D-M remembers ace, combat hero, leader

  • Published
  • By 355th Fighter Public Affairs
DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  D-M remembers the life of Colonel(retired) Ralph 'Hoot' Gibson, the Air Force's 3rd jet fighter ace, and the recipient of four Distinguished Flying Crosses, two Legions of Merit and one Bronze Star with Valor.

Colonel Gibson was stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in the 1960s, and left Tucson after completing his military service but returned to form his own real estate company in 1974.

Colonel Gibson was born in Keensburg, Illinois. He joined the Army Air Forces in 1943 becoming a F-86 Sabre fighter pilot and flying more than 90 combat missions during the Korean war. The colonel shot down five MiG-15 fighters to become the nation's third jet fighter ace.
 
Colonel Gibson led the Thunderbirds for two years and flew 104 missions in the F-4 over Vietnam as a squadron commander.

Col. Gibson passed away on January 2.  He is survived by a wife and three sons.