STOKESDALE, NC, USA U.S. Army SGT, HHC, 1ST BATTALION, 37TH ARMOR, GIESSEN, GERMANY AR RAMADI, IRAQ 12/06/2006
Daniel Baker remembers meeting Nicholas R. Gibbs at age 7 when they lived on the same dirt road.I went down the dirt road, and we started throwing rocks at each other, Baker said. That’s how we met, and best friends ever since.
Gibbs, 25, of Stokesdale, N.C., was killed by a sniper Dec. 6 in Ramadi. He was a 2000 high school graduate and was assigned to Giessen, Germany.
Baker recently got a replica of one of Gibbs’ tattoos, a cross with angel wings, on the back of his shoulder. Baker put Nick in the center. He would take the pain for me; I’ll take the pain for him, Baker said.
An avid Ohio State football fan, Gibbs was ready for a national championship win for his team in January. He was planning to drive his dad’s Corvette, go to a welcome-home bonfire in March when his enlistment ended, and have a steak and a beer at his favorite restaurant, Logan’s.
After he was laid off from his job at Timco Aviation Services, he decided to join the Army as a way to serve his country after the terrorist attacks of 2001.
He is survived by his mother, Debbie Halstead, and his father, Michael Gibbs.
From his mother Debbie Halstead:
Sorry, I forgot to include some info on Nick. Where do I start? I was blessed with his presence on August 9, 1981 and right then and there my world revolved around him. We had this little thing going on between us – he would call me his “#1 Mom” and I would always call him my “#1 Son” even though he was the only son I had. I could have had 10 sons but none could have compared to Nick. He was loved by everyone and would do anything for anyone and would gladly give a stranger the shirt off his back.
He graduated from Northwest High School in Oak Ridge, NC on June 10, 2000. He was so proud because he really struggled with school work – if they offered only history & sports he would have breezed right through it. He was a die-hard Duke Basketball fan, his college football team was Ohio State Buckeyes (that is where I was born & raised – they even sent me a card with their condolences) and his favorite pro-football team was Miami Dolphins. He always looked up to Dan Marino.
Nick was 25 years old when he was killed in Ar Ramadi, Iraq on December 6, 2006. His unit was supposed to be out of Iraq in October but got extended. He was a proud Infantryman and I love and miss him terribly. He was the only constant in my life. I was proud of him prior to him joining the Army, proud of him while being in the Army and will continue being proud of him until my time to reunite with him finally arrives. He was the greatest gift in my life.
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