[CPEO-MEF] IS FT. CHAFFEE AS SAFE AS THE ARKANSAS NATIONAL GUARD THINKS?

[CPEO Moderator <cpeo@cpeo.org>]

[Arkansas]
[The following is a transcript of a report that aired on KTHV in
Arkansas recently]


IS FT. CHAFFEE AS SAFE AS THE ARKANSAS NATIONAL GUARD THINKS?


A VETERAN ARKANSAS NATIONAL GUARDSMAN FROM JONESBORO, FIRST SARGEANT
MICHAEL GIBSON, REPORTED TO FT. CHAFFEE, NEAR FT. SMITH, FOR HIS TWO
WEEK ARKANSAS NATIONAL GUARD TRAINING ON JUNE 1, 1998. BY ALL ACCOUNTS
HE REPORTED A HEALTHY MAN. TWO WEEKS LATER HE WAS SEVERELY ILL, AND
WITHIN THREE MONTHS, HE WAS DEAD.
THE END OF MIKE GIBSON'S EXCEPTIONAL MILITARY CAREER WASN'T AT THE
CONTROLS OF A TANK OR PILOTING A JET FIGHTER.

IT WAS DRIVING A BUSH-HOG. FOR THE FIRST SARGEANT, THE GUARD WASN'T
ABOUT GLORY IT WAS ABOUT BEING A GOOD SOLDIER, A BETTER LEADER, A
TEACHER AND PROTECTOR OF FIGHTING MEN AND WOMEN. IT WAS THE KIND OF
ATTITUDE THAT GOT HIM PROMOTED FROM ENLISTED MAN TO FIRST SARGEANT.

Kathy Gibson/ Mike Gibson's Wife: "he was high in the guard. he was
fixin' to be first sargeant major. tha'ts next to captain."

MIKE GIBSON'S WIFE KATHY SAYS LIFE WAS PERFECT FOR THEM, UNTIL JUNE
FIRST, 1998.

AFTER REPORTING FOR HIS ANNUAL TRAINING AT FT. CHAFFEE, GIBSON WAS
ORDERED TO MOW A FIELD TO GET IT READY FOR CAMP. HIS MEN SAY THEY'D BEEN
WORKING FOR ABOUT AN HOUR WHEN GIBSON HIT SOMETHING WITH HIS BUSH-HOG.

"i was filling up a canteen and i heard him coming back...

BRAD DAVIDSON WAS HELPING GIBSON MOW THAT MORNING.

and he pulled up beside me and he said i just hit something over here...
and i said what was it and he said i don't know. it was just a white
cloud that come up."

NEITHER ONE OF THEM THOUGHT MUCH ABOUT IT. BUT THE NEXT DAY, MIKE GIBSON
SAID SOMETHING HIS MEN HAD NEVER HEARD HIM SAY.

he said, man, i'm sick.

The entire transcript of this story can be viewed at:
http://www.kthv.com/extras/extras.asp?storyid=4671

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