"Proudly We Hail"
"Proudly We Hail from Douglas Ga."
Ariana(10) and Arissa(8) Gibbs are the daughters of the late Sgt. Mathew Gibbs and Reagan Carver Gibbs of Ambrose.
Sgt. Gibbs was a member of Charlie Co. 648th Engineer Battalion of the Ga. National Guard unit of Douglas, Ga. He was deployed with his unit in May 2005 to Iraq. His unit’s mission was to find and destroy Improvised Explosive Devices (IED’s) along the roads so that other units could travel the roads a little more safely.
Sgt. Gibbs was killed on Aug. 3, 2005 when a car filled with explosives ran thru a checkpoint and detonated near his vehicle. Two other soldiers, Sgt. Charles Warren and Sgt. Louie Gainey, were also killed in the explosion.
As a tribute and memorial to Sgt. Gibbs, Ariana and Arissa’s grandmother (Lee Carver) decided that since Mathew had a real love of roses, they would plant a rose garden at their home. A red rose named Veterans Honor was chosen, and the garden began in the spring of 2006. Both of the girls assist their Nana in caring for these roses planted in tribute to their late father.
The Garden consists of 21 roses (Mathew’s age when he was killed) in a circular bed. The center piece of the display is the American Flag. The American flag has flown over these roses every day since the spring of 2006. As you drive up the driveway to the Carver home, the rose garden and its waving flag is one of the first things you see.
Ari and Rissa have a collection of flags that have been given to them. These flags include flags presented to the girls by the Army, the American Legion, VFW, and The Patriot Guard Riders. Of special significance, each of the girls have flags that were flown over the US Capital, the White House, and the State Capital.
