True to their motto – “Honor their sacrifice. Educate their legacy.” – Folds of Honor is a nonprofit organization that provides educational scholarships to the families of America’s fallen and disabled service-members. In tribute to these heroes this Memorial Day, we are humbled to share the story of Greyson, a 19 year old college student and Folds of Honor scholarship recipient, and to honor the legacy of his Dad.
Troy Lee Gilbert was the ultimate father, friend, and fighter pilot. On November 27, 2006 he was flying a mission over the desert near Baghdad, Iraq and responded immediately to a call over the radio for help. Insurgent fighters were moving into the area and Greyson’s Dad made not just one, but two passes to save the troop of 22 men on the ground. The second pass he made was pure heroism. Knowing the insurgents were quickly approaching, he made a quick turn-around and wasn’t able to gain enough altitude before closing back in and taking on significant enemy fire. His plane hit the desert floor, making the ultimate sacrifice while saving all 22 of the men.
“True love is giving yourself for your brothers,” says Greyson. He commends his dad for always doing that at home and in battle.
His Father’s story doesn’t end there. His body wasn’t able to be immediately recovered after the crash and was taken by the very insurgents that he had drove off.
Only recovering some remains, Greyson and his family were overwhelmed when 10 years later, the same unit of the 22 men he had saved returned to the site of the crash and were able to locate his remains. They were able to bring him home and, nearly 10 years to the day, were able to give his Dad a full burial with honors at Arlington Cemetery.
Greyson recognizes it as a “testament to prayer, to our Nation’s military that they don’t leave anyone behind, and to the unit of men that wanted to honor his Dad in that way.” It was because of his Dad’s sacrifice that these men were able to return home to their families and they wanted to honor him by returning him to his family.
One of five children, Greyson describes his mom as “his hero” for raising and providing for all his brothers and sisters. Through the years, Folds of Honor has been there for his family. Greyson is most thankful for the invaluable support system that they provide and credits them for connecting him with others going through similar experiences. Many of them he considers his best friends today.
Folds of Honor has been instrumental to Greyson, from middle school to now in college. In addition to offering support through connection and community, they also provided scholarships to Greyson and his siblings.
“They help you with your future, but also stand by you now,” says Greyson. Now a sophomore at Clemson University, Greyson is inspired by his Dad to pursue his education and a career in physical therapy as a way give back to other veterans and disabled athletes in the future.
“My family is representative of the thousands of other families with stories like ours that are going through the same thing. That have given, life and limb and some have given all. It’s about honoring that sacrifice. One of the biggest things my dad and for many of the service men and women, the one thing they want is for their families to be provided for and to know they are taken care of. And Folds of Honor provides an awesome avenue to do just that. To let them know that their sacrifice isn’t forgotten. That education and their families are taken care of.”
Greyson keeps his father’s legacy alive, speaking on behalf of Folds of Honor and sharing his inspiring story. He encourages families of injured or fallen service members to connect with Folds of Honor and hopes that by hearing his 
story they will know they aren’t going through it alone.
Folds of Honor is proud to have awarded nearly 20,000 scholarships in all 50 states and some US territories, including approximately 4,000 in 2018 alone. For more information or to donate in support of a Folds of Honor scholarship, please visit foldsofhonor.org
We are honored to support Folds of Honor’s scholarship program and to be able to pay our humble respects to the service members, like Greyson’s Dad, that gave everything.
