Maryland's Second Hero

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Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Thomas J. Gibbons, 31, of Prince Frederick, Md.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Fort Campbell, Ky.; killed in a MH-60 Black Hawk crash during training on Jan. 30, 2003, in Afghanistan.

HIS FATHER TELLS HIS STORY

Gibbons, with the Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, told his wife, Kelly, that if his daughters -- Lauren, 3, and Emily, born in November -- ever asked why he had gone to Afghanistan, they needed to understand what happened on September 11, 2001.

He was buried yesterday at Arlington National Cemetery, the final resting place for heroes.

Growing up in Calvert County, Gibbons was a guitar-playing free spirit, but one also imbued with a sense of duty that compelled him to join the ROTC in high school.

"The exemplary cadet," said his father, Michael Gibbons Sr., who served with the Air National Guard. "He found a way to challenge himself and find out what his mettle was."

He also dreamed of flying. Two months after high school, he enlisted. He wanted to become a Marine but thought it would be more difficult to become a pilot in the corps. So he joined the Army, becoming a member of the 101st Airborne Division. Then came Desert Storm and his first brush with war.

"When he left for Desert Storm 12 years ago, he said, 'If we don't come home the way we want me to come home, do what we can to get me in Arlington,' " his father recalled.

Before his son left, Michael Gibbons tore a dollar bill and gave half to him.

"Keep this with you. And when you bring it back, bring it back to me safely."

His son did exactly that, returning his half of the dollar bill to his father in Calvert County after a safe tour during the Gulf War. But soon the military was actively reducing its ranks, and Gibbons left the Army.

"He missed what he did in the service and the opportunity to challenge himself," his father said.

So after a year or so, he reenlisted and eventually went to Ranger school. He survived the training, but it was not enough for him. "Rangers can't fly," his father said.

He worked his way into flight school. In 1997, he got his wings.

"Proudest day of his life," his father said. "He had finally arrived."

In December, Gibbons .... talked with his father about going off to war again. He couldn't say where or exactly when, only that it would be soon.

He asked his father for the same torn half of the dollar bill. As he carried the two torn halves -- his son's half laminated to withstand wear and tear -- Michael Gibbons "had the darnedest feeling," he recalled.

"No, you don't want to do this again," the father told himself. He dismissed the feeling: "Ah, that's just jitters."

"I said, 'All right, boy, same drill. I expect your half back,' " Michael Gibbons recalled. " 'And we again will be one,' " his father told him. "He stuck it in his wallet. He hugged me and thanked me. And he left."

On Jan. 30, Michael Gibbons received a call from his daughter-in-law, and shortly thereafter a visit from three Army officers, confirming that his intuition was right.

Thomas Gibbons got his hero's send-off yesterday with full military honors -- replete with the U.S. Army Band playing taps -- and the burial location he had requested years ago. U.S. flags were presented to his family members at the service.

On Wednesday, Gibbons's father partook in a more private ritual. He drove up from Huntington to Arlington and asked the funeral director if he could open the coffin and spend some time with his son.

Then once again, the father took out the torn dollar bill that he had given to his son in 1991.

"I opened up his blazer and put it in his shirt pocket," he said.

Over his son's heart.

Then, he took the other half home with him, saving it for another undertaker at another time.

"When my day comes," the father said, "I'll put it in my shirt pocket. We'll meet together, and we'll be one again."