375th EOD Sergeants honored for service Published Dec. 17, 2008 By 375th Explosive Ordnance Disposal flight SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- Two of Team Scott's finest were awarded the Air Force Combat Action Medal last week for their bravery under fire. Tech Sgts. Manuel Herrera and David Pinkham, 375th Civil Engineer Squadron explosive ordnance disposal craftsmen, were attacked while on convoy missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. December 6 of last year, Cobra 1-7 and EOD were performing a logistical movement from Patrol Base Baker to Forward Operating Base McHenry when a large improvised explosive device detonated 25 meters forward of EOD's vehicle. Sergeant Herrera advised the platoon leader to scan the area for imminent danger and then directed the convoy out of the kill zone. He maneuvered the vehicles in the convoy to provide as much safety as possible in a hostile urban environment and established a secure area. As Sergeant Herrera was dismounting to deploy the robotics and perform a post-blast analysis, a rocket propelled grenade passed five to ten meters forward of his vehicle. Within seconds, an additional RPG passed to the rear of his vehicle. Under small arms fire, Sergeant Herrera quickly devised and commanded an exit plan out of the ambush zone. While still under attack, Sergeant Herrera was able to perform a hasty post-blast analysis and determined the IED was approximately 100 to 150 pounds of command-detonated unknown bulk explosives. Sergeant Pinkham's story is just as heroic. While assigned as EOD Team Leader to 1st Platoon Alpha Company Quick Reactionary Force conducting a Cache Search mission Dec. 24 near Riyadh City, Iraq vicinity. Sergeant Pinkham was told to respond to Delta Company's 2nd Platoon, operating near his location, that was just hit by a catastrophic culvert "deep buried" IED. En route to Delta Platoon his convoy was hit by another catastrophic "deep buried" victim operated IED. The fifth vehicle in his convoy was destroyed. Sergeant Pinkham was in the sixth vehicle in convoy. The IED detonation sprayed debris, frag and parts from the destroyed HUMVEE throughout the patrol vehicles. The blast removed the front of the HUMVEE and threw the gunner from the vehicle flipping it upside down. Sergeant Pinkham was in the fragmentation and blast danger areas and was actively engaged by a complex offensive enemy attack. Based on the post-blast investigation the IED was pressure wire initiated with a washing machine safe/arm timer and must have armed seconds prior to the fifth vehicle striking the pressure wire. If the timer was seconds slower Sergeant Pinkham's vehicle would have struck the IED placing him in the catastrophic circumstances that befell his QRF element. He aided in the Combat Life Saver efforts on two victims of the IED blast site. The first had a broken back and was paralyzed from the chest down the second casualty had a broken right leg and arm. Sergeant Pinkham stayed with the victims from the start of care until they were all loaded on the UH-60 Pavehawk for medical evacuation. Sergeant Pinkham led the remaining EOD members and security elements in evidence collection and site security. Evidence would be used later in the targeting of the individuals responsible for this attack. Master Sgt. Neil Jones, 375th EOD flight chief said both Sergeant Herrera and Sergeant Pinkham were deeply moved by their experiences and the events greatly affected the entire EOD flight. "Sergeants Herrera, Pinkham and our entire flight are honored," Sergeant Jones said. "We are proud but, humbled." Sergeants Herrera and Pinkham were presented their Air Force Combat Action Medals by 375th Airlift Wing vice commander Col. Stephen Oliver during wing stand-up last Wednesday.