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Senior Chief Aviation Ordnanceman (EOD) Larry Sabin was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, and 13 others were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation during a ceremony held at Naval Weapons Station Charleston, Nov. 14, for their support during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

It’s a rare occasion that any servicemember is presented the Bronze Star Medal. The medal is awarded for heroic or meritorious achievement of service, not involving aerial flight, in connection with operations against an opposing armed force.

A Senior Chief assigned to Explosive Ordnance Mobile Unit (EOD-MU) 6, Sabin was awarded the Bronze Star for duties performed with the Army’s 3rd Infantry division.

“He worked for the Army in Baghdad, and it’s unique for a Sailor to receive recognition from the Army,” EOD-MU 6 Commanding Officer Cmdr. Brett Reissener said. “This is a personal award, but it is the result of team effort. He wouldn’t have received the Bronze Star if it weren’t for the team of 109 people behind him.”

Sabin agreed with Reissener when it came to teamwork.

“It’s such an honor to receive something as prestigious as the Bronze Star,” Sabin said. “But I never would have gotten this if it weren’t for the unit as a whole.”

A native of Wakefield, Ohio, Sabin received the Bronze Star for his heroic actions. At the start of the war in March, he was clearing mines from the estuary leading to Um Qasr, Iraq's only deepwater port. By the end of May, he was assigned to the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division to coordinate clearing mines and other explosive devices from Baghdad.

In addition to coordinating the disposal of various mines and explosives, he worked hands-on at many sites during his five months there.

According to Sabin, the city was littered with SA-2 surface-to-missiles and other explosives. While in Baghdad, there were hundreds of reports coming to the division everyday. “There were many times when we had people telling us that the Iraqi Army buried something in their backyards, in the schools or hospitals,” he said.

Thirteen Sailors from EOD-MU 6 were also recognized during the ceremony. They received the Presidential Unit Citation in recognition of work they did with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. They cleared and deactivated land mines and other explosives for American troops during the march towards Baghdad. In three weeks, the Marines destroyed nine Iraqi infantry divisions in the longest consistent land attack in Marine Corps history.

The Sailors who received the Presidential Unit Citation are Lt. Cmdr. Vincent R. Martinez; Lt. Lawrence Hall; Senior Chief Boatswain’s Mates (EOD) Todd Robinson and Antonio Diaz; Senior Chief Aviation Ordnanceman (EOD) Leo Arambula; Chief Boatswain’s Mates (EOD) Matthew S. Hansknecht, Robert R. Womble and William Bonham; Interior Communications Specialist 1st Class (EOD) Peter S. Kern; Gunner’s Mate 2nd Classes (EOD) Noah W. Bullock and Casey L. Rogers; Aviation Ordnanceman (EOD) Jeffrey V. Dickey; and Gunner’s Mate 3rd Class (EOD) Justin Van Pelt.

EOD-MU 6 is comprised of a staff component and six EOD detachments, two fly away recompression chambers and one mine scoring and recovery and three shore detachments.

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