EOD Airman earns Purple Heart and 2nd Bronze Star

  • Published
  • By Senior Master Sgt. Cheryl L. Toner
  • 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany --  To look at Tech. Sgt. Joshua Gidcumb, you'd probably never guess this self-effacing man did anything as extraordinary as earning a Purple Heart and a second Bronze Star. Nothing personal here, it's just that Sergeant Gidcumb is about as normal or average-looking as it gets. He's of average height and he has sandy brown hair and brown eyes, carried on a slim build.

However, he just returned from a six-month deployment to Iraq where he was awarded both medals by the Army. While being awarded the medals by another service is a true testament to his actions as an explosive ordnance disposal team leader, he would tell you differently. "I'm just real lucky," he said. "People aren't usually that close to IEDs when they explode ... maybe I should have moved a little faster," he said with a laugh.

The 12-year Air Force veteran came into the military knowing he wanted to do EOD. With no regrets of a specialty that averages six months home and six months deployed, he said EOD is "an acquired taste." But, he said that there is "not a chance" that he'd do any other job.

Returning mid-December last year from Kirkuk Regional Air Base, he said his wife of seven years was very happy he made it home when he did. Two weeks later, Dec. 31, his first child, Samuel, was born.

Having been deployed four times since he's been married, he said his wife expects that he'll be out doing his dangerous job. On this deployment alone, his team went out on 276 combat missions.

On one mission, his team was called out to intercept three insurgents who were seen positioning an IED on one of the vital supply roads. His team quickly made it to the scene, killing two of the insurgents and capturing another.

On another occasion, they were called by an Iraqi Army element to investigate a suspected IED in an abandoned house. After Sergeant Gidcumb's team arrived, they investigated and identified a 40-pound main charge IED with a remote trigger. Because of his team's actions, an initial charge separated most components, intelligence was gathered and the explosives were destroyed.

"On scene, everything is so fluid," he said while snapping his fingers. "We have about 15-20 minutes before the bad guys realize that we're there. That's where our training kicks in."

Once the team returns from a mission, he said the group talks about what happened and how they could do it better next time. He admits, however, that "each time something is a little different."

As he talked about the team effort on this recent deployment, he put his hand over the Bronze Star write-up, noting that the accomplishments outlined in a single-page - ones that seem so incredible - really aren't. "This stuff, this happens daily."

He also said that while his medals were given for individual accomplishments, "One guy can't do it all." Of the medals, he said that while it sounds corny, he humbly wears it to remember other EOD troops. "Just a few days after I got this (medal), one of my friends lost an arm, both eyes and part of his jaw. That's who I wear it for."

He said he personally is "no worse for the wear, with a couple of scratches, cuts and dings." In the end, he said his job is "tangible - you're saving lives."

With such an adrenaline-pumping job in the Air Force, many would think that Sergeant Gidcumb would gravitate towards a job like a police bomb unit once he retires. Not so, he said. "If I can make it through 20 years of this, it's a sign that it's time to do something else."