| Moderated by: Steve Adkins | Topic closed | |
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Jim Flynt Member
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I meant to post something about this earlier, but am reprinting an article which appeared in Stars and Stripes. Giessen-based soldier is killed in Iraq Stars and Stripes European edition, Sunday, December 10, 2006 A soldier assigned to a unit based in Giessen, Germany, was killed in Iraq. Spc. Nicholas R. Gibbs, 25, of Stokesdale, N.C., died Dec. 6 in Ramadi, Iraq, of wounds received while conducting observation and security operations when he came in contact with enemy forces using small-arms fire, according to a Department of Defense news release. Gibbs was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 37th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Armored Division. He was a 2000 graduate of Northwest Guilford High School in Greensboro, N.C., according to North Carolina media reports. |
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Cracker Jax Member 
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Thanks Jim for sharing that. My thoughts and prayers are with his family. |
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S. Smith Moderator
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I can't imagine what this young man's parents must be going through. To lose a child would be one of the most horrible experiences I can think of. |
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Jim Flynt Member
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Update: Sgt. Nicholas Ray “Nick” Gibbs 25, of Friddle Road was killed in action on December 6, 2006 in Ramadi, Iraq. Sgt. Gibbs’ funeral will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, December 16, 2006 at Oak Ridge United Methodist Church. Interment with full military honors will follow in Guilford Memorial Park. Nick was born on August 9, 1981 in Greensboro, NC. He graduated from Northwest High School in 2000 and enlisted in the U. S. Army in 2003. Nick received his basic training at Ft. Benning, Georgia and was stationed in Germany for two years prior to being deployed to Iraq. He was an avid Duke basketball fan and enjoyed life to the fullest. Nick was a very caring and compassionate person who leaves behind many friends who will forever remember his presence in their lives. Nick is survived by his parents, Debbie Halstead and her husband, Charlie of Raleigh and Michael Gibbs and his wife, Karen of Oak Ridge; sister Erica Baysinger of Colorado Springs, Colorado; maternal grandparents Lee and Lucy Collins of Bradenton, Florida; paternal grandparents Iva Mae Gibbs of Greensboro and Carmel and Lib Gibbs of Piney Flats, Tennessee; step brothers Roland and Logan Crandall and step-sister Heather Halstead Weaver. He also leaves behind many aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews. The family will receive friends from 2 – 5 pm and 7 – 9 pm on Friday at Forbis and Dick North Elm Street where on line condolences may be sent to http://www.forbisanddick.com. Last edited on Dec 13th, 2006 02:20 am by Jim Flynt |
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ff12 Member 
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let us all stop to honor his ultimate sacrifice. |
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April Member 
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Nick Gibbs and I were both Northwest HS 2000 graduates. In fact, because our last names were alphabetically close, we were in the same homeroom every year, from 6th grade all the way into 12th. Though I only knew him as a classmate and acquaintance, I can remember that I knew him as a really friendly, decent guy. The news of his death was unimaginable, quite a shock. |
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Vicki White-Lawrence Member 
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I thought Todd Harmon's editorial in this issue of the NW Observer was very good... He said it very well. My older son is good friends with the stepbrothers, father and stepmother of Nick, although I'm not sure how well he knew Nick. He went and visited the parents as soon as he found out about Nick, and has since spent time with the stepbrothers. I was at a party Wednesday night and one of the hosts told me of an experience of her brother. He had been in China on business and was flying home. As it turned out, his was the flight that was bringing Nick and his military escort home. People in business class were offering to give up their seat for the escort, but the pilot let them know that there was a seat in First Class for him. As they approached the airport, they were informed that the protocol was that Nick would be taken from the plane first and that there would be a ceremony with the family, after which the rest of the passengers could disembark. He said that if anyone HAD to leave the plane, they needed to get off IMMEDIATELY when the plane landed. She said that only 2 people got off. Her brother was flying with a small group, and although very tired b/c they had been flying all day, they were glad to wait. He said they could observe the proceeding thru the plane windows and that it was all very moving. The hostess shared this with me b/c her daughter had graduated with one of the stepbrothers and I had e-mailed her when we learned about Nick to let her know of the connection. I cannot imagine going thru this, and just don't have a clue as to how a parent survives the loss of a child. |
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S. Smith Moderator
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I thought the editorials by Todd Harmon and Robert Flowers, a Summerfield resident who serves in the Patriot Guard and accompanied Nick's body back to Greensboro, were very moving. I'm sure this was an extremely difficult Christmas for Nick's family. |
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Vicki White-Lawrence Member
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I heard over the weekend that the caravan bringing Nick from Raleigh to Greensboro was involved in a chain reaction accident and had to wait on the side of the interstate for a second hearse and 2 passenger vans for the military escorts and family. The military couldn't fly him directly to Greensboro, offering Charlotte or Raleigh instead. It just seems so unfair to add all of that to what the family had already endured. |
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