Seven sailors from Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 12 received awards June 27. (Navy photo by MCSN Scott Barnes)
In two ceremonies over a three-day span at the end of last month, four enlisted sailors and one officer received Bronze Star Medals.
Navy Diver 1st Class (DSW/SW) John Hanson and ND2 (DSW/SW) Robert Klingaman received their honors June 25 at Southeast Regional Maintenance Center in Jacksonville, Fla., according to a Navy release. Both earned the awards while attached to Naval Special Warfare Group 3, for what the release called “a highly sensitive special operation critical to the national defense of the United States.” A spokesperson with SRMC could provide no further details; both men served with the Little Creek, Va.-based SPECWAR detachment from March 2010 to March of this year.
Rear Adm. David Gale, head of Navy Regional Maintenance Command, awards the Bronze Star Medal to Navy Diver 2nd Class (DSW/SW) Robert Klingaman, left, and ND1 (DSW/SW) John Hanson on June 25 in Jacksonville, Fla. (Navy photo by Chris D. Tucker)
Two days later, three more sailors — Lt. Andrew Cassity and Explosive Ordnance Technicians 1st Class (EWS) Jacob Miller and Matthew Wheeler — received Bronze Stars in a Little Creek ceremony that included four other award recipients, according to a Navy release.
Cassity and Wheeler were honored for their work as commander and leading petty officer, respectively, of an EOD platoon assigned to a joint task force from October to February; Miller for his work with a joint special operations task force from July 2011 to February 2012. Other honorees at the June 27 event:
- EOD2 (EWS/AW) Larry Brown earned a Joint Service Commendation Medal.
- EOD2 (EWS/EXW) Kyle Masur earned a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with a combat “V” device.
- Chief Yeoman (EXW/SW) Chanreka Leftridge earned a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal
- EOD1 (EWS) Daniel Swartzel earned a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.
All seven award recipients from the June 27 ceremony serve with Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 12.
