HOMESTEAD AIR RESERVE BASE, FL. -- Tech. Sgt. Greg Freeman, 482nd Civil Engineer Squadron explosive ordnance disposal technician, returned to hugs and kisses from his family, greetings from comrades, and a large ovation from passersby in Miami International Airport on Jan. 10 after a six-month deployment to Afghanistan.

Sergeant Freeman served on the front lines with U.S. and Polish soldiers from forward operating bases in central Afghanistan and executed 58 combat missions with life-saving consequences for the military and Afghani civilians.

"I was there to protect U.S. and Coalition forces," Sergeant Freeman said. "What I did saved lives, and I feel like I made a difference."

While on his first deployment, the lifelong City of Sarasota resident served on a team who provided a wide spectrum of capability to ground forces. They "rendered safe" improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and unexploded ordnance; cleared and disposed of munitions from weapons caches; and performed counter-IED and post-blast missions to gather intelligence.

The first four months of the deployment were spent rolling out in Joint EOD Rapid Response Vehicles on quick response teams with the Army where his skills were regularly put to the test.

"We had a particularly busy eight-day stretch when we executed 11 different missions," Sergeant Freeman said. "We were going non-stop."

One particularly memorable mission was a three-day "fly-away" mission with the Army on a Chinook helicopter to retake a remote village overrun by Taliban forces. Sergeant Freeman and his team traveled with the Army to handle unexploded ordnance or potential traps set by enemy forces. Before arrival at the village, the Taliban fled when realizing a response force was on its way and left a heap of unexploded ordnance and munitions in their wake. There, Sergeant Freeman and his team rid the village of an abundance of unexploded ordnance and munitions, he said.

Subsequently, the last two months of his combat tour were spent embedded with the Polish Army where he overcame communication barriers to accomplish the mission and managed to enhance the experience level of his Polish comrades.

"We worked closely with their engineers who were trained in handling munitions," he said. "And we were able to really help them improve their processes."

Seeing the deadly aftermath of roadside bombs fuels his passion for his dangerous but vital line of work.

"I love my job," he said. "I would have stayed another six months if possible."