Gregory Givings

I would be amiss if I did not share any stories of the Great Greg Givings. Back story, OIF we started in Ali Al Saleem and were battle rostered as a Forward crew to provide Medevac for the 3rd Marine Division, 1st Marine Expedition Force. It was Greg as the Flight Medic, Mike Tilley as the Mechanic, Paul Bryant as a Pilot and myself as the second pilot. As we moved across the desert, we flew day and night pretty much around the clock to provide care for our wounded Marines. Well, late one afternoon we got a call for a pickup, and we started headed to the pickup site. As we were in route we all starting getting a feeling something wasn't quite right. Like we were going the wrong way. Flying at 50 feet, oil fields burning everywhere, smoke, and dusk starting to set in; out of nowhere a 300 foot tower emerges from the smoke just feet in front of us directly in our direction of flight. I wish I wasn't making this up, but time slowed for me as I was flying at that very moment, as I put the aircraft into a hard 90 degree left bank, literally putting the helicopter on its side and being cautious as to not let the tailwheel catch the cables that attached and supported the tower. What seems like an eternity, was only a matter of seconds or milliseconds as we narrowly missed the tower and leveled the aircraft. We all exhaled as we leveled out and were grateful to be alive that day, but Greg let us know afterward that the bulbs that lit the tower were made by GE and that he could read them plain as day (jokingly of course)

Greg was a great friend, my brother from another mother, G2 (Unit Intell/Gossip), Double G. Known by many names, but more so a great friend to everyone he touched. He will be missed by so many, but heaven has the greatest Angel now. Rest in peace brother. You shift is through on this Earth.