[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 11575]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    RECOGNIZING MASTER SERGEANT VANDIVER K. HOOD ON THE OCCASION OF 
                  RECEIVING A THIRD BRONZE STAR MEDAL

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. G. K. BUTTERFIELD

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 23, 2010

  Mr. BUTTERFIELD. Madam Speaker, I rise to congratulate MSgt Vandiver 
``Van'' Hood of the 4th Civil Engineer Squadron, 4th Explosive Ordnance 
Disposal Flight at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, North 
Carolina, on receiving his third Bronze Star. Master Sergeant Hood's 
actions while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom saved the lives of his 
fellow servicemen and provided invaluable intelligence toward ending 
the ongoing global war on terror.
  Master Sergeant Van Hood was born in Winston Salem, North Carolina on 
November 19, 1973. He was an extremely active young man. He 
participated competitively in soccer and swimming, leading him to 
varsity letters all 4 years of high school. Master Sergeant Hood 
graduated from Page High School in Greensboro in 1992 and joined the 
United States Air Force less than 2 years later on April 26, 1994.
  Master Sergeant Hood was first stationed at Cannon Air Force Base in 
New Mexico. While there, he excelled, and won the First Sergeants 
Association's Diamond Sharp Award, was named the Master Blaster of the 
Year, and in 1997, was selected as Cannon Air Force Base's Airman of 
the Year. Master Sergeant Hood served at Cannon Air Force Base for over 
4 years before being assigned to Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
  After arriving at Ramstein Air Base in June 1999, then-Sergeant Hood 
was promoted to staff sergeant. He conducted explosive ordnance 
disposal testing on large caliber munitions as part of the U.S. Air 
Forces in Europe's, USAFE's, Projectile Attack Trials, yielding 
beneficial data for U.S. military efforts. While at Ramstein Air Base, 
Master Sergeant Hood won the USAFE Major General Eugene A. Lupia 
Military Technician of the Year award. Further, the unit he led 
received three ``excellent'' ratings on nuclear surety inspections. 
Following his 4 years at Ramstein Air Base, Master Sergeant Hood was 
stationed to Fort Dix, New Jersey, to work at the Air Mobility Warfare 
Center.
  After arriving at Fort Dix, Master Sergeant Hood completed degrees in 
Explosive Ordnance Disposal and in Technology and Military Science. The 
latter afforded Master Sergeant Hood the opportunity to teach new 
airmen and prepare them for the rigors of the military.
  Twice deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, during 
his first tour, Master Sergeant Hood safely destroyed and recovered 164 
improvised explosive devices, IEDs, unexploded ordnances, and weapons 
caches. Master Sergeant Hood led five separate missions where his team 
encountered enemy fire. On one such mission, he and his team were 
targeted with a rocket-propelled grenade, RPG. The RPG missed Master 
Sergeant Hood by less than 5 feet, but unfortunately struck a vehicle 
and injured a member of the Army's Quick Reaction Force. Master 
Sergeant Hood administered immediate medical care to the injured 
soldier and after support arrived, Master Sergeant Hood completed his 
initial mission. For this and other heroic efforts, Master Sergeant 
Hood received his first Bronze Star Medal.
  Master Sergeant Hood was redeployed to Iraq as a Weapons Intelligence 
Team Leader in 2007. While there, he and his team successfully 
completed over 90 combat missions including 80 IED responses, recovery 
of several weapons caches, and serving in four named missions. One of 
those missions found Master Sergeant Hood and his team in danger of a 
radio-controlled IED. Through his quick thinking, Master Sergeant Hood 
immediately cleared the engagement zone from first responders and local 
citizens. He and his team were successful at rendering the IED safe, 
protecting local residents, first responders, and American warfighters. 
Master Sergeant Hood also designed a comprehensive curriculum on proper 
sensitive sight exploitation and conducted over 10 hours of training 
for the Iraqi Army Bomb Disposal Unit. His actions during his second 
deployment earned him his second Bronze Star Medal.
  When Master Sergeant Hood returned to the United States, he received 
a promotion to the rank of Technical Sergeant. After nearly five years 
at Fort Dix, Master Sergeant Hood was stationed at Seymour Johnson Air 
Force Base in Goldsboro, North Carolina.
  Master Sergeant Hood was at Seymour Johnson for less than a year when 
he deployed to Wardak Province, Afghanistan, to serve as leader for an 
Explosive Ordnance Disposal team. His third deployment to the region, 
Master Sergeant Hood again put himself in harm's way, saving the lives 
of his team and others. While on counter-IED operations, Master 
Sergeant Hood identified a hidden IED in rough terrain. Unable to 
remotely inspect the IED, he approached the device in a bomb suit and 
successfully disabled the hazard. Master Sergeant Hood and his team 
were responsible for an area over 6,000 square miles. He was 
instrumental in safely resolving over 150 emergency response missions 
including 75 IED incidents as well as 16 weapons caches. For his 
outstanding and distinguished service, Master Sergeant Hood received 
his third Bronze Star Medal. When he returned from Afghanistan, then-
Technical Sergeant Hood was promoted into the senior noncommissioned 
officer ranks as a master sergeant.
  Madam Speaker, I am honored to share MSgt Vandiver Hood's story. He 
has bravely and selflessly served the United States for over 16 years. 
I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Master Sergeant Hood 
for having received three Bronze Star Medals. I also ask my colleagues 
to join me in thanking Master Sergeant Hood for his meritorious service 
to the United States.

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