Several years ago when I was Air Force General Counsel, I received a call from retired General Walt Huffman, who I worked with when I was the Army General Counsel. He told me that a friend of his, Ginger Gilbert, was the widow of an Air Force pilot killed in Iraq. Major Gilbert's body had been taken by insurgents. Walt explained to me that the Air Force had told Ms. Gilbert that they would no longer be searching for his remains once we pulled out of Iraq because "he was accounted for" (we knew that he had died in the crash.) I agreed with Walt that this didn't seem the right decision and went to my boss, Secretary Donley, to get the decision reversed. Secretary Donley did so, and the search continued.
Last week, I received another call from Walt Huffman letting me know that Major Gilbert's remains had finally been recovered and placed at Arlington Cemetery. He also told me that Ginger Gilbert was doing well. She had remarried, and started a charity called "Folds of Honor" that focused on the children of fallen warriors like her husband.
It was nice to know that something I did while Air Force General Counsel had a nice ending.
More about Major Gilbert here.
Very touching!! Good blog!
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