The room fell silent as the door opened. After being apart for two months, their eyes found each other’s, as if the handful of onlookers surrounding them were nonexistent.

When U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Travis Shaw left for work the morning of Aug. 9, he couldn’t have imagined that just hours later, his combat lifesaving skills would be tested in an emergency situation most pararescue specialists don’t traditionally encounter.

The room was no more than 100 square feet, stacked nearly floor-to-ceiling with an eclectic collection of books, 35 mm cameras, metal-detector equipment and military memorabilia.