The Rear Adm. Draper L. Kauffman Leadership Award winner is Lt. Breandan Murtha, assigned to EOD Mobile Unit 12. The award is named after Kauffman, who established the first U.S. bomb disposal school in 1941 and is considered “The Father of Navy EOD.” The award is presented annually to one deserving EOD officer who serves in a platoon or company commander position.

“I am grateful and honored to have been considered for this award by EODMU Twelve,” said Murtha. “It is a direct representation of the ground-breaking work our EOD and UMS operators performed over the past year. Serving alongside each of those sailors has been a truly humbling experience and they deserve the recognition.”
 
Rear Adm. Joseph DiGuardo, commander of Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) and NECC Pacific, presented the award to Murtha in a ceremony, Sept. 28.
 
“Brendan represents the epitome of a leader in this community,” DiGuardo said. “His initiative, dedication and toughness embody the traits that Kauffman valued when he started this community to counter a new and emerging threat to our country, in the form of explosive ordnance.”

The Force Master Chief (FORCM) Anthony Santino Leadership Award winner is Senior Chief Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician Piotr Dlugolecki, assigned to EODMU 11. The award is named after Santino, who after 20-plus years of skillfully leading EOD sailors, was named the first force master chief for the newly formed NECC in 2006. The award is presented to one EOD chief or senior chief petty officer technician serving in an operational or training leading chief petty officer billet.


“I am honored and deeply humbled to receive the FORCE Santino award,” said Dlugolecki. “I would like to credit all the amazing leaders and mentors that have guided me throughout my career as well as the EODMU 11 team for all their support.”
 
The Cmdr. Kevin Childre Excellence Award winner is Master Chief Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician Taylor Hatcher, assigned to EODMU 1. The award is named after Cmdr. Childre who was a tenacious leader who stood for excellence in all things and dedicated his professional career to mentoring, developing, and training EOD leaders. The award is presented annually to one EOD officer or technician who follows in Childre’s example and is dedicated to mentoring, developing, and training EOD leaders.


“Receiving the Cmdr. Childre EOD Leadership Award is a true honor and a highlight in my career. I never had the pleasure of meeting Cmdr. Childre, but have heard many great stories about his legacy in the Navy EOD community,” said Hatcher, adding that receiving the award was a team effort.
“I could not have done this without the support of my family, and the dedication that the men and women of EODMU 1 put towards the mission of training our community’s great warfighters.”

Each of these peer-nominated awards recognizes quiet professionals who demonstrate excellence in leadership and embody the Navy EOD Ethos.


“The leadership and excellence displayed by LT Murtha, Master Chief Hatcher and Senior Chief Dlugolecki honors those who have worn the crab before us, sets the standard for our warriors today, and paves the way for our future force,” said Rear Adm. Joseph DiGuardo, commander of NECC and NECC Pacific. “My sincerest congratulations to them all. Well done!”
 
U.S. Navy EOD is the world's premier combat force for countering explosive hazards and conducting expeditionary diving and salvage.