NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - After losing her husband in Iraq, a Brentwood widow bridged heartbreak into hope. Through his death, she connected with an organization that changed the trajectory of her children’s lives through education.

U.S. Air Force Maj. Troy Gilbert and his wife, Ginger, were married for 13 years and had five children together. He served in the Air Force as a fighter pilot 11 of those years.

“That’s what I saw in Troy,” Ginger said. “He was always truly living for serving other people.”

In 2006, Gilbert’s F-16 jet crashed during combat in Iraq. He died defending the lives of U.S. Special Forces after a helicopter crashed.

Members of al-Qaida stole his body from the charred wreckage. It was 10 years before it was fully recovered and returned to his family.

“My little ki

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