A qualification badge like a EOD badge ranks higher than Bronze Star for Meritorious Service? I can't find it now,but I could swear I saw of photo of him in his dress whites with a BS/MS medal hanging off his dress whites.
Take into consideration that I know absolutely nothing about how the USN rates these things.
I do too,and generally speaking,there is no one more patriotic about being an American that a first generation American whose family fled a communist country.
Campaign website with links to op eds and statements on issues at the bottom of the page:
https://www.hungforva.com/
He looks good. We'll see.
I can't vote for him regardless of how good he looks politically,but DO hope we don't find out he is a poser.
It is a specialty thing. At that level, Naval EOD are also qualified closed circuit divers.
Like Naval surface warfare gets a ship splitting the waves, submariners get dolphins and a sub, aviators get wings, UDT and SEALs get a Trident. It just tells other navy folks what you are specialized in, just like the CIB goes on top for infantry.
If he was serving on the ground, chances are that is only a part of what he is/was qualified to do.
If you are so inclined, there is a good article on Navy Badges here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badges_of_the_United_States_NavyScroll down to find the EOD one.