In memoriam: Captain Nick Giglio's recruiter remembers him Published Nov. 10, 2009 By Senior Airman Kathrine McDowell 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- For Air Force recruiters, there is no asset more valuable than people, they say, nothing more important than finding and inspiring the branch's next generation. For retired Senior Master Sgt. Ed Bujan, a former Air Force recruiter in Red Bank, N.J., who signed up more than 300 Airmen, there was no recruit more inspiring than Airman 1st Class Nicholas Giglio, who came to be the late 77th Fighter Squadron pilot, Capt. Nicholas Giglio of Shaw Air Force Base, S.C. Captain Giglio died in an F-16 mid-air collision over the Atlantic Oct. 15, 2009. Bujan, just starting out as an Air Force recruiter, met the young man during his senior year of high school. At the time, Giglio was part of the New Jersey Wing Civil Air Patrol, where he would garner the General Billy Mitchell Award. The honor would earn him advanced placement as an Airman 1st Class after completing basic military training. "He came to see me because he could not afford to attend college," recalls Bujan. "I remember him saying in one of our meetings that his goal was to attend Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and fly for the Air Force. "I was impressed by Nick because of his professionalism and his composure at a young age," Bujan continued. "He was well-dressed, well-groomed and always ready to speak Air Force at all his appointments." As a member of the delayed entry program, a program where a recruit has already taken the oath of enlistment and is waiting to leave for basic military training, Captain Giglio was always on time for his monthly visits even though he lived more than an hour away from Bujan's office. Captain Giglio left such a mark on his recruiter that he still remembers the first day Giglio walked into the office with his father. "[His father said to me], 'I am going to give you my son but I only ask that you guide him in the right direction,'" Bujan recalls. To Bujan, the recruit hopeful already had a clear-cut idea of what he wanted to do in the Air Force. "When I entered his room, I knew this kid was going far and his dream of becoming a fighter pilot was real. His room was full of Air Force jet models hanging from the ceiling, to include the F-16 aircraft which he flew 14 years later." The recruiter and Giglio kept in touch as he graduated BMT to become an aircraft communications navigation system journeyman on the C-41 aircraft at McGuire AFB, N.J. Bujan tracked the progress of the young Airman as he finished his career development courses and his college work. Bujan was proud to hear of Giglio's selection to attend Embry Riddle Aeronautical University the first time he met with the board. Bujan was also present at Giglio's wedding and his F-16 graduation in San Antonio, Tex., Giglio drove to Bujan's retirement ceremony in the summer of 2006, driving from Sheppard AFB, Tex., to Randolph AFB, Tex. "I spoke [at my retirement] about Nick and how he became an officer. When it was his turn to speak, he presented me with his first flying helmet which still had the squadron patch covering the visor and his name in small print on the back. "He said, 'I want you to have this helmet because I owe a lot of my success to you.'" Bujan keeps the helmet displayed on the desk of his study next to the shadow box he also received at his retirement. When he heard the news about Captain Giglio's death, Bujan cried at his desk. "I called my wife with the news and we cried together. My heart was broken for him and his family. The knot in my stomach was keeping me from doing my work so I went home to my study and cried for a long time. "I remember my son coming home to sit with me. He said, 'Dad, Nick was like your son and you need to be proud of his accomplishments and for helping him reach his goals. He was doing what many dream of doing.'" Bujan was a recruiter for 12 years. Looking back on his former position, he realized how much he owed the Airman. "My reason for becoming a recruiter and going to New Jersey was to have the opportunity to meet Nick. He was a great person who loved his country and lived the values that his parents gave him at an early age. He was a great American and a great role model that dreamed big and for those that serve our country every day. "I will miss him very much."