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00:00Welcome to Operation Healing Heroes. Join us as we honor Major Troy Gilbert at the Coca-Cola
00:09600 this Memorial Day weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. They served for us. They sacrificed for
00:21us. Their stories deserve to be told. Every military veteran has a story to tell. Join
00:34our host Jay Garstecki as we honor the stories of our true American heroes, one soldier at
00:41a time. The mission today is Operation Healing Heroes.
00:50Brought to you by Great Clips. Memorial Day weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina is home
01:01to the annual Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race. Prior to the race, it's here at the famed RFK Racing
01:09Garage that we connect with NASCAR Cup Series driver Chris Boucher to honor the memory of
01:16Major Troy Gilbert through the eyes of his gold star spouse, Ginger Gilbert Ravella.
01:21It's an absolute pleasure having you here. Honored to be riding with Major Troy Gilbert on board
01:30with us.
01:30I think you two would have a lot in common. You like to drive fast things. Thank you for asking
01:37about him. He was an amazing man of God, husband, father, and dedicated Air Force officer and an
01:46incredible fighter pilot. He flew the F-16. It was his dream since he was a little boy. Maybe yours was
01:52to drive race cars. His was to fly jets. Troy knew he wanted to be a pilot when he was a little boy. He
01:59grew up on Air Force bases. And though his dad didn't fly, he watched the planes every day. And
02:06he, it was his dream. It was his dream. And his dreams were my dreams. That's kind of how military
02:12life is. So Troy's dream was always to be a fighter pilot. So was that the same for you? Did you always
02:18want to be a race car driver?
02:21Always wanted to go fast, at least. And my dad was just a big hot rodder. So we grew up with fast cars
02:31in the garage, in the driveway. And, um, I just always enjoyed being out there with him and
02:38working on stuff. And that kind of evolved from, uh, going to car shows to actually catching a bug and
02:46wanting to, to drive race cars. It was great to hear his story about how he came up through racing and
02:53how he paid his dues at RFK racing, worked there for many years, uh, hung out around the shop until
03:00he had an opportunity. And now to look at him as a young man and a family man, right? He's got two
03:06young kids and a wife. And, uh, it's just, it's great to see that, right? It's, it's grassroots America
03:13right there. And I love it. So it's an honor to be here at RFK racing. And, and, um, unfortunately,
03:19Memorial Day weekend, we recognize those who have fallen, right? We work very hard to make sure that
03:25this does not become a, uh, talk about a three day weekend, that it doesn't become talk about
03:31barbecues, that, uh, this is to remember those that, that have made a sacrifice at the ultimate
03:38sacrifice for us to be able to, to enjoy what we do day in and day out. Right. When Troy deployed,
03:44our life was busy. It was full, lots of little kids, a messy house,
03:50but he was ready to go. He'd trained his whole life to fly in combat and to go to war. And after 9-11,
03:59he was even more committed. And so I knew that I couldn't hold him back. I knew that this is what
04:07he was supposed to do. It was a calling on his life. But I do remember a conversation that we had
04:13right before he left. And I just said, what if something happens to you while you're gone?
04:20Um, and he said, nothing's going to happen to me, but you'll know if it does, that it was God's will.
04:29Operation Healing Heroes is brought to you by Great Clips, Northern Clearing, and by Enbridge.
04:44Operation Healing Heroes is a non-profit organization dedicated to documenting the
04:48lives of our U.S. military veterans. In addition, we also provide financial support and treatment for
04:54post-traumatic stress. Your donation will help heal our heroes.
05:04Obviously, we started off pretty poor. And as a second lieutenant in the Air Force, you're not making
05:10very much money. And he was trying to get his private pilot's license because at that point,
05:15he was just trying to get into pilot training and he needed to have some experience. So I had a little
05:21job and I would work and we'd save up about a hundred bucks and he would go fly because it was a hundred
05:27dollars an hour for time in the aircraft. And so one hour at a time, he eventually got his private
05:33pilot's license. And so he was always grateful to me because I kind of helped him. I kind of helped
05:39him get started. I remember on graduation day and I got to pin his wings on him and I thought there's a
05:48lot of significance in those wings that he wore on his uniform. And I had no idea what ultimately that
05:56would cost our family, but I was so proud of him. And I think besides probably the days that we had
06:03our children, it was the happiest day of his life. I can't be with you this Christmas and it breaks my
06:11heart. I miss you guys. I love you very much. I do want obviously to do what we've always done and
06:19I want to read for you out of Luke, a Christmas passage. So hopefully you guys can play it and
06:27know that I'm there with you in spirit. I love you. I miss you. I wish I was drinking,
06:33babe, drinking your hot cider right now and in your orange. Kids, I wish I was there to help you open a
06:39presence, give you a big hug and a kiss and I don't care. You know, it's just a Monday morning
06:48after Thanksgiving. Christmas tree was up, all the lights on. We were going to decorate it when
06:53the kids got home from school. And so our boys were in kindergarten and second grade. They were
06:59at school. My little three-year-old was jumping on the trampoline. The babies were down for their naps.
07:05And suddenly I heard a knock at the front door and I thought that's strange. You know,
07:08it felt really early in the morning for an unexpected visitor, but didn't think anything
07:13about it and walked to the door. And I, I opened, um, I opened the door and I saw
07:22the Air Force dress blues through the screen. What was your immediate thought? I think for a split
07:29second, I wonder, I wonder what they're doing here. And then I saw their faces and saw something was wrong.
07:36Yeah. Saw in their eyes that something, something horrible must have happened or they wouldn't be
07:41there. I remember they asked if they could come in and they said, Mrs. Gilbert, on behalf of the
07:49United States of America, we regret to inform you that your husband, Major Troy Gilbert and his F-16
07:55have gone down west of Baghdad in a combat mission. I remember screaming,
08:03this can't happen to us. We have five kids. This can't happen to us.
08:07In that moment, knowing that you still had a bunch of family to take care of, right? Five kids. How do you
08:17start balancing that by yourself at that point? Trying to take care of everybody because you still have
08:25five lives depending on you all the time, right? I remember thinking this was not going to be my
08:35kids' story. They were going to be fatherless. And sitting down to tell them that their dad had gone
08:44home to be with the Lord was probably the second hardest day of my life after that knock at the front
08:51door. But you know, kids have a faith sometimes that's even greater than ours because they don't
08:59question. And I just said, Daddy's gone home to be with Jesus and we're going to see him again someday.
09:07Operation Healing Heroes is brought to you by Great Clips, Battle Born Batteries, and by SKB Cases.
09:23When you put this thing in the winner's circle this weekend, just make sure that,
09:26you know, we remember Troy and we honor his need for speed.
09:32Yes, we absolutely. I think you two would have been good friends.
09:35I can see it, absolutely. If you'd like to see more behind the scenes footage,
09:40follow us on social media and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
09:44If you're a U.S. military veteran in Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, or beautiful sunny
09:50Florida, log on to our website, takeavatfishing.org to find an event near you.
10:01U.S. Central Command Air Forces today identified Air Force Major Troy L. Gilbert as the pilot of the F-16
10:07that crashed approximately 20 miles northwest of Baghdad on Monday. Major Gilbert's status is listed as
10:15duty status whereabouts unknown pending positive identification of human remains retrieved from the
10:21crash site. That fateful day, Troy was flying a surveillance mission and he had gotten a call
10:29over the radio that a downed special operations unit had had a crash landing on the open desert floor and
10:35they needed help, immediately needed help. They were being overrun by about 15 Iraqi insurgent vehicles.
10:44So Troy came in and saved the day as Wingman was refueling. So Troy was flying solo and he was eyes
10:52on the target, you know, trying to take out one enemy truck after another, save the good guys. And I
10:58remember hearing from one of the soldiers that Troy saved and three months later and he said it was a
11:05chaotic situation and we were absolutely about to be annihilated. And he said, but when your husband
11:13came over the radio, he was so calm and so collected and he brought everything in order. And he said,
11:20I've got this, I've got you. And he said, we nicknamed him Frosty. And so Troy came in using the gun
11:27on the F-16, couldn't drop a bomb, but it killed the good guys that flew low and fast, maybe 500 miles an
11:34hour, 250 feet above the ground, eyes on the target, eyes on the good guys. And on his last pass,
11:42his tail clipped the ground while taking enemy fire and he lost his life. Tragically, horrifically would
11:49be that last insurgent truck would turn after the crash and get to Troy's body before the men and women
11:58of our U.S. military were able to. They unharnessed him from his jet seat and rolled his body up in a
12:06carpet and threw him in the back of a truck and took off and he became their war trophy.
12:14So when did you finally get Troy home? It was a long 10-year journey to bring Troy's body back to the
12:22United States. Seven years after the crash, I get a call from the general and he said,
12:30we want you to come to the office. We have some news for you. He said a year ago, an Iraqi citizen
12:37turned in some very small bones from Troy's foot. So he said, we just wanted to give them to you. I
12:45don't know what would you like for us to do. And I said, well, we'll go back to Arlington and we'll
12:52bury those with what we have. And I remember talking to the medical examiner and asking him specifically,
12:59what do I have buried? I feel like I was in a fog for a long time and didn't fully maybe understand
13:05from 2006 to 2013, those two recoveries. What do we, what do I have? And he said, well,
13:12ma'am, you only have the top of your husband's skull and you have the tip of his toe bones. And
13:18so I remember pausing for a moment and just weeping over the phone and saying, so you're telling me that
13:25I only have the top of his head and the tip of his toes. And he said, yes, ma'am, I am. And I said, well,
13:31I believe that that's a message from the Lord telling me that he's got him head to toe.
13:42Never Alone Widows exists to love the widow well through weekend encounters, national gatherings,
13:51local chapters, and online resources. Go to neveralonewidows.com for more information.
13:59If you'd like to personally thank a veteran that you've seen in one of our episodes
14:03or nominate a veteran to be featured in a future episode, log onto our website, operationhealingheroes.org.
14:09Operation Healing Heroes is brought to you by Fastenal, AquaView cameras, and by Temple Bay Lodge.
14:26So fast forward to the fall of 2016, almost 10 years to the date that I've gotten that first knock at my
14:35front door that fateful morning, I get another call from the general. And this time it's the news I've
14:44been waiting for 10 years for, that I'd been praying for 10 years for, which was that Troy's body had been
14:51recovered at long last. And it was an epic mission of heroism on the men and women who risked their lives,
15:00special operators, NCIS, Green Berets, SEALs, that all went in and had found him.
15:09As I learned the details of the mission and how they risked their lives to bring him home,
15:15and ultimately the unit that he saved was the unit that brought him back to us.
15:22And I thought, isn't that just the full picture of the brotherhood of the military, that they didn't
15:29know Troy, he didn't know them, but yet they risked their lives for one another. And they did not want
15:35to leave any man behind on the field of battle. So help them God, and they didn't.
15:39At last, after 10 long years, Major Troy Lee Gilbert was home.
15:58And so we had a third and final funeral at Arlington. And, you know, this time,
16:15hundreds of people were still walking behind me. But I looked back, I remember as we were walking
16:19those beautiful hills at Arlington with the marble gravestones and behind the horse-drawn carriage
16:25with the flag draped coffin once again for the third time. And I looked back and so many of those
16:31people that had come with us didn't know Troy. They had just known his story and known me and the
16:38kids and were just like, we're with you. We're seeing this through with you. And so I think,
16:44you know, to me that those are the people that get it, that get what Memorial Day is really about.
16:50What does it mean to you to be able to represent Troy on this race car this weekend?
16:55To have Troy on board our race car this week, riding along with us.
17:01So he loves speed. So we're going to, we're going to harness that together.
17:05A couple of Texas boys doing some math.
17:06A couple of Texas boys going as fast as they possibly can.
17:09That sounds like, that sounds like a lot of fun.
17:12Tell me about Jim.
17:14So Jim, he is, he's an answer to a lot of prayers that people prayed for me.
17:18And I never thought I'd find love again after being loved so well.
17:24Jim never planned on loving anybody else either.
17:26He had a wonderfully happy marriage to his wife for almost 25 years.
17:32But when we met, I just knew, you know, that there was something really special about him.
17:37And it was a sweet bonus that he and Troy, both blue fighters for the Air Force.
17:42And he's just done a beautiful job of coming alongside me.
17:48But also not trying to replace Troy, just trying to help finish the race for Troy.
17:53I always say that I think Jim has been Troy's ultimate wingman.
17:57So it's been our privilege to have RFK Racing, have us in this working garage this weekend,
18:03to be able to do this interview.
18:05And on behalf of RFK Racing, Fast and All Corporation, and Operation Healing Heroes family,
18:10I'd like to present you with your very own Fast and All race shirt, RFK Racing,
18:17Operation Healing Hero shirt.
18:18That's for you so that you can wear it proud this weekend when we cheer on Chris into Victory Lane
18:24and Troy into Victory Lane also.
18:26So that match right in with the crew.
18:28So yeah, can I ride?
18:30Can I get a ride?
18:32We don't have a passenger seat, but we got ratchet straps.
18:34So how brave are you?
18:37Thank you for sharing your story with us and with the world.
18:40We appreciate it.
18:40And thank you for Troy's sacrifice.
18:42It never goes unnoticed.
18:45The day before the race, during practice, Chris, with Troy riding along,
18:51posted the third fastest time in the field until a blown rear tire would send the
18:5617 car into the wall.
18:58Can you believe that they built this car overnight for us to be able to be here today and race?
19:03No, and it looks exactly like the other one did yesterday.
19:06Amazing.
19:06Yeah, thank you for everything you did for that car today.
19:09I think he's going to be watching.
19:10It's race day at Charlotte Motor Speedway and the Coca-Cola 600 is underway.
19:22Due to his crash during practice, Chris was unable to post a qualifying time, landing him in the 39th position to start the race.
19:31So, after a long night at the RFK racing garage, the rebuilt Operation Healing Heroes Fastenall car had plenty of ground to make out.
19:43With Major Troy Gilbert riding along, Chris Buescher was able to find the speed he was looking for from the 17 car and at one point being recognized as the biggest mover in the race.
19:55Finally, after starting 39th in a 40 car field, the Operation Healing Heroes Fastenall car was able to rally all the way in to the top five,
20:05but lost ground in the final laps during Chris's final pit stop when his car was boxed in on pit road.
20:13But on this day, at this race, it was just two Texas boys riding together, chasing their need for speed.
20:31If you'd like to personally thank a veteran that you've seen in one of our episodes,
20:35or nominate a veteran to be featured in a future episode, log on to our website,
20:39operationhealingheroes.org, and click on the nominate button.
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