1LT Dayton Gilbreath saving the world

Air Force 1LT Dayton Gilbreath was on a sail boat in the Adriatic when a fellow Air Force member tried to kill himself by diving off of the boat into choppy seas. Gilbreath was only one of two members of the boating party that witnessed the attempt, so he dived into the same choppy seas to rescue the fellow;

Gilbreath swam up to the Airman, who promptly dove underwater in an attempt to drown himself. After retrieving his unconscious body, Gilbreath returned to the surface only to discover that the boat hadn’t turned around for them.

Panicking, Gilbreath tried to calm himself down while keeping both his head and the larger, unconscious Airman’s head above water.

As the Airman in his arms regained consciousness, Gilbreath knew he would need to think of a way to get both of them back to the boat. Since dragging one of the largest Airman on the trip through crashing waves against his will would likely not work, Gilbreath had to get creative.

“He was in a couple of my classes, but I didn’t know anything about him besides that he’s a football player, so I thought he must be competitive,” Gilbreath said. “I said ‘I’ll race you to the boat,’ and sure enough he took off swimming toward the boat.”

His actions and quick thinking earned 1LT Gilbreath the Airmans Medal because we don’t leave anyone behind…even if they want to be left behind. Thanks to Chief Tango for the links.

Category: Real Soldiers