Page 4 - DFCS News Magazine Winter 2015

SELMA – A few days ago, World War II fighter pilot Richard Gibian got a phone call from Texas telling him to expect a package and to enjoy what was inside without sampling it.
Intrigued by the call from the son of one of his squadron buddies, Gibian waited anxiously for the package to arrive so he could examine the contents.
It didn't take long to open the box, and when he pulled out a bottle of St. Remy brandy, he knew he had just received a special gift from someone who admired him.
The military practice of "assigning" someone to be the caretaker of a bottle of wine or whiskey has been emulated many times through the years, as combat veterans create clubs that eventually dis- solve once "The last man standing" passes into Val-
halla.
Eventually, a toast is made by the last "caretaker" in honor of comrades no longer among the living — those who had fallen in war and peace.
At the age of 95, Gibian knows it may not be that long before he joins his long gone wing-mates in the 9th Air Force's 411th
Fighter Squadron that flew P-47 Thunderbolts against the best Germany had to offer against them.
His unit had 75 pilots and, while Gibian isn't sure he's the last of that group, Neyle Marshall of Blanco, Texas, believes he is because he said he's done ex- tensive research on those who served.
"I'm doing this for Mr. Gibian," said Marshall, 66, a retired contractor. "I know he's the last one in his squadron, and I wanted him to have the brandy as a reminder of the brave men he was associated with during the war."
Gibian said Marshall's father was Operations Officer of his squadron and also flew combat missions. Sam
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Marshall received numerous decorations with the squadron, including the Silver Star, America's third highest military award.
Capt. Gibian also saw extensive combat, flying 87 missions. He received several military awards but doesn't flout them or brag about his experiences. On occasion, however, he'll provide details.
Three years ago, he and 11 other World War II he- roes were honored in Atlanta where they were pre- sented with the National Order of the Legion of Hon- or, the oldest, most prestigious of all French decora- tions.
Gibian's squadron performed air support and com- bat missions during the storming of the beaches at Normandy and, later, into France's northeast region.
The unit bombed and destroyed a variety of German transportation vehicles including trucks, tanks and trains as well as landing strips.
During his combat missions, Gibian was decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross while he and his squadron mates were awarded the Croix de Guerre with Palm.
Gibian's most memorable mission was the day he shot down a Focke-Wulf 190 fighter that had zeroed in on him, darting out of the sun with the P-47 in his gun sights.
"It was either me or him, and I knew it wouldn't be me," recalls Gibian. "He did a snap roll and I stayed with him, coming up behind and letting him have it."
The German plane caught fire and crashed. Gibian didn't see a parachute open.
American bomber and fighter pilots who completed 50 missions normally were able to return home. Not Gibian. His 87 combat missions and 222 hours in his P-47 would have been more than enough, but he was aiming for 100 when the world's bloodiest con- flict ended.
Gibian, who later became a major in the Reserves, received the Distinguished Flying Cross for leading a raid through heavy ground fire on an enemy airfield. His squadron destroyed four enemy aircraft on the ground, a hangar and an important fuel dump.
Lt Gibian ’Last Man Standing’