Major Troy Gilbert's Wife Speaks Out Against the Liberal Media

While they (that is, the media) remain largely silent on it. The only place I've seen this story gain any legs and traction, is in the conservative blogosphere.

Here's the background:

In November of 2006, Major Troy Gilbert was killed when the F-16 he was piloting crashed while supporting ground forces in Iraq. Gilbert was assigned to the 309th Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base. In the last week, an al Qaeda-led group released a video which they claim is the body of Gilbert, along with anti war propaganda.

In the video, terrorists rail against George Bush and American policies, and shows images of what appears to be a body in a U.S. soldier uniform, along with an ID card with Gilbert's name and photo. The group claims to have shot down Gilbert's aircraft, but the cause of the crash remains unknown.

Rusty gives The Jawa Report:

Over the past several days I have received dozens of requests to see the recent video released by al Qaeda in Iraq which showed the terror organization desecrating the body of downed pilot Maj. Troy L. Gilbert. The majority of those requests came from Troy's friends and comrades at Luke Air Force Base. They expressed a wish to see just what it was that Troy was fighting in Iraq.

Despite my hesitation over sending the video, many insisted that they needed to see the video. Some of them are close with Troy's widow, Ginger Gilbert, and felt that watching the video would help them support her in this time of need.

One of those that requested the video is an instructor at Luke AFB. He says he will use the video to show his students what they are up against.

Friends of the Gilbert family told me earlier today that Ginger, would be holding a press conference today.

This is what Ginger said:

"When media chooses to use Troy's plane crash as a political catalyst to generate anti-war sentiment, it only serves to degrade the moral integrity my husband possessed and the morale of those still selflessly serving," Gilbert said at news conference at Glendale's Falcon Dunes Golf Course, across from Luke.

"Every time the press lends credibility and significance to terrorist propaganda clearly designed to erode public support or questions the validity of our brave soldiers' selfless acts of service and the war itself," she added, "it only serves to damage our country from within its own borders and embolden those who would do us harm."

I wonder: if Ginger spoke out against the war, lashed out at our President, do you suppose the media would have then made a circus frenzy over this press conference?

Confederate Yankee links to what media outlets have reported this.

Also blogging:
BlackFive
Bookworm Room
Flopping Aces (cross-post)
Hugh Hewitt
The Strata-Sphere

Steve Schippert at National Review

God bless Ginger and her five children. And may her husband rest in peace.

Ginger Gilbert, widow of Air Force Maj. Troy Gilbert, a war victim in Iraq, gets support from well-wishers as she lashes out at the national media during a meeting with reporters near Luke Air Force Base. [Photo by Scott Wong]