Pete Gilbert

Major Gilbert has served three tours of duty in Afghanistan

By John Williams, BucksLocalNews.com

It’s funny how the simple things in life are always the most enjoyable, and oftentimes, the most cherished.

The same can be said of Army Major Pete Gilbert, who had the opportunity to meet his niece, Sophia, for the first time over the Easter holiday when visiting his sister in Newtown.

“It was awesome,” Gilbert, a Maryland native, enthusiastically said. “Over the past six years, I’ve missed out on some of the most important events in any person’s life, like Christmas’s and birthday’s…so being with them in person was a nice change of pace.”

“This all just comes at a great time for me when I’m transitioning to the next stage of my career and my sister having her first child,” he said. “It’s very rewarding.”

Over the past few years, especially with the amount of work that his high tempo unit is assigned to, Major Gilbert didn’t have the opportunities to visit family in the States. He was serving overseas, in many different capacities, in Italy, Kuwait and Afghanistan.

“It’s truly a double-edged sword,” Gilbert said. “On one hand, you’re sacrificing a lot of family occasions and milestones, but on the other hand you’re improving the security situation over there. The long-term goal is the same – protecting the American people.”

He called his position in the military rewarding and said that all of his efforts are worth it to “secure freedom for this generation and beyond.”

Twelve years ago, at age 22, Major Gilbert was commissioned into the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) at Indiana State University in 1998. He received a military scholarship while at college and earned his bachelor’s degree in Communications. He went on to serve three combat tours of duty in Afghanistan as a member of the 173rd Airborne Bridge Combat Team. He spent a total of 42 months in theatre.

Gilbert describes himself as somewhat of a military brat. His father served in the military as well as his grandfather – a World War II veteran.

Currently, he is stationed at the U.S. Army Command and Staff College at Webster’s University in Fort Leventhal, Kansas, and is pursuing his Master’s degree in Acquisitions and Procurement Management.

Typically when you’re ranked Major, you attend the advanced learning center as opposed to a war college, which is usually intended for veteran military personnel.

Upon graduation from the general staff college, he will be assigned to a higher echelon position based on his particular skill set. He plans to stay in the military “for as long as I can.”

He explained military operations in the Afghanistan, and the Middle East as a whole, as complex.

“After being deployed to that theatre of operation I can honestly say I see a lot of improvement in establishing security forces,” he said. “There’s been a lot of reconstruction projects and development in the Afghan national army, the core of security in the country’s police and security agencies.”

He said the objective is to assist the Afghan people with building a government that they can trust.

“Over the past 5 years, I’ve seen significant progress,” Gilbert said. “I partnered as company commander and I would consistently be in contact with the same Afghan leaders and village elders. They’re all tired of the violence in their country and just want a legitimate government.”

In his experience with civilians, he said they want an economy where their children can prosper – an attitude they share with Americans.

“It’s about helping out,” said Gilbert. “When we do bilateral military training, we’re looking to improve their system. In today’s world, we’re going to war as an allied force. It’s coalition-based. In the military, we have to be able to accomplish the mission at any time in any given situation. That’s what we do best.”

Major Gilbert also recognizes the importance in staying neutral when it comes to political rhetoric about the military.

“We can’t afford to lean to one side or the other,” he said. “At that point, we really become ineffective. You need to realize that you serve the American people on-or-off duty. Sharing and experiencing different cultures is critical because when you’re partnering with other countries, they may have a different approach than we may have.”

“The relationships we build at our level are more critical than political attitudes political attitudes that are portrayed in the news media,” he explains.

And his feelings on the U.S. Navy SEALs mission that killed 9-11 mastermind and notorious al-Qaeda terrorist Osama bin Laden?

“I think the death of Bin Laden is critical to destroying and dismantling the adversarial networks that exist world-wide,” he said. “[What a] great Job by our special operations forces in such a decisive operation.”
To sum everything up, Gilbert’s opinion is straightforward and said it will take the work of the international community to seek and rid the world of terrorist hotbeds.

“At a macro level, we’re already fighting in two theatres of operation,” he stated, “and we have to be sure to consider how far we are willing to stretch our already limited forces. It’s all tied back to the international community and what our allies are willing to contribute.”

For now though, it’s back to enjoying “life in the States” and the “smaller things in life,” like getting his degree, advancing his career and enjoying time with his family.

“My sister having a child has really changed a few things and the center of attention is on Sophia,” he said. “It’s nice to sit down, not venturing out too far, and sharing memories and stories. It’s something that I’ve missed in the past, but now can look forward to.”