As military journalist and retired military officer staying at Bagram Air Field for a week in November 2011, I was amazed at the operations at the huge base 25 miles northwest of Afghanistan’s capital city of Kabul.
At times, the roar of jets taking off from the NATO base served as a subtle reminder of the war the United States and its partners waged against the Taliban and other antigovernment fighters. The operations at Bagram suddenly became more personal for me not only as a retired military officer but also as a small-town editor who traveled to Afghanistan to report on local soldiers.
One name, though, specifically stood out on a short introductory tour of the base.
Spec. Jason Disney
Spec. Jason Disney, who grew up in Fallon before enlisting in the U.S. Army, deployed to Afghanistan with his unit several months after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon before more military personnel arrived at Bagram. Disney was a wheeled repairer and welder with the 7th Transportation Battalion’s 58th Maintenance Company.
Disney and thousands of other military men and women knew of those dangers, but 20 years ago on Feb. 13, 2002, the 1999 Churchill County High School graduate died in a welding accident to become one of the earliest casualties of the war referred to as Operation Enduring Freedom.
Disney’s life was honored in a very unique way at Bagram before I visited in 2011. The command at BAF renamed the base’s main avenue Disney Drive in memory of the Fallon soldier. Large strategically placed signs along the two-lane road told Disney’s story. Five years after my first trip to Afghanistan, three airmen noticed the main sign introducing motorists to Disney and his legacy began falling into disrepair and was propped up against a building.
The airmen repaired the sign and built a small memorial in honor of Disney. The public affairs office at BAF sent a photojournalist to document the sign’s restoration in an unveiling ceremony attended by a few soldiers and airmen.
Sr. Airman Eric Woolstrom, a structural journeyman from Travis Air Force Base west of Sacramento, sent me information on their reconstruction.
“Although the sign was completely redone, we kept what was said intact and kept the layout similar only shifting the paragraphs to make room for the flag and picture,” he wrote in an email.
The year before the three airmen fixed the sign, the U.S. Army's Ordnance School at Ft. Lee, Va., renamed a conference room in September 2015 after Disney. He was the first ordnance soldier to die during the Global War on Terrorism, and the ceremony was held days before the recognition of 9/11.
The conference room contains several photos and other displays associated with the soldier, and Disney’s photo includes him in his full protective gear while welding. A replica is also included to show all the complete gear attached to a mannequin representing a soldier.
Sgt. Maj. Patricio Cardona was Disney’s staff sergeant and supervisor at the time.
“Spc. Jason A. Disney was an extraordinary young man,” Cardona said.” He was a very good soldier. He showed very early traits of the attitude that would take him through an entire career.”
Cardona said Disney both pursued and completed a mission and possessing an excellent work ethic by bringing his welding skill set to Bagram. Cardona also said Disney was adaptive.
“He was a critical thinker and thought outside the box for problem solving in his trade,” Cardona added.
Fellow soldiers called Disney gung-ho and honored to serve his country.
As a Gold Star mother, Karla Wade said at the ceremony she was touched by Cardona’s tribute.
Since that ceremony, other memorials have remembered the sacrifices of military service of our state’s men and women including the Battle Born Memorial in Carson City and the Gold Star Families Memorial in Sparks. The city of Fallon also recognizes Disney’s sacrifice by erecting a GWOT memorial with his name on it. Every year during the city’s 9/11 ceremony in the plaza behind City Hall, Mayor Ken Tedford reminds the guests of the scarifies performed by both civilians and the military not only on Sept. 11 but the days, months and years after.
Although Sunday was Super Bowl, the day also had special meaning for those who live in the Lahontan Valley to remember Spc. Jason Disney and honor his memory and his service.
Steve Ranson is editor emeritus of the Lahontan Valley News.
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