Whether he's dodging bullets or dodging punches, Dave Cook feels butterflies in his stomach.

"If you don't have butterflies in your stomach when you're preparing for a fight, there's something wrong," the young Butler middleweight boxer said.

Cook, 26, a former Air Force combat veteran, served 18 months in Iraq and Afghanistan during his four years in the service.

Now he's preparing for his second pro fight, which takes place at 2 p.m. April 27 on the undercard of the Brian Minto-Chad Van Sickle bout at Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort in Chester, W.Va.

Cook (1-0) takes on Michael Melbar (2-1) of Akron, Ohio, in a four-round bout to open the card at 2 p.m.

"I have the utmost respect for Brian Minto,"Cook said. "He's a great fighter and I feel honored to be starting off the action on that card."

Just like he felt honored to serve his country during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Cook was part of the aircraft crew on an anti-hijacking unit that flew into combat zones, dropping off food and ammunition and picking up prisoners.

"We had some rather hairy landings at times,"he said. "It was like being on roller-coaster without the track. There were times we had to drop off and pick up without the plane ever coming to a complete stop.

"You could hear the pinging sound of enemy fire off the plane as we were performing our mission. It was a sobering experience."

Cook has been involved in boxing since age 15 and had a 10-5 amateur record. He said he was able to hone his skills in the ring once he was stationed in New Mexico while still in the service.

"Boxers in the service, whether Army, Navy, Air Force or Marines, we all trained together in Colorado,"Cook said. "I saw different styles in the ring and faced different calibers of fighters.

"We didn't keep track of records, but I had a lot of fights there."

While Cook's amateur record isn't stellar, trainer Don Spinetti said his last few fights were against top-flight opponents.

"We knew he planned to turn pro and we wanted to prepare him as best we could,"Spinetti said. "We weren't worried about wins and losses."

Cook won his pro debut Feb. 29 at the Butler Days Inn, scoring a second-round TKOof Gonzalez Jones (1-10).

Melbar has not gone past the first round in any of his pro fights, stopping winless foes Kelly Prater and Robert Smart in the first round before losing by TKOto Alex Black in the opening round of his last fight.

"(Melbar) is definitely going to have some firepower, but I've been training hard and I'm ready,"Cook said. "I'm planning on going there, fighting my fight and feed off the crowd, which I think will be behind me.

"A lot of Butler people will be there for Brian and I'm hoping they'll be there for me, too."

Spinetti said fighting in front of thousands of fans in only his second pro bout won't affect Cook.

"I'd be concerned if he was 18 or 19 years old, but he's 26 and he's been through a lot,"Spinetti said. "This atmosphere isn't going to bother him.

"Dave will likely fight Johnny Lubash on the ESPNcard July 2 at Mountaineer, too. Getting this kind of exposure so early in his career is a big break for him. Doing well in front of the ESPNanalysts guys like Teddy Atlas can only benefit him."

"I'm counting my lucky stars,"Cook said. "I'm blessed with the opportunity presented me and I'm planning on taking advantage of it. You can't wait or life will pass you by.

"Stick to the plan, focus on what you're supposed to do, it all works out in the end. It was that way in Iraq and it's that way in the ring."

Notes: A charter bus is available to take fans from Butler to Mountaineer for the fights. The bus leaves Butler at 11 a.m. Fare is $20 and fight ticket is not included. Call 724-287-7088 or 724-283-8473 for reservations. ... Fight tickets are available at Institute Hill Pharmacy in Butler.