433 Airlift Wing
7/29/2013 - JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-Lackland -- The final regular season game for the Arena Football League's San Antonio Talons was supposed to be about thanking the fans on Fan Appreciation night, but instead it was Bronze Star recipient, Master Sgt. Robert Mott, who stole the show.
Mott, an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Program Manager at the 433rd Civil Engineering Squadron, was honored during the game in the San Antonio Alamodome, when his story of bravery was read to more than 9,000 in attendance.
"This is an incredible experience," Mott said after the ceremony during a timeout in the game.
As a television camera beamed his image to big screens throughout the dome, and the American flag held up behind him, the EOD technician stood at parade rest.
While his team was going through the wreckage, he discovered a hidden room in the foundation of the building. Under the incessant threat of booby traps, Master Sgt. Mott spent the next five hours searching the cramped and dusty hole, and at one point in the recovery, he encountered a fully operational Improvised Explosive Device and disabled it by hand.
"The Arena Football League honors our men and women because they are serving our great country," Arena Football League Commissioner Jerry Kurz, himself a veteran, said via email.
With the crowd on their feet and the benches of both teams applauding, Mott was given a handshake and a game ball by Commissioner Kurz.
"Without their service, we could not exist as we have and will continue to do, due to their service, dedication and sacrifice," Kurz said.
"I have never been to one of these games before. It was one heck of a way to get introduced to the sport," Mott said. "It's been a lot of fun."
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