GILROY—The message on the wreath placed at the grave of former Gilroy Mayor Kevin “Mike” Gilroy wasn’t about the Vietnam War hero’s Medal of Honor nomination, Air Force Cross or his 100 missions, it wasn’t even a personal note to the big-time flyer and small town mayor who died Nov. 13, 2013 and is buried at St. Mary Cemetery off First Street.
The message, set against a spray of purple, lavender and white flowers, reads, “Thanks, Ed! Aug. 7, 1966.”
It was penned by Gilroy’s family, a thank you 49 years later to the fighter pilot they believe saved Mike’s life on that date when their F-105 was hit by North Vietnamese fire and was going down fast.
The pilot coaxed the smoking aircraft over the Gulf of Tonkin where the two could eject into the water. They were later picked up by a rescue plane amid a fusillade of enemy machine gun fire from a nearby island.
The Ed on the wreath is Ed Larson, Gilroy’s pilot that day. Gilroy was the aircraft’s electronic warfare officer, or EWO, responsible for homing in on the radar signals of enemy surface-to-air missile batteries so he and his pilot could swoop down over them, often dodging missiles, and destroy the guns that had been downing American planes with impunity before Gilroy’s special group, the Wild Weasels, was created to deal with the SAMs.
But it wasn’t only the planes and dangerous mission that made the Weasels work and stand out, according to Gilroy’s grandson, Chris Henderson, 31, of Gilroy, a former U.S. Marine who served two tours of duty in Iraq between 2002 and 2005.
“It also takes a special type of person,” he said. “Grandpa was special because when he . . . and others were put to the test his true character shined through and his actions matched.”
Henderson is a son of Gilroy’s daughter, Denise, who died in a motorcycle accident in 2011.
Bob Dillon, a friend of Gilroy’s and a former Gilroy city councilman, said one of Gilroy’s cherished possessions was from the plane that was shot down, a piece of the cable from the ejector seat.
“He told me that after he ejected he found it stuck in his pocket. He had no idea why he still had it. He framed it and had it on his wall,” Dillon said.
Another Gilroy friend and Vietnam War vet is Joe Kline, the public information officer for the city of Gilroy and an acclaimed aviation artist.
He took Gilroy’s 1966 shoot down story and created a remarkable oil painting that depicts the moment Gilroy and Larson ejected.
Gilroy, who retired from the Air Force as a Colonel, was a descendant of the city’s namesake, John Gilroy, but grew up on the San Francisco Peninsula where he for a time studied to be a priest. He did not move to Gilroy until after his retirement from the Air Force. He served on the city council from 1991-97 and as mayor from 1997-99.
In the USAF, where his height kept him from being a pilot, he started in aircraft maintenance, went on to be a crewman on B-52 bombers, then volunteered for the Weasels. He went on to become one of the military’s top experts in electronic warfare and a liaison to NATO.
Growing up with a grandfather like that has a lot of upsides according to Chris Henderson.
“A few of the most important things I was able to learn from him was to stand up for what you believe is right. It might not be the most popular choice, the easy choice, but it needs to be done. Do the right thing all the time, even when no one is looking. Never give up, hold your head up high and have a smile on your face,” he said.
“The last one that comes to mind is one that many others can probably relate to, embrace life, family and friends. They make this journey of life a little easier, those hard times a little easier, and provide motivation when you need it. If we embrace life, family and friends to the fullest, we might just have some fun along the way,” Henderson recalled of his grandfather’s philosophy of life.
“Very few people in this world are like Grandpa, he was highly decorated, extremely smart and never once boasted about it or talked down to anyone,” Henderson said.
By war’s end, Gilroy had flown 100 missions. He was nominated along with another pilot for the Medal of Honor. The pilot received the Medal of Honor and Gilroy was awarded the Air Force Cross.
This year, a new book was published about the Wild Weasels. Written by Dan Hampton, The Hunter Killers mentions Gilroy’s shoot down and he is in one of the book’s group photos.
“It’s unfortunate the his great-granddaughters will not hear the stories from Grandpa about his heroic actions and bravery first hand, but as they grow up they will continue to be told about how unselfish he was and that he always led by example,” Henderson said.
“Anytime we enter the house or while she is playing near it,
my oldest daughter, Adlin, stops and looks at the painting that Joe Kline created that hangs in our living room and says, ‘Wow that looks scary.’”
