JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas – Senior Master Sgt. Bradley Kline was a 23-year-old staff sergeant when he was asked to lead an explosive ordnance disposal team during a deployment to Iraq in 2006.
Without hesitation, he accepted. On his first day, his team cleared a clandestine homemade explosives manufacturing lab and an improvised explosive device manufacturing facility. Next, they were selected for a weeklong mission in a very hostile territory and cleared more than 20 IEDs that had been impeding an Army infantry unit’s dismounted operations.
“To this day, I think back to how their confidence in me as a leader made me feel,” he said. “Now that I’m in their position, I try to remember that I can have that type of impact on others who are ready for challenges.”
After four deployments, Bradley became an EOD technical training instructor in 2010. The rapid change of pace gave him time to finally reflect on his combat experiences.
“It hit me like a ton of bricks. I was losing more friends who continued to deploy while I was in a non-deployable position,” he said. “Thanks to some amazing leaders in the Air Force and joint EOD community, and time to process those experiences, I can say today I am a better human being.”
Today, as a senior enlisted leader in the Air Force Civil Engineer Center’s Joint EOD Technology Division at Indian Head, Maryland, Bradley helps others just as he received help throughout his career. He takes pride in teaching, mentoring and developing Airmen and attends community outreach and connection events to help members of the EOD community process their own experiences.
“Being able to learn and grow from both directions gives me a sincere sense of purpose. I do my best to help others not lose hope and always remember they do matter.”