#VeteranOfTheDay Air Force Veteran Timothy Weiner

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Air Force Veteran Timothy Weiner, who was an explosive ordnance disposal Technician who served in the Iraq War.

Timothy Weiner was born in 1971, in Rochester, New York and grew up in Tamarac, Florida. As a child, he enjoyed camping and fishing along with building model planes. Weiner was always interested in aircraft and talked about joining the Air Force from the age of 8. After graduating from Piper High School, Weiner enlisted in the Air Force, determined to help save people’s lives.

After completing basic training in 1990, Weiner began his career as an explosive ordnance disposal technician. He then transferred to the 775th Civil Engineer Squadron’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight, located at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. Weiner deployed to Iraq and assigned to the 447th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron. Weiner trained to safely dispose of bombs and secure supply routes. He was on a four-person team, Team Lima, which successfully executed 194 missions. Over the course of his career, Weiner disarmed 129 improvised explosive devices.

While on his second deployment to Iraq in 2007, Weiner and two members of Team Lima were working on disarming a vehicle in front of their compound, the town of Al Mahmudiyah, when a car bomb exploded. Weiner died in the explosion, two weeks prior to his redeployment. The deaths of Weiner and his fellow team members were the first causalities from Hill Air Force Base during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Weiner posthumously received a Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart at his memorial in Iraq. On Memorial Day 2008, Hill Air Force Base dedicated a memorial to Weiner and the other members of Team Lima killed in action. He is survived by his wife, Debbie, and son, Jonathan.

We honor his service.

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Contributors

Writer: Lauren Dahler

Editor: Kelly Dooley

Fact checker: Richard Aguilera

Graphic artist: Michelle Zischke