Nearly 14 years ago, when Disney told an Air Force recruiter he had dreams of becoming a cross between a doctor and a Navy SEAL, the recruiter sent him to the back of the office to a stack of dusty pararescue pamphlets.“He said, ‘I think I have exactly what you're looking for, but don't get your hopes up, kid. No one I've sent has made the cut, and you probably won't, either,’â€Â Disney recalled. "That's all I needed to hear and I was hooked," Disney added. "Once I dusted off that flyer and saw a dark-haired, handsome-looking, Italian guy in a maroon beret on the cover, I read through it. I immediately knew it was something I wanted to do. I didn't stop talking about it all summer until I left for basic training." Of the 86 students in his course, only six had what it took to graduate as a pararescue jumper: Disney was one of the six. That was the first of many challenges he has met. "I walked into the 38th Rescue Squadron, brand new, two stripes on my arm, and this big, tall, muscular guy walked in, and I recognized him immediately as being the guy from the pamphlet," Disney said. "He said to me in a New York accent, 'Is that Bobby Disney? I hear you're a real goofy guy,' and kind of chuckled to himself for his Disney joke. That's how I met Mike [Maltz]. He was the best." That was Disney's first encounter with the man who eventually would become his mentor and affect his career in more ways than one. Disney is the 347th Rescue Group's standards and evaluations superintendent, but he’s also known in the rescue community here as the "Black Cloud," a nickname he got from fellow PJs after what he called the "series of the unfortunate three" incidents. Rewind to August 2002. In the mountains of Afghanistan, then-staff sergeant Disney was on his second real-world rescue, a mission to pick up two men who had been involved in a firefight and transport them to a tiny post in the middle of nowhere. Since they were at such a high altitude, Disney said, the helicopter had to do a marginal power takeoff. But the crew was asking for more than the helicopter’s engines could handle, as the craft couldn’t gain enough altitude or airspeed to avoid a "brownout" -- decreased visibility resulting from a dust cloud. Disney recalled that he was sitting in the left-side door and began to see the ground racing toward them. "It felt like we were coming down, and fast," he said, "so I determined it'd be best if I wasn't sitting in the doorway if we did impact the ground. I moved inside the helicopter, then I heard the left gunner yelling 'Stop left, stop left!' About that time, I felt a really hard impact. "Somehow, I don't know how, … I wasn't in that door when it slammed shut. Angels on my shoulder, right?" he added, referring to the pararescue patch, which features an angel that signifies the help PJs provide from above. "The rotors were chewing into the ground, and there were no blades on it anymore," Disney said. "The engines [were on] full power, and it was just getting louder and louder, higher-pitched and higher-pitched, and I'm just laying there with everything on me, and it's very, very calm [and] serene. It wasn't a struggle to get out. There wasn't anything I could do. It was just laying there until all the violent motion stopped. Knowing what might have been coming was the worst part." Finally, the pilots shut down the engines, and Disney said he recalls everything going deathly quiet until the helicopter's team leader snapped everyone back to reality by yelling out, "Sound off by crew position." Once the crew sounded off, the team lead yelled "Get out." Disney said he thought he'd already survived the worst, and he re-enlisted seven days later. Six weeks later, on a different aircraft and in a different country, Disney witnessed an event that rocked him to the core. "We starting hearing radio chatter of a boy and girl who fell down a hill," he said. "We started referring to this rescue as ‘Jack and Jill.’ In a C-130 Hercules, we launched out of Uzbekistan, and two helicopters launched out Afghanistan. It was one of the darkest nights I've ever seen through night vision goggles -- dark as can be. … [We] could barely see the ground. We refueled both helicopters by colored light signals because of how dark it was." As he watched through the C-130’s side window, Disney said, he could see the ground through his night-vision goggles, then he would lose it again as if the aircraft was punching in and out of clouds, even 400 feet above the ground. Then, he said, he felt a familiar tug when the second helicopter disconnected from the refueling hose. "Not five seconds later, I saw a bright flash of light that flooded out my [night-vision goggles]," he said. "Then, all I heard was a blood-curdling screaming coming from the loadmaster. It looked like an explosion. It lit up the whole countryside. I thought someone had been hit by a surface-to-air missile, and we were next. Then I heard, 'Helicopter crash, 7 o'clock.'" The wheels in the veteran PJ's head began turning. Knowing they were at 400 feet and were configured to jump, Disney said, he was ready. The combat rescue officer aboard the C-130 made the decision not to jump until they knew more, because the second helicopter’s crew already had found three of the six crash victims. Because the area was unknown and hostile, the crew was recalled to home base, and Disney had to leave the crash site against his will. "When I got back on the ground, I got the word on the guys who were on the bird," Disney said. "One of them was Mike Maltz. I can't tell you how I will always feel about that night. I mean, the Airmen's Creed says 'I will never leave airman behind,’ … and we had to leave guys behind on the ground that night. Everything in me wishes I could have jumped in, [that] I could have done something. "It was like losing a father -- losing a mentor and losing a friend all at the same time," a choked-up Disney continued. "It was one of the hardest moments. It was hard." A few months after losing the iconic figure who graced the cover of his recruiting pamphlet, Disney was back in the mix. He was about to stumble upon the last event in “the unfortunate three.â€Â "It was April 18, Good Friday," Disney said. "I know the date, because I had been practicing to play my guitar at the Easter Sunday service. We were going on a training mission or exercise. It was about a 45-minute flight to get where we were going. When the pilots said, ‘It's out there,’ I looked out and saw what looked like people." By the time they were committed to land, the people were gone, Disney said. Then he heard two sounds, the second confirming they were taking gunfire from at least four people. "I racked my weapon,â€Â he said. “As I moved to sit down, I brought my weapon up, and I can see flashes now coming out the back now, and [with] one of those flashes there was a weird disturbance of air. "Then came a sensation of two things at the same time. It was like someone swung a baseball bat in my face and the other was a shockwave that rippled through my whole body." Defending the helicopter and killing the people who were shooting at them was his only thought at the time, Disney said. "I looked over at the guy across from me and yelled 'I'm shot! I'm hit!' and then I moved into a position to return fire. He yells, 'Shoot back, shoot back, shoot back,'" Disney said. Within seconds of the helicopter touching down, three people were wounded. Through the barrage of gunfire and with a gunshot wound to right side of his cheek, Disney returned fire. By the time the crew left the scene, only 30 seconds had passed since initial contact. All the crew members survived and returned to base to seek medical care. When he returned to Moody Air Force Base after his deployment, the Purple Heart recipient said, he could focus on getting back to normal and performing with his guitar in clubs around Valdosta. Two years later, the only thing that was missing in his life was a little romance, Disney said. He met a local girl named Tess, and they soon fell in love, he added, but the Air Force had other plans, sending the master sergeant to the Royal Air Force base at Mildenhall, England. Knowing that Tess was the one, Disney said, he proposed. "I asked Tess to marry me on Christmas Day over the phone," he said. "I sent her a ring in the mail. The company sent her both of the rings at the same time, and she opened the wedding band first and was like 'Awww.'" Tess Disney laughed and said, "It was messed up," as she continued the story. "This is a wedding band, this isn't an engagement ring. … I was like, ‘Wait a minute, that's for later on." Now nearly six years later and back at Moody, the Disneys are living happily with two horses and three dogs. Tess said she has learned to live with her husband's many deployments and knowing that his nickname is Black Cloud. "I'm a strong wife and I have strong faith,â€Â she said. “Worrying isn't going to help anything.â€Â She tells people with a laugh that she imagines Robert is off staying at a resort. "I know he has someone watching out for him,â€Â she said. “He's been through all that already. He's here for a reason." After all that has happened in his life, Disney still has one ongoing challenge to face, and that is living up to his name, he said. "Someone I looked up to once said to me, "When people meet you, you're either going to be one of two things," Disney said. "You're either going to be a big disappointment -- a dirtbag who got shot in the face -- or you're actually going to be ‘that guy,’ the one people can look up to." These words changed his life, Disney said. Since then, he added, he hasn't stopped saying, "Challenge accepted." March 7, 2011: By Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrea Thacker- 23rd Wing

Navy Seaman Matthew A. Dishmon, a corpsman with 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, received the Bronze Star medal with combat distinguishing device during a Feb. 25 ceremony here. Dishmon was honored for saving the life of a Marine last year during combat in Marjah, Afghanistan.“I couldn’t believe all those people were there and I didn’t know [until now] how big of a deal it really was,â€Â Dishmon said about his award ceremony. “I felt like I was just doing my job.â€Â Dishmon’s unit was ambushed while on patrol. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Matthew T. Earle, an assault gunner, was shot before he could seek cover. Dishmon exposed himself to enemy machine gun fire to move Earle away from danger and treat his wounds. “Earle and I were in the back of the patrol,â€Â Dishmon recalled. “Earle didn’t make it across before he got hit in the middle of the road. “It was dark and you could see machine-gun tracers fly by,â€Â he continued. “I yelled to the guys [to let them know] Earle was hit, but they couldn’t hear over our machine gun, so I ran out in the road and I grabbed him.â€Â After removing Earle’s protective gear, Dishmon assessed the wounded Marine and provided medical treatment. Although extremely grateful for Dishmon’s efforts, Earle has trouble recalling anything from the incident. But his fellow Marines remember clearly how the man they know as “Docâ€Â saved Earle’s life. “If it wasn’t for Doc that night, Earle would not be here,â€Â Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Chris W. Ducharme said. “It’s essential to have a good corpsman,â€Â Marine Corps Cpl. Evan S. Rinkenberg pointed out, “especially in a place like Marjah where we were getting into firefights every day. Dishmon would be there for anybody if they needed him.â€Â Dishmon has basic advice for Navy corpsmen expecting to join Marines in combat for the first time. “Remember the basics, and don’t lose your cool,â€Â he said. The Bronze Star is awarded to individuals who distinguish themselves by heroic or meritorious achievement or service while engaged in action against an enemy of the United States. When awarded for valor, it is the fourth highest award in the U.S. armed services. March 4, 2011: By Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Walter D. Marino II- 2nd Marine Division

Miller deployed here from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. Initially, he served here as the team chief for the Air Component Coordination Element-Iraq public affairs team.The senior Air Force noncommissioned officer said the changing mission in Iraq had him a little concerned regarding whether or not there would be enough public affairs work to do. "I was worried that things had become so quiet in Iraq there would not be much of a PA mission," Miller said. "In fact, there was an amazing amount of PA work to be done." Then, Miller received another opportunity during his deployment. He would also serve as the Iraq Training and Advisory Mission-Air Force PA mentor and be the ground breaker to formalize the Iraqi air force’s public affairs advisory program. Miller went full-afterburner with both jobs. "Once I found out I would be serving as an adviser, I knew it would be a great chance to assist another PA team, and strengthen the partnership between the U.S. and Iraq," Miller said. "But I also knew I needed to determine the priorities of the Iraqis for their PA program before I could help them.” The key challenge at that time was deciding where to start, Miller said. "This was quickly resolved once I met with the Iraqi air force chief of public affairs and we discussed what he wanted to gain for his team,” he said. “From there, we moved forward rapidly." Miller worked directly with the Iraqi public affairs team, quickly overcoming language and cultural barriers. After discerning the Iraqi chief's goals, he developed a plan to achieve them. Rapport with the Iraqi team improved throughout his deployment, Miller said, along with the professional accomplishments of the Iraqis. The Iraqi airmen supported the U.S. Forces-Iraq change of command and transition to Operation New Dawn, he said, assisting with the escort and interviews of more than 150 members of the news media at the event ceremony. "This was not merely an advise and train relationship, but a partnership between Iraqi and American military public affairs professionals," Miller said. "Uniting both the U.S. and Iraqi air force PA teams established a trusting partnership and enduring friendship." A highlight from this partnership was the dual Iraqi and U.S. coverage that resulted from the successful Iraqi AC-208 Cessna aircraft Hellfire missile shot. The Iraqi PA team created a professional video news release that the Ministry of Defense PA team released to regional news media. The ACCE-I PA team produced its coverage around the high-quality Iraqi aerial video. Miller said both teams routinely shared video and still photography in a mutually-supportive manner, and joint mission planning leveraged the skills and manpower of both teams. As the relationship developed, he said, the Iraqi PA team members went to great lengths to share their culture with their American partners, introducing local foods and teaching Arabic. Miller said he and his U.S. team reciprocated by bringing the Iraqis to United Service Organizations events and inviting the Iraqi airmen to share meals. "I was surprised at how much they enjoyed one of the country western bands that performed," Miller said. "We always had a great time. Everything we did together really helped us grow as a team." March 3, 2011: By Air Force Senior Airman Andrew Lee- 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force Iraq  Redistributed by www.SupportOurTroops.org

Buttner, a 34-year-old crew chief in Company C, Task Force Phoenix, began the process of obtaining his citizenship after arriving here in September. Originally from Fulda, Germany, Buttner deployed to Afghanistan prepared with all of the paperwork he would need to begin his naturalization packet. He acknowledged he was anxious about the process even though he had been extremely thorough. “I was nervous and excited -- nervous that I was missing any documents, [and] excited that I was on track for citizenship,â€Â he said. Buttner mailed the completed packet back to the United States to begin the review process, and naturalization authorities began his background check. Four months after submitting his naturalization packet, Buttner and his escort, Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Allan Mace of Sacramento, Calif., flew to Kandahar to finish the immigration process, which included completing an interview. “The interview took about one and a half hours, and I was very nervous, because the decision for citizenship approval or disapproval is made right then and there,â€Â Buttner said. “Of course, the thought of missing any paperwork or supporting documents was on my mind.â€Â Prior to his interview, Buttner was required to study 100 questions for an exam that covered American history and government. He passed with flying colors. Mace, who has known Buttner for more than four years, said Buttner sacrificed and invested himself in the United States. “It is people like him who tell the world that with hard work, diligence, dedication and love for a nation that the United States continues to be a country of opportunity and compassion,â€Â Mace said. Buttner recommends that soldiers who want to become U.S. citizens take advantage of the support the military offers. “I am extremely proud to be a citizen and to continue to fight alongside my fellow citizens for the stabilization of Afghanistan and to ensure the freedom and liberty of all back home,â€Â he said. March 2, 2011: By Army Sgt. Amanda Jo Brown- Task Force Phoenix