Carl Gamble was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee and grew up in Madison, Alabama. When he was in first grade, his school burned down and the children ended up going to school in different churches. A new school was built when he was in the fifth grade. He went to Council Training High School, which is now the ROTC building for Alabama A&M. When he graduated from high school, he went to Tennessee State University where he majored in Aviation Technology because he knew he wanted to become a pilot.  He graduated college with an ROTC commission as a first lieutenant in the Air Force. Captain Carl Gamble, USAF, was in command of an unarmed C-47 aircraft on 1 March 1969 near Da nang, Republic of Vietnam when his aircraft was hit by hostile antiaircraft fire, rupturing a fuel tank. Thought his aircraft was in flames and an engine was feathered, he assessed the situation and determined to attempt a landing rather than crash land or bail his crew out over hostile territory. Despite two inflight fuel explosions, and dense smoke in the cockpit, Captain Gamble manuevered the striken aircraft to a safe landing. The courage and skill displayed by Captain Gamble were instrumental in saving the lives of his crew and preserving the total destruction of a valuable aircraft. For his bravery on this date, Captain Carl Gable was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.