EOD Airman featured in Portraits Published Nov. 5, 2008 By Staff Sgt. Nestor Cruz 18th Wing Public Affairs KADENA AIR BASE, Japan -- A senior NCO from the 18th Civil Engineer Squadron is one of 16 Airmen featured in the latest volume of Portraits in Courage, an Air Force Chief of Staff program designed to recognize Airmen for combat-related actions. Imagine a day when improvised explosive devices threaten the lives of your people while enemy fire zips past you, barely missing your life by inches. For some people, this is potentially the worst situation one can be in. But for Master Sgt. Douglas Moore, 18th CES superintendent of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal flight, it was just a Thursday. The EOD superintendent's Portraits in Courage story recounts an ambush incident in Iraq. While on a deployment to Iraq, Sergeant Moore and his EOD team were traveling in a convoy with an Army Quick Reaction Force on January 11, 2007. Their mission that day was to respond to an IED incident. "We had gone out on an IED call with one of my guys running the team and I was his number two guy," Sergeant Moore recalls. "We were doing remote actions, trying to take care of an IED along one of the routes in Iraq when he had to put on a bomb suit and head down on-site." The IED detonated across the road from Sergeant Moore's team leader at the same time the convoy was ambushed by insurgents. "We were getting shot at with rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire," said Sergeant Moore. "The Army platoon sergeant we were with was controlling the back half of the convoy and redirecting fire. He gave me the helm up front to deal with actions at the front half of our convoy." Sergeant Moore said he is honored to be recognized in Portraits in Courage, but feels there are those more deserving than he. "I'm really humbled by this recognition, but I don't think I'm any more deserving than anyone else," said Sergeant Moore. "I didn't do anything different than someone else in my position would have done. There are Logistics Readiness Squadron Airmen and Security Forces Airmen doing the same thing every day. We've got so many Airmen from different career fields getting called up and doing things there that are not traditionally their job such as vehicle maintainers riding in gun turrets and protecting convoys." Although Sergeant Moore feels unworthy of any recognition, he recognizes the importance of recognition programs like Portraits in Courage. "I think [recognition programs] are important, because everything people hear coming from Iraq and Afghanistan is negative," the EOD superintendent said. "People hear about injuries and death or issues with the prisons ... all the bad stuff tend to take hold, so people don't really focus on the positive such as the schools we're building or the people we've helped medically. Those stories can be told through Portraits in Courage and it's really good for the American public to hear about those good things we do. It helps reinforce the public view of our military." Sergeant Moore's leadership is very pleased to see their senior NCO in Portraits in Courage. "It's more than just recognizing Sergeant Moore, but about recognizing the entire team he worked with while in Iraq," said Lt. Col. Michael Mendoza, 18th CES commander. "Recognition like this proves the people in our squadron, from our Airmen to our senior NCOs, have so much heart and passion in their jobs. They are always giving their very best in any scenario whether here at home station or deployed and they always do whatever it takes to get the job done." As Sergeant Moore continues to perform his daily duties to the best of his ability, he reminds his fellow Shoguns to accept any pre-deployment training with enthusiasm. "Everybody out there at deployed locations filling in taskings can be put in any situation at any given time," said Sergeant Moore. "We have to be ready at all times. Don't grumble or complain if you have to go to pre-deployment training ... take advantage of it. You never know when you're going to need the training you receive because your life and the lives of others might depend on it."