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00:00Welcome to Operation Healing Heroes. Join us as we honor Major Troy Gilbert at the Coca-Cola
00:08600 this Memorial Day weekend at Charlotte Motor Speed. They served for us. They sacrificed for us.
00:21Their stories deserve to be told. Every military veteran has a story to tell.
00:32Join our host Jay Garstecki as we honor the stories of our true American heroes, one soldier at a time.
00:42The mission today is Operation Healing Heroes.
00:48Brought to you by Great Clips.
00:54Memorial Day weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina is home to the annual Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race.
01:05Prior to the race, it's here at the famed RFK Racing Garage that we connect with NASCAR Cup Series driver Chris Boucher
01:14to honor the memory of Major Troy Gilbert through the eyes of his gold star spouse, Ginger Gilbert Ravella.
01:22It's an absolute pleasure having you here. Honored to be riding with Major Troy Gilbert on board with us.
01:30I think you two would have a lot in common. You like to drive fast things.
01:36Thank you for asking about him. He was an amazing man of God, husband, father, and dedicated Air Force officer and an incredible fighter pilot.
01:48He flew the F-16. It was his dream since he was a little boy. Maybe yours was to drive race cars. His was to fly jets.
01:55Troy knew he wanted to be a pilot when he was a little boy. He grew up on Air Force bases.
02:01And though his dad didn't fly, he watched the planes every day. And it was his dream. It was his dream.
02:09And his dreams were my dreams. That's kind of how military life is.
02:13So Troy's dream was always to be a fighter pilot. So was that the same for you? Did you always want to be a race car driver?
02:19Always wanted to go fast, at least. And my dad was just a big hot rodder. So we grew up with fast cars in the garage, in the driveway.
02:33And I just always enjoyed being out there with him and working on stuff. And that kind of evolved from going to car shows to actually catching a bug and wanting to drive race cars.
02:49It was great to hear his story about how he came up through racing and how he paid his dues at RFK Racing, worked there for many years, hung out around the shop until he had an opportunity.
03:01And now to look at him as a young man and a family man, right? He's got two young kids and a wife. And it's just, it's great to see that, right? It's grassroots America right there.
03:13It is. I love it. So it's an honor to be here at RFK Racing. And unfortunately, Memorial Day weekend, we recognize those who have fallen, right?
03:23We work very hard to make sure that this does not become a talk about a three-day weekend, that it doesn't become talk about barbecues, that this is to remember those that have made a sacrifice, the ultimate sacrifice for us to be able to enjoy what we do day in and day out, right?
03:42When Troy deployed, our life was busy. It was full, lots of little kids, a messy house. But he was ready to go. He trained his whole life to fly in combat and to go to war. And after 9-11, he was even more committed.
04:01And so I knew that I couldn't hold him back. I knew that this is what he was supposed to do. It was a calling on his life. But I do remember a conversation that we had right before he left. And I just said, what if something happens to you while you're gone?
04:19And he said, nothing's going to happen to me, but you'll know if it does, that it was God's will.
04:28Operation Healing Heroes is brought to you by Great Clips, Northern Clearing, and by Enbridge.
04:38Operation Healing Heroes is a non-profit organization dedicated to documenting the lives of our U.S. military veterans. In addition, we also provide financial support and treatment for post-traumatic stress. Your donation will help heal our heroes.
04:58Obviously, we started off pretty poor. And as a second lieutenant in the Air Force, you're not making very much money.
05:11And he was trying to get his private pilot's license because at that point, he was just trying to get into pilot training and he needed to have some experience.
05:18So I had a little job and I would work and we'd save up about a hundred bucks and he would go fly because it was a hundred dollars an hour for time in the aircraft.
05:29And so one hour at a time, he eventually got his private pilot's license.
05:34And so he was always grateful to me because I kind of helped him. I kind of helped him get started.
05:40I remember on graduation day and I got to pin his wings on him and I thought there's a lot of significance in those wings that he wore on his uniform.
05:52And I had no idea what ultimately that would cost our family, but I was so proud of him.
05:59And I think besides probably the days that we had our children, it was the happiest day of his life.
06:06I can't be with you this Christmas and it breaks my heart.
06:11I miss you guys. I love you very much.
06:14I do want, obviously, to do what we've always done and I want to read for you out of Luke, a Christmas passage.
06:24So hopefully you guys can play it and know that I'm there with you in spirit.
06:29I love you. I miss you. I wish I was drinking, babe, drinking your hot cider right now.
06:35And in your arms, kids, I wish I was there to help you open a presence, give you a big hug and a kiss and I don't care.
06:45You know, it's just a Monday morning after Thanksgiving.
06:49Christmas tree was up, all the lights on.
06:51We were going to decorate it when the kids got home from school.
06:54And so our boys were in kindergarten and second grade.
06:58They were at school. My little three-year-old was jumping on the trampoline.
07:02The babies were down for their naps.
07:05And suddenly I heard a knock at the front door and I thought, that's strange.
07:08You know, it felt really early in the morning for an unexpected visitor, but didn't think anything about it.
07:13And walked to the door and I opened, I opened the door and I saw the Air Force dress blues through the screen.
07:26What was your immediate thought of that?
07:28I think for a split second, I wonder what they're doing here.
07:31And then I saw their faces and saw.
07:35Something was wrong.
07:35Yeah, saw in their eyes that something, something horrible must have happened or they wouldn't be there.
07:42I remember they asked if they could come in and they said, Mrs. Gilbert, on behalf of the United States of America,
07:50we regret to inform you that your husband, Major Troy Gilbert, and his F-16 have gone down west of Baghdad in a combat mission.
07:59I remember screaming, this can't happen to us.
08:04We have five kids.
08:06This can't happen to us.
08:07In that moment, knowing that you still had a bunch of family to take care of, right?
08:15Five kids.
08:16How do you start balancing that by yourself at that point, trying to take care of everybody?
08:23Because you still have five lives depending on you all the time, right?
08:27I remember thinking this was not going to be my kids' story.
08:36They were going to be fatherless.
08:39And sitting down to tell them that their dad had gone home to be with the Lord was probably the second hardest day of my life after that knock at the front door.
08:52And, but you know, kids have a faith sometimes that's even greater than ours because they don't question.
08:59And 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.
09:13Battle Born Batteries.
09:15And by SKB Cases.
09:22Well, when you put this thing in the winner's circle this weekend, just make sure that, you know, we remember Troy and we honor his need for speed.
09:32Yes, we absolutely.
09:33I think you two would have been good friends.
09:35I can see it.
09:36Absolutely.
09:37If you'd like to see more behind-the-scenes footage, follow 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 Florida, log on to our website.
09:52Take a VetFishing.org to find an event near you.
10:25Surveillance mission.
10:27And he had gotten a call over the radio that a downed Special Operations Unit had had a crash landing on the open desert floor,
10:35and they needed help, immediately needed help.
10:38They were being overrun by about 15 Iraqi insurgent vehicles.
10:44So Troy came in and saved the day.
10:46His wingman was refueling, so Troy was flying solo, and he was eyes on the target, you know,
10:52try to take out one enemy truck after another, save the good guys. And I remember hearing from
10:59one of the soldiers that Troy saved and months later, and he said it was a chaotic situation
11:06and we were absolutely about to be annihilated. And he said, but when your husband came over the
11:13radio, 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
11:26the gun on the F-16, couldn't drop a bomb, but it killed the good guys. It flew low and fast,
11:32maybe 500 miles an hour, 250 feet above the ground, eyes on the target, eyes on the good guys.
11:40And on his last pass, his tail clipped the ground while taking enemy fire and he lost his life.
11:45Tragically, horrifically, would be that last insurgent truck would turn after the crash and
11:54get to Troy's body before the men and women of our U.S. military were able to. They unharnessed him
12:02from his jet seat and rolled his body up in a carpet and threw him in the back of a truck
12:08and took off and he became their war trophy. So when did you finally get Troy home?
12:17It was a long 10-year journey to bring Troy's body back to the States.
12:24Seven years after the crash, I get a call from the general and he said,
12:29we 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.
12:45I don't know what would you like for us to do. And I said, well, we'll go back to Arlington and
12:51we'll bury those with what we have. And I remember talking to the medical examiner
12:56and asking him specifically, what do I have buried? I feel like I was in a fog for a long time and
13:03didn't fully maybe understand from 2006 to 2013, those two recoveries. What do we, what do I have?
13:11And he said, well, ma'am, you only have the top of your husband's skull and you have the tip
13:16of his toe bones. And so I remember pausing for a moment and just weeping over the phone and saying,
13:22so you're telling me that I only have the top of his head and the tip of his toes. And he said,
13:28yes, ma'am, I am. And I said, well, I believe that that's a message from the Lord telling me that
13:34he's got him head to toe. Never Alone Widows exists to love the widow well through weekend encounters,
13:49national gatherings, local chapters, and online resources. Go to neveralonewidows.com for more information.
13:57If you'd like to personally thank a veteran that you've seen in one of our episodes or nominate a
14:03veteran to be featured in a future episode, log on to our website, operationhealingheroes.org.
14:11Operation Healing Heroes is brought to you by Fastenal, AquaView cameras, and by Temple Bay Lodge.
14:22So fast forward to the fall of 2016, almost 10 years to the date that I'd gotten that first knock at my front door,
14:35that fateful morning, I get another call from the general. And this time, it's the news I've been waiting
14:44for 10 years for, that I'd been praying for 10 years for, which was that Troy's body had been recovered
14:51at 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. As I learned the details
15:10of the mission and how they risked their lives to bring him home. And ultimately, the unit that he
15:17saved was the unit that brought him back to us. And I thought, isn't that just a full picture of the
15:25brotherhood of the military that they didn't know Troy, he didn't know them, but yet they risked their
15:32lives for one another. And they did not want to leave any man behind on the field of battle.
15:37Some helped him God, and they didn't. At last, after 10 long years, Major Troy Lee Gilbert was home.
16:07And so we had a third and final funeral at Arlington. And, you know, this time, hundreds of people were
16:16still walking behind me. But I looked back, I remember as we were walking those beautiful hills
16:20at Arlington with the marble gravestones and behind the horse-drawn carriage with the flag-draped coffin
16:26once again for the third time. And I looked back, and so many of those people that had come with us
16:33didn't know Troy. Yeah. They had just known his story and known me and the kids, and were just like,
16:39we're with you. We're seeing this through with you. And so I think, you know, to me, that those are the
16:45people that get it. Yes. That get what Memorial Day is really about. What does it mean to you to be
16:51able to represent Troy on this race car this weekend? To have Troy on board our race car this
16:57week, riding along with us. It's like he loves speed, so we're going to harness that together.
17:05A couple of Texas boys doing some laughs. A couple of Texas boys going as fast as they possibly can.
17:09That sounds like a lot of fun. Tell me about Jim.
17:12So Jim, he is an answer to a lot of prayers that people prayed for me. And I never thought I'd find love again
17:21after being loved so well. Jim never planned on loving anybody else either. He had a wonderfully happy
17:28marriage to his wife for almost 25 years. But when we met, I just knew, you know, that there was something
17:35really special about him. And it was a sweet bonus that he and Troy both blue fighters for the Air
17:42Force. And he's just done a beautiful job of coming alongside me, but also not trying to replace Troy,
17:50just trying to help finish the race for Troy. I always say that I think Jim has been Troy's ultimate
17:56wingman. So it's been our privilege to have RFK Racing, have us in this working garage this weekend
18:02to be able to do this interview. And on behalf of RFK Racing, Fastenal Corporation, and Operation
18:09Healing Heroes family, I'd like to present you with your very own Fastenal race shirt, RFK Racing,
18:16Operation Healing Hero shirt. That's for you so that you can wear it proud this weekend when we cheer on
18:22Chris into Victory Lane and Troy into Victory Lane also. So that match right in with the crew.
18:28Yeah, can I ride? Can I get a ride? We don't have a passenger seat, but we got ratchet straps.
18:34How brave are you? Thank you. Thank you for sharing your story with us and with the world. We
18:40appreciate it. And thank you for Troy's sacrifice. It never goes unnoticed.
18:45The day before the race, during practice, Chris, with Troy riding along, posted the third fastest
18:52time in the field until a blown rear tire would send the 17 car into the wall.
18:59Can you believe that they built this car overnight for us to be able to be here today and race?
19:02No, and it looks exactly like the other one did yesterday.
19:05Amazing.
19:06Yeah, thank you for everything you did for that car today. I think he's going to be watching.
19:10It's race day at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and the Coca-Cola 600 is underway.
19:21Due to his crash during practice, Chris was unable to post a qualifying time, landing him in the 39th position to start the race.
19:30So, after a long night at the RFK Racing Garage, the rebuilt Operation Healing Heroes Fastenall car had plenty of ground to make out.
19:42With Major Troy Gilbert riding along, Chris Boucher was able to find the speed he was looking for from the 17 car,
19:50and 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 into the top five,
20:06but 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, OperationHealingHeroes.org,
20:41and click on the nominate button.
20:43We'll see you next time.
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