Courage, dedication, honor, and love of country are some of the attributes that Chris Gibbs embodies. Chris first caught my attention at the CEC Veterans’ Program in November. I saw this man in the honor guard with a full chest of medals and thought…there’s a story here.

Chris grew up in the Rome area. He attended grade school in Rome and then Mossville grade schools and went on to graduate from IVC in 2004. In high school, Chris was all about sports, and participated in football, basketball, and track. During his high school years, he worked various jobs, but Chris had thought that he would go into law enforcement someday. When he was a sophomore, he made the decision to enroll in the delayed entry program into the Armed Forces. His senior year, the week after graduation, he shipped out to the Marines’ recruit Depot in San Diego, California. He then went on to the Marine Corps Security Force, which holds three different positions from guarding the White House to guarding Nuclear installations to FAST (Fleet anti-terrorism security Team), which Chris became part of. This team is the equivalent of a SWAT team and guards the U.S embassies and evacuates U.S citizens in the event of any catastrophe. Chris was also an instructor for the MCIWS, Marine Combat Instructor Water Survival classes. This is like having a black belt for swimming in the swim qualifications for the Marine Corps.    

Chris’s first deployment was in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. In Cuba he secured his scuba diving license and guarded the naval base. His second deployment was in Bahrain, an island nation in the Persian Gulf, where he was on standby to evacuate U.S citizens from the embassy. His third deployment was in Ramadi Iraq, where he was a combat soldier and did humanitarian work delivering “speed balls” to the people that contained rice, food, and clothing.

While Chris was still in the service, he had his parents put in applications for him to go to college. When he came back from overseas, he attended Western Illinois University. He graduated with majors in Law Enforcement and Justice Administration and a minor in Forensic Psychology. Upon graduating in 2011, he did an internship at the federal prison in Pekin for six months and then at the Juvenile Detention Center for another six months. It was then that he met and married Brianna. They’ve been married for 11 years and have three children: Oliviah 16, (from a past relationship) Brody 11, and Braxton 9.

Because of a hiring freeze at the prison, he had to look for work outside his chosen profession. He applied at O’Brien Steel and worked there on the shop floor for four years. Later, an office job for an Auto Cad operator came open to create precise 2D and 3D technical drawings, blueprints, and models for engineers. Chris applied and got the job.    

After the hiring freeze, the prison was hiring again and he became a guard at the Pekin prison and then advanced to an engineering technician for 10 years. After that job, Chris became a GSA, General Service Administrator project manager for law enforcement located in the basement of the Federal County Courthouse, where he presently works.

Chris says he loved his time serving his country. There was so much mutual trust and friendship among the men. He says that’s why he joined the VFW in Chillicothe, to continue the camaraderie it provides and the mutual experiences of the men and women. He urges more young men and women, after finishing their service, to join this organization.

He says of his military service, “I felt bulletproof after going through all the training, it grows you up fast. It gives you a drive to keep going and fulfill tasks until they’re completed, which I carry with me to this very day. I’m extremely proud of serving my country and what I accomplished.”

When asked what the medals were for, he told me: Good conduct, National Defense, Iraq Campaign, War on Terrorism Expeditionary, War on Terrorism Service, Humanitarian Service, Combat Action Ribbon, and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon (X3)

Thank you, Chris, for all your past and continued service. Men like you who step up to defend our country and keep our country free are what true heroes are made of.