Forum: F-16 News

Please guys, show a little respect here.

1. No video has surfaced showing Maj. Gilbert from the "insurgent" side.

Balad remembers pilot, Tuskegee Airman

By Master Sgt. Kirk Clear, 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

Airmen and Soldiers from Balad Air Base and Logistics Support Area Anaconda paused Sunday to pay tribute to one of their own in a memorial service at Town Hall.

Major Troy “Trojan” Gilbert was killed Nov. 27 when the F-16 he was piloting crashed approximately 30 miles southwest of Balad.

Major Gilbert was the standardization and evaluation chief for the 332nd Expeditionary Operations Group. He was deployed from the 309th Fighter Squadron, Luke Air Force Base, Ariz.

Major Gilbert was flying a Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., F-16CG aircraft belonging to the 524th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron.

“Trojan flew with us as an attached pilot,” Lt. Col. Dave Walker, 524th EFS commander remarked at the memorial service. “But he was instantly accepted as a brother — he was a Hound.”

On his last sortie, Major Gilbert was providing close-air support for ground troops caught in a combat engagement. According to Colonel Walker, the Soldiers in that firefight told him that Major Gilbert definitely saved their lives.

Colonel Walker talked about Major Gilbert’s passion for duty and country by saying there are countless Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines still with us because of the dedication he gave.

Brigadier Gen. Robin Rand, 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing commander, knew Major Gilbert well. The major served as the general’s executive officer while they were both at Luke AFB. “In my entire Air Force career, I have not served with a more loyal or professional officer,” said General Rand.

The general also mentioned that the Air Force Theater Hospital here was naming a room after Major Gilbert because of the amount of time he spent volunteering there.

Lieutenant Col. Robert Webb, 332nd Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron commander, shared some personal thoughts of Major Gilbert. “You knew right away that he was a man that had his priorities in order,” he said, remarking that his wife and five children were the cornerstones of his life.

Colonel Webb also shared a personal story. “I will never forget the morning back in September after Trojan had single-handedly destroyed an enemy truck with an expertly placed laser-guided bomb,” recalled the colonel. “I could see right away it had been a tricky shot … Trojan made it look easy. Who knows what acts of evil Troy had averted by his actions?”

Besides being a man dedicated to his family and country, Major Gilbert was a man of God. The memorial service was held at the same time and place where he would have been for chapel service that Sunday morning.

“He (God) does not always step in to protect and shield the soldier in battle, the warrior in combat, the pilot in flight, but he does promise to never abandon us,” said Chaplain (Capt.) Randy Croft, 332nd AEW chaplain. “This promise helps explain why many soldiers do not shrink back from danger or death. The eyes of faith see beyond the destiny of death.

“We see the promises of God and trust in his providence,” said Chaplain Croft. “We look to the future with confidence that Trojan is in good hands.”

MEMORIAL SERVICE SET FOR MONDAY

Friday, December 08, 2006

A military service with full honors has been organized for the former Sheppard pilot killed in a crash in Iraq. Graveside services for Major Troy Gilbert will be next Monday at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. A squadron from Major Gilbert`s Air Force Base in Arizona will conduct a flyover during the service. Gilbert was killed November 27th while providing support for ground troops near baghdad. His parents live in Wichita Falls and Gilbert recieved his pilot training at Sheppard.

Current news link:
http://www.kfdx.com/news/default.asp?mo ... s&id=13408

Officers with ties to Clovis to be buried this week

CLOVIS, N.M. Two U-S Air Force officers with ties to Clovis are to be buried this week at the Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
Major Troy L. Gilbert died November 27th when the F-16 he was piloting crashed in Iraq. The F-16 was from Cannon Air Force Base.
Services for Gilbert, whose wife is a Clovis native, are scheduled for 3 o'clock tomorrow afternoon.
Captain Kermit O. Evans died last Wednesday when the helicopter he was riding in made an emergency water landing near a lake shore in Iraq.
Evans was the head of Cannon's bomb squad. Services for Evans are set for 9 a-m Tuesday.

Current news link:
http://www.newschannel10.com/global/story.asp?s=5795061

Air Force Burials

12.11.06

The Military will bury two pilots this week, both killed in Iraq with ties to Cannon Air Force Base.
Services for Major Troy Gilbert will take place today at the Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.
The 34 year old pilot died two weeks ago when his F-16 crashed while supporting ground troops.
And on Tuesday, a service for Air Force Officer Kermit Evans.
The 31 year old Cannon Air Force Base Captain died a week ago in Iraq when the helicopter he flew in went down.
His funeral will also take place in Washington, D.C.

Current news link:
http://www.newschannel10.com/global/story.asp?s=5797388

Air Force officers' burials this week

CNJ staff

Created on: December 10, 2006 - 12:34AM

Military burials for two U.S. Air Force officers with ties to Clovis who were killed in Iraq will be held this week at Arlington National Cemetery, Washington, D.C.
Services for Maj. Troy L. Gilbert are scheduled for 3 p.m. on Monday. The funeral for Capt. Kermit O. Evans will be held at 9 a.m. on Tuesday.
Gilbert, 34, died Nov. 27 when the F-16 he was piloting crashed in Iraq.
Gilbert’s wife, Ginger, is a Clovis native.
According to military officials, he was supporting troops fighting about 20 miles northwest of Baghdad.
Evans, 31, was killed Dec. 3 when the U.S. Marine Corps CH-46 helicopter in which he was riding made an emergency water landing near the shore of Lake Qadisiyah in western Al Anbar Province, Iraq.
Evans was a U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Explosive Ordnance flight commander assigned to Cannon and deployed to the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing at Balad Air Base, Iraq, officials said.
He was assigned as an operations officer for the Detachment 5 weapons inspection flight at Camp Victory, Baghdad.

Current story link:
http://cnjonline.com/engine.pl?station= ... l&id=27135

Hometown Heroes Laid to Rest

12/11/2006 CLOVIS -- Two hometown heroes will be laid to rest as their families wish their final farewells. The two soldiers from Clovis will be buried in Washington D.C.
One of them is Major Troy Gilbert. His service was held today at the Arlington National Cemetery. Gilbert`s F-16 plane crashed in Iraq on November 27th.
Tommorow services for Captain Kermit Evans, also of Clovis, will be held at the cemetery.

Current news link:
http://www.kamr.com/news/default.asp?mo ... ws&id=2311

A squadron from Major Gilbert`s Air Force Base in Arizona will conduct a flyover during the service.

Maj. Troy Gilbert's life epitomized the core value of Service before Self. Whether flying the F-16, spending time with his family, or helping with a church function, he gave unselfishly of himself to serve and protect others.

Such was the case on Nov. 27, 2006, the day Major Gilbert was killed in action protecting others. The 12-year Air Force veteran was assigned to the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing at Balad Air Base, Iraq. He had already completed 21 combat sorties in the F-16 supporting ground forces under enemy fire. On one mission, he found and identified anti-Iraqi forces, then passed critical targeting information to coalition forces, who attacked and eliminated the threat. In another time-sensitive mission, Major Gilbert destroyed 10 insurgents concealed in a palm grove with the pinpoint delivery of a laser-guided weapon.

On the day he died, Major Gilbert heroically led a flight of two F-16s in an aerial combat mission near Taji, Iraq. On the ground, insurgents were unleashing truck-mounted heavy machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades, small arms fire and mortars to attack coalition troops. In addition, a downed Army helicopter crew was in danger of being overrun. Engaging the enemy meant certain anti-aircraft fire for Major Gilbert, but despite the danger, he went after the insurgents. He launched a strafing attack against the truck, destroying it with his 20-millimeter Gatling gun.

Despite enemy fire, Major Gilbert continued to press the insurgents with a second strafing pass at extreme low-level to help save the lives of the helicopter crew and other ground forces. He lost his life on that strafing pass when his aircraft hit the ground.

Major Gilbert's final act of moral and physical courage was conducted selflessly, just as he had always lived his life.

Source: http://www.af.mil/specials/pic/gilbert.html