JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
It only takes a moment to change a life forever.
For Tech. Sgt. Christopher Ferrell that moment occurred in 2009, when the explosive ordnance disposal technician, was conducting a direct action operation in Sangin, Afghanistan.
The operation was part of a blackout mission to kill or capture a top-tier improvised explosive device facilitator. The mission was a six kilometer movement conducted with night-vision goggles so the team's presence remained undetected. It was deemed a high-risk mission due to the heavy saturation of IEDs in the area. Ferrell, then a staff sergeant, was serving as the team leader. After clearing four areas with another EOD team the Airmen regrouped to create a plan of attack for the next area.
"After gaining entry to the compound we began a staggered sweep of the area with our mine detectors," said Ferrell, a native of Bossier City, Louisiana. "At approximately 2 a.m., Dec. 15, 2009, one of my teammates, Tech. Sgt. Tony Campbell, stepped on an estimated 20-30 pound IED. I was about 5 feet away from Campbell when the detonation occurred. He died within moments."
The blast hurled Ferrell and Staff Sgt. Derrick Victor, another teammate, nearly 15 feet away into a wall. It also injured Tech. Sgt. Tom Pilla, the other EOD team's lead.
"I remember a large amount of haze and a complete silence with the exception of severe ringing in my ears," Ferrell said. "After the blast occurred, the only thing I could think about doing was getting to Campbell and Pilla."
The explosion caused severe lacerations to Pilla's arm and the backside of his body.
"I don't remember a lot from the evening, but apparently I cleared a casualty collection point before three of us were medically evacuated to Camp Bastion Hospital," Ferrell said.
Two weeks after the explosion Ferrell returned to combat duty, though his life was changed forever. He was left with invisible battle wounds. He is still being treated for traumatic brain injury, wears a hearing aid in his left ear, and suffers from migraines.
Despite these injuries Ferrell remains committed to serving his country.
"I'm driven because the men and women who stand next to me and are willing to keep fighting knowing the risks we face," he said. "Tom Pilla once told me that what we do here sets the paths for the next generation. How we carry ourselves speaks volumes of our character, and how our actions will determine how we are remembered. I hold his words close still to this day. Life can change in an instant, and will cause a ripple effect that will be felt, not only in your life, but in those around you as well. It is our responsibility, our charge, to save lives. It gives everyone else another shot at getting home to their families, even if that means we sacrifice the chance to get back to see ours."
In 2010, Ferrell received a Bronze Star Medal from U.S. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, for his actions during the deployment. He also received an Air Force Commendation Medal with Valor for his actions Dec. 15, 2009.
"EOD technicians, pride ourselves in being the humble and quiet professionals," said Maj. Mark Fogle, who was Ferrell's commander at the 366th Training Squadron/Detachment 3, commander at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. "As a whole, we don't seek accolades or make sure our actions are witnessed by others for the purpose of recognition. We see ourselves as a simple group of volunteers who love what we do and love our EOD family ... that, and we like to blow stuff up."
Nearly five years after the blast Fogle, a prior enlisted EOD technician who strives to share the story of those in the career field, presented a Purple Heart Medal to Ferrell.
"Today's ceremony speaks of just one of those stories," he said. "It's a story of being faced by our own mortality, of losing a brother, of perseverance, of having to push through that seemingly insurmountable moment when most people would freeze in fear ... and, it's a story of selfless and courageous acts by one man, to put the safety of everyone else before his own and to complete the mission at hand."
The presentation left Ferrell with mixed emotions.
"We lost a great man that evening and our lives are forever changed," he said. "Campbell sacrificed his life and not a day goes by that I don't think about him, Victor, or Pilla. It is a day cemented in my memory forever. The presentation of the Purple Heart serves as a reminder to me of the events of that evening and all the sacrifices made by my teammates ... my friends ..."