USAF Civil Engineers

[BLUEHAWK]

AETCNS 081605149

Purple Hearts awarded to Air Force civil engineers



By Dewey Mitchell

59th Medical Wing Public Affairs



"LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AETCNS) -- It ranks as one of the most dangerous jobs in the Air Force during peacetime, but even more so during a war: explosive ordnance disposal, or EOD.

Maj. Matthew Conlan and Staff Sgt. Christopher Ramakka were on an EOD mission June 17 to clear an old Soviet munitions area about 20 kilometers north of Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, when a landmine exploded under the feet of Sergeant Ramakka. Major Conlan was only a few feet behind him.

Both received major blast injuries and were awarded the Purple Heart medal Aug. 12 by the Air Force's top civil engineer, Maj. Gen. Dean Fox, as colleagues, friends and families watched.

Major Conlan, commander of the 455th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron at Bagram AB, was leading a group of seven civil engineers that included four EOD professionals. They were accompanied by military police and civil engineers from the Army.

The site, occupied by a small Afghan National Army unit, had a number of bunkers filled with munitions. Scattered around the area were old unexpended ordnance items such as mortar rounds and munitions dispensers.

"We began clearance operations of the scattered items, securing those large enough to fashion into improvised explosive devices," said Major Conlan.

The EOD team leader noted that farther down the mountain was a marked landmine area, but they were well outside the marked area.

"Sergeant Ramakka had knelt down to check an old artillery round to see if it was live," said Major Conlan. "After he determined that it was not live, he picked up an old RPG booster that he had found earlier, stood and took one step toward another row of artillery entrenchments. That's when the landmine detonated."

The explosion amputated Sergeant Ramakka's left foot, and he had severe blast injuries to his right leg and hands. The blast severely injured both of Major Conlan's legs, and he received moderate blast injuries to his hands and face.

They were transported by air-evac helicopters to the 249th Field Hospital at Bagram AB. Two days later they were transported to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany.

Four days after the incident, June 21, Sergeant Ramakka arrived at Wilford Hall Medical Center here. Major Conlan came to Wilford Hall two days after Sergeant Ramakka had arrived. They had received continuous medical treatment since immediately after the blast.

Sergeant Ramakka was discharged from Wilford Hall on July 6 and is currently an outpatient at Brooke Army Medical Center. Major Conlan was discharged from Wilford Hall July 11 and is currently an outpatient of Wilford Hall. Both are assigned to the Patient Squadron at Wilford Hall."

[Jerry D]

God bless them both