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Family is more than just DNA it’s about people who care and take care of each other.
~ Leroy Jethro Gibbs
I've seen bad turn to good plenty of times. You just can't lose faith.
~ Leroy Jethro Gibbs
What have you heard? That suspects would rather confess than be interrogated by him? That his steely gaze can cool a room by five degrees? That he can only be killed by a silver bullet, like a werewolf? Well, it's all true, except the silver bullet part. Might give him indigestion or heartburn, but I don't think it'd kill him. Any other questions?
~ Tony DiNozzo

Leroy Jethro Gibbs (b. 21/9/54) is the protagonist character of the TV series NCIS and NCIS: Origins. He is a former United States Marine Corps (USMC) Scout Sniper-turned-NIS/NCIS Special Agent who commands the Major Case Response Team (MCRT) for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS). Gibbs is the most accomplished marksman on the team and the most skilled at handling violent standoffs; he depends on his other agents heavily for technical forensics and background checks. He is patient but firm with his team and has little patience for bureaucracy; he commands most other main characters.

Gibbs is portrayed by Mark Harmon, as well as Austin Stowell (NIS/NCIS days), and Sean Harmon (USMC days).

Biography[]

Born in the small town of Stillwater, Pennsylvania, in 1954, Gibbs was the only child of United States Army Air Forces veteran Jackson Gibbs and civilian housewife Ann Gibbs, with Gibbs receiving his first two names in honor of Leroy Jethro Moore, Jackson's best friend and business partner.

Gibbs had a very quiet upbringing but suffered a tragedy at the age of 14 when his mother died of cancer. It was revealed that she had actually committed suicide so that her husband and son would not have to watch her suffer, leaving Jackson a widower and also forcing him to raise young Gibbs all by himself.

Jackson blamed Moore for her death as she had confided in him about what she was going to do and he had not stopped her, with this secret breaking apart their friendship and neither Gibbs nor his father seeing Moore again for many years.

As a teenager, Gibbs faced confrontations with Chuck Winslow and Ed Gantry, two bullies. In one confrontation, he was overwhelmed by them until his father put an end to it. Both Gibbs and Winslow swore to get the other. During this time, he became captivated by local girl Shannon Fielding, later Shannon Gibbs, who he would properly meet for the first time before being deployed. It is later revealed that Shannon inspired Gibbs to create his rules as she was creating her own set of rules to live by. They later married in 1982 and had a baby girl in 1984 whom they would name Kelly Gibbs.

After graduating from high school, Gibbs was given the option of going to college but chose to join the Marine Corps instead. Gibbs enlisted in 1976 and shipped to Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island for recruit training. There he befriended fellow marine Joan Matteson, but she was one of several marines killed in a helicopter crash in 1977 after she was deployed to Japan.

Gibbs' early years in the Marine Corps were with the military police. He rose to non-commissioned officer rank of gunnery sergeant and was stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune at one point. Later, Gibbs became a United States Marine Corps Scout Sniper and saw several overseas deployments. In 1989-1990, Gibbs deployed to Panama as part of Operation Just Cause. In 1990-1991, he deployed to Kuwait with the 1st Battalion, 1st Marines during Operation Desert Storm.

His CO during Desert Storm was Lieutenant Colonel William Ryan with Lieutenant David Cameron, who died in Gibbs' arms during a battle. As a Marine, Gibbs befriended Bushnell, future Senator Patrick Kiley, and Charles T. Ellison, three people he would once encounter during his time as an NCIS agent.

Around 1991, Shannon witnessed the murder of a marine by Mexican drug cartel leader Pedro Hernandez and agreed to testify against him, with her and their daughter Kelly being placed under the protection of NIS Special Agent Kurt Mitchell. However, Mitchell was killed by Hernandez while driving them and died instantly, with both Shannon and Kelly dying in the crash.

During his deployment in Desert Storm, Gibbs received the news that both Shannon and Kelly had been murdered. Despite being grief-stricken and devastated, Gibbs opted to stay and fight. He was wounded during an engagement and left comatose for nineteen days. As he had been wounded in combat with an enemy force, Gibbs was awarded the Purple Heart medal.

During his recovery process, Gibbs visited the graves of his dead wife and daughter. He also met NIS agent Michael Franks who was investigating their deaths.

Once he had recovered, Gibbs got the name of the suspect in Shannon's case and personally traveled to Mexico, where he shot dead Pedro Hernandez in revenge. He was investigated for the shooting by Lieutenant Lara Macy of the United States Marine Corps Military Police, but she closed her investigation after learning about the circumstances that led to the shooting.

In 1992, Gibbs was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps. Following that, Gibbs joined the NIS, presumably having been impressed and inspired by Franks's actions. He subsequently became a Probationary Agent with Franks handling most of Gibbs's own training.

As an NIS Probationary Agent, Gibbs worked alongside Dwayne Cassius Pride, Dan McLane and Felix Betts with the group being called the "Fed. Five". Gibbs also met Vera Strickland, Franks's partner at the time.

After Franks had retired from (later NCIS in 1996), Gibbs began working as an undercover agent. He also traveled the world while serving as a training officer to NCIS Special Agent Stanley Burley.

In 1999, NCIS Special Agent Riley McCallister sent Gibbs to Europe, the destination being Paris, France where Gibbs met NCIS agents William Decker and Jennifer Shepard, as well as medical examiner Dr. Donald Mallard.

During their time in Paris, Gibbs and Jenny participated in a mission with Decker serving as their handler with the objective being to eliminate Russian arms dealer Anatoly Zhukov and his fiancée, Svetlana Chernitskaya. Gibbs managed to kill Zhukov, but Jenny hesitated and let Svetlana escape.

Gibbs and Shepard became partners and eventually lovers with the relationship soon ending after Jenny left Gibbs a "Dear John" letter. Gibbs was later assigned to Moscow where he worked alongside NCIS Special Agent Grisha Callen.

Later, Gibbs served as an Agent Afloat on board an unnamed United States Navy ship in the Mediterranean Sea. Upon his deployment ending, Gibbs returned home and found his then-wife, Rebecca Chase in bed with another man. As such, Gibbs and Rebecca divorced.

In 2001, Burley became an Agent Afloat while Gibbs was assigned to the NCIS Headquarters located in the Washington Navy Yard.

While there, Gibbs formed his own team originally composed of former Baltimore Police Department Detective Anthony DiNozzo, Forensics Specialist Abigail Sciuto and Ducky with former FBI agent Vivian Blackadder later joining the team a few months after the attack on the USS Cole that had killed her brother, Rex.

Series[]

Gibbs is a highly skilled marksman with both his agency-issued P228 pistol (replaced with an M1911A1 in Season 15) and a sniper rifle. In the season 7 premiere, "Truth or Consequences", he kills the terrorists holding his team hostage from an exceptionally long distance and in "South by Southwest" he outshoots a professional hitman in an approaching helicopter. His knowledge of the Marine Corps and training as a sniper often comes into use, as shown in the episodes "Ravenous", "Vanished" and "Twenty Klicks" where he uses his wilderness tracking skills and marksmanship to aid the investigation and/or get the team out of trouble.

Gibbs is a private man of few words who discloses little to nothing about his personal life. He avoids discussing his life or past before he joined NCIS, especially to agents and co-workers under him, which leads to his team members constantly speculating over his private life. Aside from his tendency to use military slang, he rarely mentions or speaks at length about his time in the Marine Corps although he is often referred to as "Gunny" by other Navy and Marine officers, occasionally dons a "USMC" hoodie or T-shirt when off duty and has a replica of the iconic Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima photograph framed and mounted above the fireplace in his home.

In the season 4 episode "Singled Out", McGee asks Gibbs how long he has been a special agent, to which Gibbs responds, "16 years". This contradicts Gibbs' statement in the JAG season 8 episode "Ice Queen", when in response to Harmon Rabb's question, "How long have you been doing this, Gibbs?", Gibbs responds, "19 years".

Gibbs holds service personnel in the armed forces in high esteem and to a higher standard. He becomes particularly indignant when the guilty party is someone in a position of trust and authority, and he has reacted violently on several occasions when apprehending corrupt high-ranking officers who committed crimes for monetary gain.

During the Season 6 episode "Heartland", Gibbs, Ziva, and McGee travel back to his hometown, where he reunites with his father Jackson and introduces him to his team. While working the case there, he reminisces on his past. It also became known that he and his father were estranged after the funeral of his family. By the end, they reconcile and promise to keep in contact.

Through a series of episodes over a few years, it becomes clear that Gibbs killed Pedro Hernandez in revenge for the death of his wife Shannon and his daughter Kelly. In the episode "Borderland" (Season 7, episode 22), an unknown conspirator manipulates events so that Abby ends up investigating the murder as a cold case and finds irrefutable proof that Gibbs is responsible. Hernandez' now-grown children Paloma Reynosa, the head of the Reynosa drug cartel after taking her spouse's place when he was killed, and Alejandro Rivera, a high-ranking official of the Mexican Justice Department appear in the episode "Spider and the Fly". In this episode, Gibbs manipulates Alejandro Rivera into killing Paloma, and Alejandro is subsequently arrested. Shortly thereafter, Director Vance files Abby's report proving that Gibbs killed Hernandez deep in the NCIS evidence room. When Gibbs comes under investigation in the Season 10 finale "Damned If You Do", Vance retrieves the report and shreds it, deciding to permanently bury all leads to the truth so that Gibbs will not be found and convicted of murder.

He held this position as Special Agent in charge of the NCIS Major Case Response Team up until season 18, when he was suspended with his second-in-command, NCIS Special Agent Timothy McGee succeeding him as the agent in charge of the MCRT.

In season 19 episode "Great Wild Open", Gibbs resigned from the team and NCIS for good, opting to remain in Alaska instead of returning to Washington D.C. and ultimately resuming his career as the leader of the MCRT and also an NCIS Special Agent.

Relationships[]

Family[]

In the season 6 episode "Heartland", Gibbs' frosty relationship with his father Jackson and the backstory behind it is revealed. His father had rarely been mentioned up to that point and Jackson had not known that Gibbs was a "boss" until Gibbs and his team visited Stillwater to investigate a case. By the end of the episode, they make amends and the two have become closer ever since then. Gibbs even warned his father of a threat after him and his father took the extra precaution to be ready. He was also devastated when Jackson died of a stroke in Season 11.

Marriages[]

Shannon Fielding[]

In the episode "Heartland", Gibbs is revealed by flashbacks to have met his first wife, Shannon (portrayed in that episode by Aviva Baumann), while waiting at the Stillwater train platform in 1976, where she tells him about her rules for life that would inspire a similar set of Gibbs' own that he now teaches to his subordinate agents at NCIS. In "Hiatus (Part II)", they were stated to have married in April 1982, and Kelly (Mary Mouser) was born in July 1984. He was unable to be at the birth of Kelly as he was deployed. Shannon, along with their eight-year-old daughter Kelly, was murdered by a Mexican drug dealer named Pedro Hernandez on the last official day of Operation Desert Storm. Gibbs was an active member of the Marine Corps at the time and was still overseas when they were killed. In "Hiatus (Part II)" Director Shepard tells Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard that Shannon had witnessed a murder of a Marine at Camp Pendleton, where Gibbs was based at that time. Shannon had identified the murderer as Mexican-born drug dealer Pedro Hernandez. Afterwards, Hernandez shot the NIS agent driving Shannon and Kelly in a minivan and the subsequent crash took their lives. Gibbs retaliated by seeking out Pedro and assassinating him, leaving behind an empty shell casing as a message. This secret remained with him for 20 years until it came to light when Abby discovered the truth through a forensic investigation.

Diane Sterling[]

She was Gibbs' second wife. After divorcing Gibbs, she married FBI Senior Special Agent Tobias Fornell (Joe Spano). However, this marriage was only slightly more positive than her last, and ultimately failed. As she did with Gibbs, Diane drained Fornell's bank account when she left him. Fornell and Diane have a daughter, Emily. In the season 9 episode "Devil's Triangle", Gibbs tells Diane that he liked her—he always liked her, and still likes her. (Diane tells him their marriage fell apart because she was in love with him, but she could not compete with Shannon.) Diane is later shot dead by terrorist Sergei Mishnev during the Season 12 episode "Check".

Rebecca Chase[]

She was Gibbs' third wife, is introduced in season 12. She and Gibbs divorced because Rebecca cheated on Gibbs, and it is revealed in that season's episode 11 that she is marrying the man with whom she cheated on Gibbs.

Stephanie Flynn[]

She was Gibbs' four wife, also a redhead, lived with him during his service in Moscow, Russia, for about a year. According to Gibbs, she was the one who left him. The reason for this was revealed in the Season 3 episode "Mind Games", where Ducky noted Gibbs became so obsessed with catching serial killer Kyle Boone it incited the collapse of their marriage, which happened no later than 1995, the year Gibbs captured Boone. She is also said in the Season 1 episode, "Hung Out to Dry", to get drunk and dial Gibbs incessantly on the day of their former wedding anniversary, which causes him to aggressively disable or even ruin his phones to shut her out.

Romances[]

After Shannon and Kelly's deaths and before he married his second wife, it is suggested that Gibbs had an affair with a woman named Rose Tamayo in Colombia. He was on a classified drug interdiction mission as a Marine Scout Sniper and was wounded during the mission. In "Deliverance", Rose's now-adult son Tomas is introduced as a person of interest in a case. Gibbs team suspected that he was the boy's father, but Gibbs later reveals to Tomas that Rose was already pregnant when Gibbs came to their village. It is later revealed that the drug lord Gibbs was sent to assassinate was the boy's father.

Gibbs also had a past romantic relationship with the (now deceased) director of NCIS, Jenny Shepard, who was also his partner at the time. Jenny was also a redhead. In the first, second, and third seasons, he was seen in the company of a mysterious (and never-identified) redheaded woman. According to Bellisario, the purpose of "the mysterious redhead" was "to make everyone speculate".

In season four, he has a steady, serious relationship with Army CID agent Lt. Col. Hollis Mann (Susanna Thompson), but their relationship is revealed to be over at the beginning of season five.

In season 7, Gibbs meets lawyer Margaret Allison Hart (Rena Sofer), who worked for an old enemy of Gibbs, Col. Merton Bell. Although Gibbs and Hart oppose each other over several cases, they are also attracted to one another. When it was discovered that Bell was responsible for the death of Lara Macy in connection with the long-ago murder of Pedro Hernandez, Hart turned her back on Bell, showing her allegiance to Gibbs.

In season 9, Gibbs begins a romance with Dr. Samantha Ryan (Jamie Lee Curtis), a psychologist with the DOD Psychological Operations, who has collaborated with his team in several episodes.

The season 16 episode "Hail and Farewell" revealed that Gibbs was also engaged to a fifth woman, Ellen Wallace, who was thought to have died in the September 11 attacks but was murdered the night before; Gibbs broke off the engagement about two months before her death.

Since her introduction in the series in season 15 episode 4, forensic psychologist Jack Sloane (Maria Bello) has shared a close bond with Gibbs, to the point that the other team members question if Gibbs and Sloane have "a thing". The two share a kiss in Sloane's final episode (season 18 episode 8).

Colleagues[]

Gibbs tends to be reticent, and reluctant to reveal his feelings. Only Ducky (Dr. Mallard) and Jenny get to call him "Jethro" on a regular basis because they have worked/known each other for a considerable time (at least since he was in Paris undercover) and there is a heightened sense of trust on both sides, although this seems to have diminished somewhat after Gibbs' return to NCIS.

He is mostly called "Gibbs" by colleagues, "boss" by Tony and McGee. He is called "Gunny" by former USMC associates. He has been married three times to red-haired women — his later three marriages all ended badly. The first wife was murdered, one ex-wife attacked him with a golf club (seven iron) and now stalks him on the anniversary of their split, and the other attacked him with a baseball bat. The mysterious red-headed woman who appears briefly to drop him off or pick him up at the end of a case (mostly during season one) is never identified. Jenny Shepard, another former love interest, is also a redhead. A couple of very early episodes suggested an attraction existed between Gibbs and Caitlin Todd, but any possibility of this going beyond flirting and jokes evaporated when he indicated to her that it was a bad idea for NCIS operatives to have a relationship (a possible reference to Jenny Shepard). Gibb's relationship with Ziva is one of trust although he tends to keep her on a bit of a short leash because he knows how dangerous she can be, leading to one investigation in which he didn't involve her in a search for the suspect because she probably would have killed him which Ziva confirms that that's probably the reason. He has also had to remind her more than once that suspects are needed to be brought in alive.

During the first season, Gibbs develops a habit of smacking his subordinates on the head if they do or say something foolish. Tony is the most frequent target of this, though most of the others have all endured their share of smacking as well. Gibbs is not above giving himself the same treatment; in a third season episode he is seen smacking his own head (in private) when he chooses to tamper with evidence in order to protect a marine's career. In the season three finale, "Hiatus", one flashback shows that Gibbs got this idea from his own boss back when he was still a "Probie", when his now-elderly boss smacks him on the head.

Gibbs is fond of Abby, regularly bribing her with her favorite "Caf-Pow!" beverage. He is so fond of her, treating her like a daughter, in fact, that when a former date of hers stalks her, Gibbs threatens him by saying "The only reason you're still able to walk is because I never heard about you until today!" Abby is the only person to whom Gibbs regularly shows any affection, usually in the form of a hug or a kiss on the cheek, and she reciprocates just as much. Similarly, she is often the only one who can get away with teasing him. He is particularly protective of her, almost failing to control his anger when she is nearly killed in an episode of season four, "Driven." Professionally, he has a lot of faith in her knowledge of forensics, often relying on her for answers and help in solving cases; he once declared that in the lab, "Abby doesn't have accidents."

Personality[]

Gibbs can be very charming in an understated way, and he has a dry sense of humor. He is something of a gentleman, often being very decorous and restrained, such as when his last ex-wife, Stephanie, lashed out at him for questioning her boyfriend as a suspect on a case. He already knew that her boyfriend was having an affair with her friend, but did not throw it in her face in retaliation.

Gibbs has a love for children, and often goes out of his way to help and comfort them. Some instances are when he finished the tree-house for the son of a dead marine, giving a scout who found a dead body his NCIS hat, letting a girl under NCIS protection stay at his house, and using his woodworking skill and his father's help to make toys for kids at Christmas time.

Gibbs is very unforgiving of his colleague's mistakes and demands high quality work from his team as well as himself. He rarely accepts apologies for mistakes and will head slap most of the members of his team whenever they become distracted from the current case with DiNozzo usually receiving most of the slaps. He has even been known to head slap himself when he falsified evidence in order to protect a Marine's career.

Gibbs's chief hobby is wood-working, and is famous to his team and colleagues for building boats by hand in his basement. He has made four boats, the first three being named after each of his ex-wives and burned after their completion and his divorce from the wife in question. The fourth was named the Kelly, after his deceased daughter, and was gifted to his goddaughter, Amira. After removing the fourth boat from his basement, Gibbs moved on to making wooden toys for orphans, which he donated for Christmas in 2009.

Gibbs is a chronic coffee-drinker, even having a rule concerning coffee. He is farsighted, and for a few years he refused to wear the corrective lenses that he needed to allow him to read things like fine print. Gibbs also displays an uncanny knowledge of his co-workers' activities. He will often walk into the squad-room when his team is engaging in a completely off-topic conversation. When he arrives, his team will switch over to conversing about the case, covering for their distraction, but Gibbs often follows up with a comment related to the off-topic conversation, indicating that he is aware of what they were discussing which leaves his team surprised. During his brief tenure as head of the team, Tony attempted to replicate this by "listening in" on the team's conversation with a cell phone and an open line. However, Gibbs also demonstrated his knowledge of the conversation without Tony's props.

Gibbs' rules[]

Gibbs is so dedicated to his job he even created his own set of rules and teaches to the people he works closely with.

In Season 1's "Missing", Tony guessed that the rules originated with the Marine Corps, but Gunnery Sergeant Bill Atlas confessed that he had never heard of them.

On the other hand, during the Season 2 episode, Forced Entry (episode) when Rule Twenty-Three was once referred to during a case, a nearby MP quoted the rule correctly.

Later, in Season 6's "Heartland", Tony asked Jackson Gibbs whether he had taught the rules to Leroy, but Jackson ruefully said he hadn't managed to teach his son much of anything.

It was revealed in the last few minutes of "Heartland" that Gibbs's rules originated from his first wife, Shannon Gibbs, where she told him at their first meeting that "Everyone needs a code they can live by". The only rule of Shannon's personal code that is quoted is either her first or third: "Never date a lumberjack."

Years later, after their wedding, Gibbs began writing his rules down, keeping them in a small tin inside his home which was shown in the Season 7 finale episode, Rule Fifty-One. Though he uses it often we almost never see the tin.

The knowledge of the rules' origins is left as a mystery to the people that Gibbs works with, though some of them do make concentrated efforts to find out. Anthony DiNozzo makes several attempts to find out who taught Gibbs the rules, though he has not yet met with any success.

The Rules[]

  • Rule#1(1): Never let suspects stay together.
    • Rule#1(2): Never screw over your partner.
  • Rule#2: Always wear gloves at a crime scene.
  • Rule#3(1): Don't believe what you're told. Double check.
    • Rule#3(2): Never be unreachable.
  • Rule#4: The best way to keep a secret? Keep it to yourself. Second best? Tell one other person - if you must. There is no third best.
  • Rule#5: You don't waste good.
  • Rule#6: Never say you're sorry. It's a sign of weakness.
  • Rule#7: Always be specific when you lie.
  • Rule#8: Never take anything for granted.
  • Rule#9: Never go anywhere without a knife.
  • Rule#10: Never get personally involved in a case.
  • Rule#11: When the job is done, walk away.
  • Rule#13: Never, ever involve lawyers.
  • Rule#14: Bend the line, don't break it.
  • Rule#15: Always work as a team.
  • Rule#16: If someone thinks they have the upper hand, break it.
  • Rule#17: Never, ever interrupt Gibbs during an interrogation.
  • Rule#18: It's better to seek forgiveness than ask permission.
  • Rule#20: Always look under.
  • Rule#22: Never ever bother Gibbs in interrogation.
  • Rule#23: Never mess with a Marine's coffee... if you want to live.
  • Rule#27: There are two ways to follow someone. First way, they never notice you. Second way, they only notice you.
  • Rule#28: When you need help, ask. *Rule#35: Always watch the watchers.
  • Rule#36: If you feel like you are being played, you probably are.
  • Rule#38: Your case, you're lead.
  • Rule#39 There is no such thing as coincidence.
    • Rule#39A: There is no such thing as a small world
  • Rule#40: If it seems like someone is out to get you, they are.
  • Rule#42: Never accept an apology from someone who just sucker punched you.
  • Rule#44: First things first, hide the women and children.
  • Rule#45: Clean up the mess that you make.
  • Rule#51: Sometimes you're wrong.
  • Rule#62: Always give people space when they get off an elevator.
  • Rule#69: Never trust a woman who doesn't trust her man.
  • Rule#73: Never meet your heroes.
  • Rule#91: When you walk away, don't look back.

Unnumbered Rules[]

  1. In my country, on my team, working my cases, my people don't bypass the chain of command.
  2. Don't work the system when you can work the people.
  3. Don't stop checking and rechecking evidence until you are satisfied.
  4. If you want to find something, you follow it.
  5. Never second guess yourself in a relationship and life.

Awards and citations[]

At the end of the episode "Murder 2.0", Gibbs was awarded his seventh Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award, but as with the other six times, he did not attend the award ceremony and Tony accepts the medal on his behalf. When Gibbs shows no interest in it, Tony locks it in a box containing several similar presentation cases, all of which were awarded to Gibbs. One of these medals is revealed to have been a Silver Star, which Gibbs bestows on Corporal Damon Werth in the episode "Corporal Punishment". It is revealed in the episode "Hiatus Pt. 1" that Gibbs received the Purple Heart after being injured in Operation Desert Storm during the Gulf War and was in a coma for nineteen days as a result.

Gibbs was shown wearing the following awards and decorations in the episodes "One Shot, One Kill" and "Honor Code".

Note: The Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Medal ribbon is placed as a U.S. non-military personal decoration in the order of precedence

United States Marine Corps[]

Here is a list of awards and decorations worn by GySgt. Gibbs:

  • Silver Star (later gifted to Damon Werth)
  • Purple Heart
  • Navy & Marine Corps Commendation Medal, w/2 gold award stars (3rd award)
  • Combat Action Ribbon
  • Navy Unit Commendation
  • Meritorious Unit Commendation, w/1 bronze service star (2nd award)
  • Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, w/1 silver service star (6th award)
  • Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal
  • National Defense Service Medal, w/1 bronze service star (2nd award)
  • Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
  • Southwest Asia Service Medal, w/bronze service star (2nd award)
  • Humanitarian Service Medal
  • Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, w/3 bronze service stars (4th award)
  • Navy & Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon
  • United Nations Medal
  • Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia)
  • Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)
  • Diver insignia
  • Naval Parachutist insignia
  • Marine Corps Expert Rifle Badge
  • Marine Corps Expert Pistol Badge

Gibbs also gave a Bronze Star to Ruby Lemere, the widow of Marine Sgt. Ted Lemere, on behalf of the sergeant's military dog Dex, admitting that it had not been "officially" awarded, indicating the medal was, like the above-mentioned Silver Star, originally awarded to Gibbs.

Naval Criminal Investigative Service[]

Here is a list of awards and decorations received by Sp. Agt. Gibbs:

  • Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award (7th award).

Trivia[]

  • He, Timothy McGee, Jimmy Palmer and Donald Mallard are the only main characters to have met every other main character in the mothership.
  • There have been a few inconsistencies in his age/birthdate and when joined Marine Corps though NCISverse:
    • In “Heartland” Gibbs makes reference to the fact that when he joined the Marines the country was celebrating the bicentennial (1976). Assuming Gibbs joined when he was 18 years old, it's likely that Gibbs was born in 1958.
    • In NCIS ep. “House Divided” his ID shown he was born on November 21, 1954, making his age at the time of JAG 2-part backdoor pilot/NCIS first episode (April 22, 2003/April 29, 2003/September 23, 2003) 48 years old.
    • In NCIS: Origins ep. “Enter Sandman” Gibbs said he joined Corps at 18 and his birthdate on NIS’ Temporary Special Agent credentials was November 21, 1954 in October of 1991, so presumably it’s was in 1972 or 1973 and joined NIS at age of 36.
  • After reveal that Gibbs joined the Marine Corps in 1976, later in 1972/1973 (after revealing his birthday was November 21, 1954), yet when he is discharged from the Marines in 1991 he was only Gunnery Sergeant (E-7). After 15/18 years as Marine he would be a higher rank than that, especially one as highly decorated as Gibbs whose commendations included a Purple Heart and Silver Star. It usually takes a Marine 6-8 years to reach the rank of Gunnery Sergeant, with Gibbs being well above average it would have been six years for him. After 15/18 years Gibbs would have been at least a Master Sergeant (E-8), a Marine can be promoted to that rank after eight years of total service & at least four years as a Gunny; and most are promoted by 10 years. He most likely would have been a Master Gunnery Sergeant (E-9), alongside Sergeant Major it is the highest enlisted rank in the Corps, except for the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps though only one Marine holds that rank at any given time; promotion to Master Gunnery Sergeant requires a minimum of 10 years of service. In fact Gibbs could not have remained a Gunnery Sergeant for that long, Marines who go too long without promotion are discharged due to poor performance; regulations in 1991 required a Gunnery Sergeant to be discharged if they went longer than six years without qualifying for promotion.
    • Perhaps its cause from retconning JAG's backdoor pilot of NCIS where Gibbs was agent for 19 years (since 1984) and he was Marine reservist in rank of Gunnery Sergeant, later Gibbs become NIS/NCIS agent only in 1991. But NCISverse known for its continuous inconsistency and errors.
  • He knows American Sign Language (ASL).
  • He also knows Russian and Spanish languages.
  • Gibbs's address is shown as "500 Block East Laurel St, Alexandria, VA" The address does not exist so Google Maps returns Laurel Rd, Alexandria, VA. Laurel Road ends at Gibbs Street.
  • He used to never lock the front door to his house because he has already lost what was most important to him, and everything else can be replaced.
    • After Margaret Allison Hart shows up in his house in season 7 episode 14 masquerade saying he doesn't lock his door, he gets a new lock which McGee notes in the beginning of season 7 ep 15 jack-knife.
    • In season 15 he was seen both locking and unlocking his front door, even going so far as to give Jacqueline Sloane his keys in Skeleton Crew and telling her to lock the door when she leaves after having just met her.
  • In the fourth episode of season 19, Great Wide Open, the mystery of how Gibbs got the boats out of his basement was finally revealed. It turns out he would break the basement wall to get them out and then rebuild the wall. However, it was alluded to much earlier in season 5 episode 14 Internal affairs McGee asks how he gets the boat out and Gibbs responds with "just break the bottle" a clear reference to a ship in a bottle alluding to the fact that he would break the wall down.
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