeant also responded to an attack site Oct. 13 that left one soldier dead.
The blast area had not been cleared of secondary devices so Sergeant Tempel had the nonessential people leave the area.

During this incident, he was also able to recover a new deployment method for radio-initiated IED triggers.

These service-before-self actions are indicative of Sergeant Tempel and his personality, said Tech. Sgt. Howard DeBaere, 347th CES section chief of EOD resources.

"He's dedicated to the mission and keeping people safe; especially coalition forces and his team," said Sergeant DeBaere. "He's a great guy, a great technician and cares for the people underneath him as well as his peers."