On 12 March 1969, CSM Gilbert was with the Brigade Command Group in the C&C aircraft as it orbited over A Co., 1/8^th Inf. A Co. was in heavy contact with an enemy force estimated to be a battalion plus.  The enemy force was dug-in in bunkers and had part of A Co. pinned down.  The company was unable to maneuver against the enemy force since the platoons not pinned down were extracting wounded personnel and providing security for them.  A medevac helicopter has made one trip into the LZ and extracted some of the wounded.  This medevac ship had gone in with gunship escorts and it drew intense and accurate ground fire.  The ship was so badly damaged that to assist in the event the ship crashed.  Realizing full well that medevac ships would not be able to make it into the LZ, and that the company was tied down securing its wounded, CSM Gilbert urged the Brigade C. O. to use the C&C ship to complete the medevac of wounded personnel.   Three attempts were made to get the aircraft into the LZ for the pickup of the wounded.  In each of these instances the enemy small arms and automatic weapons fire was intense and accurate.  During this period CSM Gilbert repeatedly exposed himself to the hostile fire to engage the enemy positions and to direct the fire of the door gunners on the aircraft.  His alertness and directions allowed the door gunners to follow his example and to place accurate fire on the enemy positions while the aircraft made a third attempt to extract the wounded.  Again and again CSM Gilbert exposed himself to fire into the enemy positions and to direct the aircraft into the LZ using the intercom system.  At this instant the helicopter was less than 50 feet off the ground and enemy automatic weapons fire tore into the plexi-glass windshield narrowly missing the pilot while another automatic weapon was raking the right side of the aircraft, wounding the door gunner and putting his M-60 out of operation.  With the right door gun out of action, enemy fire on that side of the craft increased.  CSM Gilbert stepped up his fire into the enemy positions, but the ship continued to take direct hits in it fuselage.  Realizing that this accurate fire was endangering the pilot and crew, and also narrowly missing the Brigade Commander, CSM Gilbert moved to completely block the doorway with his own body, thereby protecting the Brigade Commander and allowing himself to accurately engage the two enemy automatic weapons positions.  At that instant, CSM Gilbert was hit with a burst of automatic weapons fire and mortally wounded.  His last action was to alert the pilot and to go into the LZ due to the number of hits the aircraft had received and the fact that the wounded were directly beneath the aircraft.  CSM Gilbert’s heroic actions and accurate fire saved the aircraft ad most certainly protected his commanders.  His concern for the wounded men of A Company, for the safety of his commander, and for the protection of the aircraft and crew reflect his courage and devotion to duty.

                                                                                                                 Albert J. Sheehan

                                                                                                                Major, Infantry

                                                                                                                Brigade S-3