EOD sailors earn Bronze stars

EGLIN AFB, Fla. - Two sailors assigned to the Naval School Explosive Ordnance Disposal (NAVSCOLEOD) unit at Eglin AFB were awarded Bronze Star medals Sept. 11 for meritorious service in support of Special Operations Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve. During the command’s 9/11 remembrance ceremony at the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Memorial, Executive Officer Lt. Cmdr. Garrett Pankow presented the medals to EOD1 Skyler Gronert and EOD1 Brian Oberley. For Oberley, the occasion was a recognition of a family legacy. His father, retired EODCM Patrick Oberley, who attended the ceremony and is also a recipient of the Bronze Star Medal for heroic achievement during Operation Desert Storm. Brian Oberley, a native of Panama City, Fla., is a graduate of Mosley High School and Kentucky Wesleyan College. He is currently the leading petty officer for NAVSCOLEOD’s training department and will be an instructor during his tour. Gronert, a native of Inverness, Fla., received the Bronze Star for his support for Special Forces Operational Det. Alpha from January to July 2017. Gronert is cited for his personal courage and tactical proficiency. As EOD instructors, Oberley and Gronert will be able to apply their experiences to prepare technicians to locate, identify, render safe, and explosively dispose of foreign and domestic ordnance, including conventional, chemical, biological, nuclear, underwater, and terrorist-type devices. NAVSCOLEOD, located on Eglin, provides specialized basic and advanced EOD training to joint-service U.S. and partner-nation military. (Source: Naval School Explosive Ordnance Disposal 09/11/18)