Reservist Awarded Bronze Star

TSgt. Stephen Kaufman, an explosive ordnance disposal flight team leader with Air Force Reserve Command’s 512th Airlift Wing at Dover AFB, Del., has received a Bronze Star medal for meritorious service while deployed to Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, from September 2009 to March 2010. Kaufman assisted with the destruction of 108 unexploded ordnance items and helped clear almost 7,000 miles of roadway during his tour. During one patrol, an improvised explosive device killed his friend, a British Royal Marine. Although devastated by the loss, Kauffman ensured his own three-man team was okay and then searched the area for more explosives, helping to clear the way for a helicopter to extract his friend. “When you watch your best friend get blown up . . . you just make sure the job gets done so nobody else dies,” said Kauffman. (Dover report by Capt. Marnee A.C. Losurdo)