Captain Robert "Hoot" Gibson
The Chattanooga Area Veterans Council and Parade Committee announces one of the co-grand marshals for the historic 76th Armed Forces Week Parade is Captain Robert T. “Hoot” Gibson, USN [Ret].
Officials said, "The CAVC urges residents and visitors alike to join them at 10:30 a.m. this Friday in celebrating our patriots by lining both sides of Market Street from MLK to 2nd Street and then left on 2nd toward the Reviewing Stand positioned in front of the Tennessee Aquarium and the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center.
"Chattanooga is home to the nation’s longest, continuously-stage Armed Forces Week parade, having staged the historic parade since 1949.
This year’s hallmark event will spotlight the nation’s newest branch, the United States Space Command, while paying homage to all branches - - Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard and National Guard - - active-duty and veterans."
Captain Gibson entered active duty with the Navy in 1969, receiving his primary and basic flight training at Naval Air Stations Saufley Field and Pensacola, Fl. and Meridian, Ms., with advanced flight training at the Naval Air Station at Kingsville, Tx. While assigned to Fighter Squadrons 111 and 1, from April 1972 to September 1975, he saw duty aboard the USS Coral Sea [CVA-43] and the USS Enterprise [CVAN-65] – flying combat missions in Southeast Asia. A graduate of the Naval Fighter Weapons School, “TOPGUN,” Captain Gibson returned to the U.S. and served as a F-14A instructor pilot with Fighter Squadron 124. He then graduated from U.S. Naval Test Pilot School and became involved in the test and evaluation of F-14A aircraft while assigned to Naval Air Test Center’s Strike Aircraft Test Directorate. The captain’s flight experience includes over 6,000 hours in 50 types of civil and military aircraft, including over 300 carrier landings.
Selected by NASA in January 1978, Captain Gibson became an astronaut in August 1979, ultimately flying five shuttle missions into space, serving as spacecraft commander on four of those missions. He participated in the investigation of the Space Shuttle Challenger accident and was instrumental in the redesign and certification of the solid rocket booster. Captain Gibson also served as chief of the Astronaut Office and deputy director, Flight Crew Operations for NASA.
Among his special honors are world records for “Altitude in Horizontal Flight,” Airplane Class C1A in 1991 and “Time to Climb 9000 Meters” in 1994. Awards include the Federation Aeronautique Internationale “Louis Bleriot Medal” and the Experimental Aircraft Association’s “Freedom of Flight” Award. Military awards include: Defense Superior Service Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross; 3 Air Medals; the Navy Commendation Medal with Combat “V”, Navy Unit Commendation, Meritorious Unit Commendation, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal and Vietnam Campaign Medal.
"Chattanooga enthusiastically welcomes NASA Astronaut and Captain Robert L. “Hoot” Gibson, USN [RET] as one of the 2025 Armed Forces Week Parade co-grand marshals," officials said.
His co-grand marshal will be announced tomorrow.