ABOUT BUTCH GILBERT

Harold. B. “Butch” Gilbert grew up in Rochester, New York. In 1977, he earned a BA in Mathematics at Syracuse University and was commissioned in the United States Air Force. Then he earned a BS in Meteorology from Penn State and served as a USAF Weather Officer until 1981. 

1982 was a big year — Butch attended USAF Flight School where he met and married Mary Ana. Mary Ana is a pilot for Delta. 

Butch flew Special Operations aircraft, MC-130s, during two overseas assignments in the Philippines and Germany.  

He earned his master’s degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He was assigned to MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida from 1990 thru 1993. Butch and Mary Ana now call Tampa “home.”

After retirement from the Air Force, Butch flew for a small passenger airline; then, in 1995 was hired by Federal Express. He is retiried in 2020. A passionate aviator, he will continue to fly — he and Mary Ana own a twin-engine aircraft.

Butch converted to Catholicism in 2012. His personal mission post-retirement is to devote himself to sharing the inspirational and important stories of the Medal of Honor military chaplains that have greatly impacted him in the hope that their memories may influence the faith and patriotism of many.