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Sheppard EOD instructor named Best in Texas

  • Published
  • By Capt. Brittany Martin
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  "Everyday members of the armed forces face risks most ordinary people are not accustomed to. Most of the time, we perform our jobs in secrecy without any expectation of notoriety or fanfare. But every once in a while, it's nice to receive recognition for a job well done or an act of bravery," Tech. Sgt. John Collins, 366th Training Squadron Explosive Ordnance Disposal instructor, opened the awards ceremony.

Staff Sgt. Christopher M. Ferrell, 366th Training Squadron, Detachment 3, was awarded the Air Force Association "Best in Texas" award Sept. 15 at the Sheppard Air Force Base Explosive Ordnance Disposal schoolhouse.

Sergeant Ferrell was selected as the award recipient from Texas active duty, guard and reserve Air Force bases for his excellence in duty execution, self improvement and personal achievement.

Dr. Mike Winslow, president of the AFA General Charles L. Donnelly Chapter, assisted in reviewing nomination packages and came to Sheppard to present the award.

"It's a daunting task, sorting through the best of the best," he said. "He (Sergeant Ferrell) stood above all the other candidates; it watered our eyes reading his accomplishments."

Sergeant Ferrell was equally touched by the presentation.

"I am not often at a loss for words," he said, "But I am."

Sergeant Ferrell has deployed four times as part of an EOD team in support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. He has saved lives and seen close friends die; he has cleared Improvised Explosive Devices along thousands of kilometers of road and has been hit by IEDs multiple times.

His words show selfless commitment to a cause that claims his dedication and his passion.

"This is something we signed up to do - we serve to protect our country," he said.

And his actions match those words, actions that can be read about in his awards: the Bronze Star, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force Portraits of Courage and the Air Mobility Command Sijan Award.

Although he has been apart from his wife for approximately half of their marriage and has missed more than two years of his four-year-old daughter's life, he did not have a negative word or complaint about the time spent serving his country.

"We are a country at war, and we're going to be a country at war," he said.

"Take every day a step at a time," he advised future deployers.

Sergeant Ferrell is currently assigned to the 366th TRS Det. 3, Eglin AFB, Fla., as an EOD instructor, a position which he is tackling with the same zeal as he put into his deployments.

"We're molding the next generation, who will be our team members," he explained.

When asked if he will return after this time as an instructor, he was emphatic.

"I cannot wait. If they asked, I would go back now."

He keeps his gear in his garage, just in case. He has been an instructor for eight months and already has the itch to return. It is the action and the camaraderie, he explains.

"You have to count on the person next to you to survive."

He explained his excitement to return to the combat zone by telling about the friends he had lost.

"If you lose the excitement, you are only hurting their memory."