Gabby Gabreski

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Francis Stanley Gabreski
January 28, 1919(1919-01-28) – January 31, 2002 (aged 83)

Col. Francis S. Gabreski
Nickname Gabby
Place of birth Oil City, Pennsylvania
Place of death Huntington, New York
Allegiance United States of America
Service/branch United States Air Force
Years of service 1940-1946, 1947-1967
Rank Colonel
Commands held 61st Fighter Squadron
55th Fighter Squadron
56th Fighter Group
51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing
354th Tactical Fighter Wing
18th Tactical Fighter Wing
52d Fighter Wing (Air Defense)
Battles/wars World War II
Korean War
Awards Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Service Medal
Silver Star (2)
Legion of Merit
Distinguished Flying Cross (13)
Bronze Star
Air Medal (5)

Francis Stanley "Gabby" Gabreski (Franciszek Gabryszewski) (28 January 1919 - January 31, 2002) was the top American fighter ace in Europe during World War II, a jet fighter ace in Korea, and a career officer in the United States Air Force with more than 26 years service.

Although best known for his credited destruction of 34.5 aircraft in aerial combat and being one of only seven U.S. pilots to become an ace in two wars, Gabreski was also one of the Air Force's most accomplished leaders. In addition to commanding two fighter squadrons, Gabreski had six command tours at group or wing level, including one in combat in Korea, totalling over eleven years of command and fifteen overall in operational fighter assignments.

After his Air Force career, Gabreski headed the Long Island Rail Road, a commuter railroad owned by the State of New York, and struggled in his attempts to improve its service and financial condition. After two and a half years he resigned under pressure and went into full retirement.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Gabreski's official Air Force biography states:

(Gabreski's parents) had emigrated from Poland to Oil City, Pennsylvania, in the early 1900's. His father owned and operated a market, putting in 12-hour days. Like many immigrant-owned businesses in those days, the whole family worked at the market. But Gabreski's parents had dreams for him, including attending Notre Dame University. He did so in 1938, but, unprepared for real academic work, almost flunked out during his freshman year. During his second year at Notre Dame, Army Air Corps recruiters visited the campus. Gabreski went to hear them, primarily because his friends were going. The Army's enticing offer impressed him and he enrolled, reporting in July 1940.

During his two years at Notre Dame, Gabreski developed an interest in flying, taking lessons and accumulating six hours of flight time. However, his autobiography indicates he struggled to fly smoothly and did not solo.

After his induction into the U.S. Army at Pittsburgh, Gabreski undertook primary flight training at Parks Air College, near East St. Louis, Illinois, flying the Stearman PT-17. Gabreski was a mediocre trainee, forced to pass an elimination check ride during primary to continue training.[1] He advanced to basic flight training at Gunter Army Air Base, Alabama, in the Vultee BT-13, and completed advanced training at Maxwell Field, Alabama, in the AT-6 Texan. Gabreski achieved his wings and his commission as a Second Lieutenant in the Air Corps in March 1941, then sailed for Hawaii aboard the SS Washington to his first assignment.

[edit] World War II

Assigned as a pilot with the 45th Pursuit Squadron of the 15th Pursuit Group at Wheeler Field, Hawaii, 2nd Lt. Gabreski trained on both the P-36 and the newer P-40. He met his future wife, Catherine "Kay" Cochran, in Hawaii and became engaged shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. During that action, Gabreski joined several members of his squadron in flying P-36 fighters in an attempt to intercept the attackers, but the Japanese had withdrawn before their reaction. During the spring and summer of 1942 Gabreski remained with the 45th FS, training in newer model P-40s and in P-39 Airacobras that the unit began to receive.

Gabreski followed closely reports on the Battle of Britain and the role played in it by Polish RAF squadrons, especially by the legendary No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron. He became concerned that the US did not have many experienced fighter pilots. This gave Gabreski an idea: since Polish squadrons had proved to be capable within the RAF and since he himself was of Polish origin and spoke Polish, he offered to serve as a liaison officer to the Polish squadrons to learn from their experience. The idea was approved and he left Hawaii for Washington D.C. in September 1942, where he received a promotion to Captain.

[edit] RAF duty

In October, Gabreski reported to the Eighth Air Force's VIII Fighter Command in England, at that time a rudimentary new headquarters. After a lengthy period of inactivity, he tried to arrange duty with the 303 Squadron, but that unit had been taken out of action for a period of rest. Instead he was attached to the 315th Polish "Deblinski" Fighter Squadron at RAF Northolt in January 1943.

Gabreski flew the new Spitfire Mark IX. He and his fellow pilots flew patrol sweeps over the Channel. He first encountered Luftwaffe opposition on February 3, when a group of Fw 190s jumped his squadron. Too excited to make a "kill", Gabreski learned that he had to keep calm during a mission, a lesson that served him well later in the war. He later spoke with great esteem about the Polish pilots and lessons he learned from them. In all Gabreski flew 20 missions with the Poles.[2]

[edit] 56th Fighter Group

Lt. Col. Frances S. Gabreski and Staff Sgt. Ralph Safford, crew chief. The assistant crew chief is in the background.
Lt. Col. Frances S. Gabreski and Staff Sgt. Ralph Safford, crew chief. The assistant crew chief is in the background.

On February 27, 1943, Gabreski became part of the 56th Fighter Group, flying the P-47 Thunderbolt, assigned to the 61st Fighter Squadron, and quickly became a flight leader. He was immediately resented by many of his fellow pilots, and his opinionated, verbose personality did little to ameliorate the situation.[3] In May, shortly after the group moved to RAF Halesworth and entered combat, Gabreski was promoted to Major.

On June 9, he took command of the 61st Fighter Squadron when its CO was moved up to group deputy commander. This also stirred ill feelings toward him since he had jumped over two more senior pilots in obtaining the command.[4] This ill will was soon exacerbated when both of his rival flight leaders were lost in combat on June 26, and did not subside until he recorded his first credited kill, of an Fw 190 near Dreux, France, on August 24, 1943.[5]

On November 26, 1943, the 56th FG was assigned to cover the withdrawal of B-17s that had bombed Bremen, Germany. The P-47s arrived to find the bombers under heavy attack near Oldenburg and dove into the fray. Gabreski recorded his fourth and fifth kills to become an ace, but had a close brush with death when a 20 millimeter cannon shell lodged in his engine without exploding.[6]

In November 1943 the group commander of the 56th, Colonel Hubert Zemke, was replaced in command for two months by Colonel Robert Landry, a staff officer at VIII FC. Because of Landry's inexperience, combat missions of the 56th were alternately led by deputy commander Lieutenant Colonel David C. Schilling and Gabreski, who acted as deputy group operations officer. When Zemke resumed command on January 19, 1944, Gabreski relinquished command of the 61st FS.[7]

In February, Gabreski brought into the 56th two Polish pilots with whom he had flown in 1943 while serving with the RAF, including future USAAF ace, Squadron Leader Boleslaw "Mike" Gladych. With Gabreski's support and to ease a shortage of experienced pilots caused by many veteran pilots reaching the completion of their tours, the 61st FS in April accepted five other Polish Air Force pilots into the squadron as the "Polish Flight".[8]

Gabreski's victory total steadily climbed through the winter of 1943-44. By March 27, he had earned 18 victory credits and had six multiple-kill missions to rank third in the "ace race" that had developed within VIII Fighter Command. He shot down only one more aircraft in the next two months, during which time the two pilots ahead of him, (Majors Robert S. Johnson and Walker M. Mahurin, also of the 56th FG), were sent home.[9]

In April, the 56th FG moved to RAF Boxted and Gabreski was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. He resumed command of the 61st FS when its commander was transferred to VIII FC headquarters.[10]

On May 22, Gabreski shot down three Fw 190s over a Luftwaffe airfield in northwest Germany. He tied Johnson as the leading ace in the European Theater of Operations on June 27 (passing Eddie Rickenbacker's record from World War I in the process), and on July 5, 1944, became America's leading ace, with 28 destroyed. This total was never surpassed by any U.S. pilot fighting the Luftwaffe.[11]

On 20 July 1944, Gabreski had reached the 300-hour combat time limit for Eighth Air Force fighter pilots and was awaiting a plane to fly him back to the United States on leave and reassignment. He had already advised Kay Cochran to proceed with wedding plans, and his home town of Oil City, Pennsylvania, had raised $2,000 for a wedding present in anticipation of his return.[12]

However, Gabreski found that an escort mission was scheduled for that morning, and instead of boarding the transport he requested to "fly just one more."[13] During a strafing pass of He 111s parked on the airfield at Bassenheim, Germany, his Thunderbolt's propeller clipped the runway, bending the tips. The damage caused his engine to vibrate violently and he was forced to crash land. Gabreski ran into nearby woods and eluded capture for five days, but was eventually captured. After being interrogated by Hanns Scharff, Gabreski was sent to Stalag Luft I. He was liberated when Russian forces seized the camp in April 1945.[14]

Gabreski was officially credited by the USAF with 28 aircraft destroyed in air combat and 3 on the ground, flying 166 combat sorties.[15] He was assigned five P-47s during his time with the 56th FG, none of which was ever named, but all of which bore the fuselage identification codes HV: A.[16]

[edit] U.S. Air Force career

All assignment details from his NMUSAF fact sheet, other details as cited.

Following his repatriation, Gabreski returned to the United States and married Kay Cochran on June 11, 1945. After a 90-day recuperative leave, Gabreski became Chief of Fighter Test Section at Wright Field, Ohio, and at the same time completed test pilot training at its Engineering Flight Test School. In April 1946 he separated from the service, worked for Douglas Aircraft for a year, then was recalled to active duty in April 1947 to command the 55th Fighter Squadron, 20th Fighter Group, at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina.

His command of the 55th FS was brief as the Air Force sent him to Columbia University in September 1947 to complete his degree and study Russian language. In June 1949 he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. He returned immediately to flying, becoming commander of his former unit, the 56th Fighter Group, now flying F-80 Shooting Stars at Selfridge Air Force Base, Michigan. While in command of the 56th, Gabreski oversaw conversion of the unit to F-86 Sabres and was promoted to Colonel on March 11, 1950.

Gabreski flew combat again during the Korean War. In June 1951 Gabreski and a group of selected pilots of the 56th FIW accompanied the delivery of F-86Es of the 62d FIS to Korea aboard the escort carrier USS Cape Esperance. The planes and pilots joined the 4th Fighter-Interceptor Group at K-14 (Kimpo) Air Base where most engaged in combat. On July 8, 1951, flying his fifth mission in an F-86, Gabreski shot down a MiG 15, followed by MiG kills on September 2 and October 2.[17]

[edit] 51st FIW

The growing MiG threat against B-29 bomber attacks along the Yalu River caused the Fifth Air Force to create a second Sabre wing by converting the 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing from F-80s to F-86s in a 10-day period.[18] Gabreski was transferred to K-13 (Suwon) Air Base, accompanied by most of the former 56th FIW pilots who had come with him to Korea, and took command November 6, 1951. During its first seven months as an F-86 wing, the 51st, with only two operational squadrons, scored 96 MiG kills, comparing favorably to the 125 of the veteran 4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, which operated three. Gabreski himself scored 3.5 more kills to become a jet ace.

Gabreski was an aggressive commander and fostered a fierce rivalry between the two F-86 wings,[19] fueled in part by the fact that the 4th had also been the keenest rival of the 56th FG during World War II. While this aggressiveness paid off in the destruction of MiGs and air superiority over all of Korea, it also led Gabreski to make the first intentional violation of rules of engagement that prohibited combat with MiGs over China. (The MiG force was based in this ostensible sanctuary during the entire war.) Gabreski and a fellow former 56th pilot, Colonel Walker M. Mahurin, planned and executed a mission in early 1952 in which the F-86s turned off their IFF equipment and overflew two Chinese bases.[20]

Gabreski was also criticized for having a poor attitude towards wingmen. One historian, citing five interviews with pilots and an unpublished manuscript by a sixth, observed that Gabreski flew the fastest aircraft available and failed to notice when his slower wingmen could not keep up. These pilots, reportedly afraid to fly with him, commented that he was more interested in personal achievement than in the wingmen. He was also criticized for a lack of discipline among his off-duty pilots, and for allegedly encouraging exaggerated kill claims.[21]

However at least three wingmen had different views. 1st Lieutenant Joe L. Cannon of the 51st FIW flew over 40 missions with him and described Gabreski as a mentor and "my kind of fighter pilot".[22] 1st Lt. Harry Shumate, another 51st FIW pilot, stated that while flying wingman in Gabreski's flight, Shumate was the first to spot a MiG heading for its base and Gabreski told him to "go get him" while the leader covered.[23] A 4th FIW pilot, 1st Lt. Anthony Kulengosky, observed:

I moved up in the world of wingmen by flying Col. Francis Gabreski's wing on a mission. I was absolutely thrilled to fly on this legend's wing...He was a tiger and went on to become an ace again. When asked who I looked up to the most as a pilot and a gentleman in all my flying, I still have to say it was "Gabby" Gabreski. When he took over the 51st Wing, he asked me to move over as a flight leader in his outfit.[24]

A more noted pilot also rebuts some of the criticism. Major William T. Whisner had been a P-51 double-ace in World War II and was one of the pilots Gabreski brought with him from the 56th FIW in June 1951. Before the mission of February 20, 1952, Gabreski and Whisner each had four MiGs credited as destroyed. During the mission Gabreski attacked and severely damaged a MiG 15 that fled across the Yalu River into China. He broke off the engagement and returned to base after his own airplane was damaged, where he claimed the MiG as a "probable kill".

Whisner trailed the MiG deep into Manchuria trying to confirm Gabreski's kill, but his Sabre ran low on fuel. He completed the shootdown and returned to K-14 where he confirmed the kill for Gabreski but did not claim it himself. Gabreski confronted him and angrily ordered him to change his mission report, confirming Whisner's own role in the kill. Whisner refused. Soon after, Gabreski recanted his anger and the two shared the claim, as a consequence of which three days later Whisner and not Gabreski became the first pilot of the 51st FW to reach jet ace status.[25]

Gabreski's Korean tour was due to end in June. However he was grounded by Fifth Air Force from further combat in mid-May when his replacement, Colonel Mahurin, was shot down (he was subsequently replaced by Colonel John W. Mitchell, whose claim to fame was that he led the mission to shoot down Admiral Yamamoto in World War II).[26] On his return to the United States, Gabreski received the key to the city from San Francisco Mayor Elmer E. Robinson and was given a ticker-tape parade up Market Street on June 17.[27]

Gabreski's 6.5 MiG 15 kill credits make him one of seven U.S. pilots to be aces in more than one war (the others are Colonel Harrison Thyng, Colonel James P. Hagerstrom, Major William T. Whisner, Colonel Vermont Garrison, Major George A. Davis, Jr., and Lieutenant Colonel John F. Bolt, USMC). Gabreski was officially credited with 123 combat missions in Korea, totaling 289 for his career. While he flew many F-86s in combat, his assigned aircraft was F-86E-10-NA 51-2740, nicknamed Gabby.

[edit] Post-Korea career

Gabreski's Air Force career continued for another 15 years, during which time he held three wing commands totaling nearly nine years of duty. His assignments were:

Gabreski retired on November 1, 1967. Per his USAF official biography, he retired with more than 5,000 flying hours, 4,000 of them in jets. Suffolk County Air Force Base in Westhampton Beach, New York, which became Suffolk County Airport in 1969, was renamed Francis S. Gabreski Airport in 1991. In 1978 he was enshrined in the National Aviation Hall of Fame.

[edit] Aerial victory credits

Date # Type Location Aircraft flown Unit Assigned
August 24, 1943 1 Fw 190 Dreux, France P-47D 61 FS, 56 FG
September 3, 1943 1 Fw 190 St-Germain, France P-47D 61 FS, 56 FG
November 11, 1943 1 Fw 190 Rheine, Germany P-47D 61 FS, 56 FG
November 26, 1943 2 Me 110 Oldenburg, Germany P-47D 61 FS, 56 FG
November 29, 1943 2 Me 109 Bremen, Germany P-47D 61 FS, 56 FG
December 11, 1943 1 Me 110 Emden, Germany P-47D 61 FS, 56 FG
January 29, 1944 1 Me 110 Emden, Germany P-47D 56 FG Hq
January 30, 1944 1 Me 410 Lingen, Germany P-47D 56 FG Hq
January 30, 1944 1 Me 109 Lingen, Germany P-47D 56 FG Hq
February 20, 1944 2 Me 410 Koblenz, Germany P-47D 56 FG Hq
February 22, 1944 1 Fw 190 Paderborn, Germany P-47D 56 FG Hq
March 16, 1944 2 Fw 190 Nancy, France P-47D 56 FG Hq
March 27, 1944 2 Me 109 Nantes, France P-47D 56 FG Hq
May 8, 1944 1 Me 109 Celle, Germany P-47D 61 FS, 56 FG
May 22, 1944 3 Fw 190 Höperhöfen, Germany P-47D 61 FS, 56 FG
June 7, 1944 1 Me 109 Dreux, France P-47D 61 FS, 56 FG
June 7, 1944 1 Fw 190 Dreux, France P-47D 61 FS, 56 FG
June 12, 1944 2 Me 109 Évreux, France P-47D 61 FS, 56 FG
June 27, 1944 1 Me 109 Connantre, France P-47D 61 FS, 56 FG
July 5, 1944 1 Me 109 Évreux, France P-47D 61 FS, 56 FG
July 5, 1951 1 MiG 15 North Korea F-86A 4 FIG
September 2, 1951 1 MiG 15 North Korea F-86A 4 FIG
October 2, 1951 1 MiG 15 North Korea F-86A 4 FIG
January 11, 1952 1 MiG 15 Dandong, China ? F-86E 51 FIW
February 20, 1952 0.5 Mig 15 North Korea F-86E 51 FIW
April 1, 1952 1 MiG 15 North Korea F-86E 51 FIW
April 13, 1952 1 MiG 15 North Korea F-86E 51 FIW
SOURCES: Air Force Historical Study 85: USAF Credits for the Destruction of Enemy Aircraft, World War II and Air Force Historical Study 81: USAF Credits for the Destruction of Enemy Aircraft, Korean War, Freeman, The Mighty Eighth, 272-273

[edit] Awards and decorations

Official USAF portrait, Col. Francis S. Gabreski
Official USAF portrait, Col. Francis S. Gabreski

  Command pilot

[edit] Long Island Rail Road

Following his retirement from the Air Force, Gabreski worked for Grumman Aerospace until August 1978. He was asked by New York Governor Hugh Carey to serve as president of the financially-stressed and state-owned Long Island Rail Road in an attempt to improve the commuter line. Carey was opposed in the Democratic gubernatorial primary election by his own lieutenant governor, Maryanne Krupsak, and in part appointed Gabreski to enhance his election campaign based on Gabreski's Polish extraction and Long Island affiliations.[28]

After what he described as an 18-month struggle with the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Gabreski resigned his position on February 26, 1981.[29] Gabreski charged that the creation of an executive director's position, and its appointee, obstructed his efforts to improve service, replace equipment, and change its executive staff. However, a severe heat wave in the summer of 1980 that overwhelmed the commuter line's air conditioning systems was apparently the final straw that forced Gabreski's resignation.[28]

[edit] Family

Francis and Kay Gabreski had nine children in 48 years of marriage. Two of Gabreski's three sons graduated from the United States Air Force Academy and became career Air Force pilots.[30] His daughter-in-law Terry L. Gabreski was promoted to Lieutenant General in August 2005, the highest-ranking woman in the USAF.[31]

Gabreski's spouse Kay died as the result of an automobile accident that occurred as she and Gabreski were returning from the Oshkosh Air Show on August 6, 1993.[32] She was interred in Calverton National Cemetery near their home in Dix Hills.

Gabreski died of an apparent heart attack in Huntington Hospital, Long Island, New York on January 31, 2002. He is buried in Calverton National Cemetery along with his wife.[33] Gabreski's funeral on February 6 was with full military honors and included a missing man formation flyover by F-15E Strike Eagles from the 4th Fighter Wing, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina.[34]

[edit] External links

[edit] Reference notes

  1. ^ Kenneth P. Werrell (2005). "Other Aces: Francis "Gabby" Gabreski", Sabres Over MiG Alley: The F-86 and the Battle For Air Superiority in Korea. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1591149339. , 186.
  2. ^ There is considerable disagreement on the number with the RAF. Freeman in The Mighty Eighth placed it at 13. Ace-Pilots made it an unspecified number more than 27. 18FWA, Aces, and the NMUSAF fact sheet state 20.
  3. ^ Roger A. Freeman (2004). Wolfpack Warriors: The Story of World War II's Most Successful Fighter Outfit. Grub Street, London. ISBN 1904010938. , 47. Freeman notes that this ill will was not shared by 56FG ace Jerry Johnson, who rose to the rank of Lieutenant General.
  4. ^ Freeman, Wolfpack Warriors, 59, 69.
  5. ^ Roger A. Freeman (1993). The Mighty Eighth. Motorbooks International. ISBN 087938638X. , 272. All information regarding his claims is from Freeman, corroborated by Air Force Historical Study 85: USAF Credits For Destruction of Enemy Aircraft, World War II.
  6. ^ Roger A. Freeman (2000). 56th Fighter Group. Osprey Publishing Ltd.. ISBN 1841760471. , 36-38.
  7. ^ Freeman, 56th Fighter Group, 46.
  8. ^ Freeman, 56th Fighter Group, 64, includes photograph of the flight.
  9. ^ Robert S. Johnson (1958). Thunderbolt!. Honoribus Press. ISBN 1885354053. , 292.
  10. ^ Freeman, 56th Fighter Group, 56.
  11. ^ Freeman, 56th Fighter Group, 87.
  12. ^ Francis S. Gabreski, a World War II air ace, dies at 83. New York Times. Retrieved on 12 May 2007.
  13. ^ Colonel Francis S. Gabreski. USAF biography. Retrieved on 10 May 2007.
  14. ^ Freeman, The Mighty Eighth, 172 and 272.
  15. ^ NMUSAF fact sheet. Includes RAF sorties
  16. ^ Freeman, The Mighty Eighth, 273.
  17. ^ Air Force Historical Study 81: USAF Credits for Destruction of Enemy Aircraft, Korean War. Air University. Retrieved on 10 May 2007.
  18. ^ Larry Davis (1998). "F-86 in Korea", Wings of Fame. Aerospace Publishing. ISBN 1861840179. 
  19. ^ Werrell, Kenneth P. (2005). Sabres over MiG Alley. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-933-9. , 86
  20. ^ Werrell, Sabres over MiG Alley, 131 and 188.
  21. ^ Werrell, Sabres over MiG Alley, 188. The sources are cited at 286, note 37. Werrell interviewed 60 pilots, and his narrative indicates the criticisms were a majority view.
  22. ^ Warren E. Thompson and David R. McLaren (2002). "Outnumbered But Not Outfought", MiG Alley: Sabres vs. MiGs Over Korea. Specialty Press. ISBN 1580070582. , 21.
  23. ^ Thompson and McLaren, MiG Alley: Sabres vs. MiGs Over Korea, 70.
  24. ^ Thompson and McLaren, MiG Alley: Sabres vs. MiGs Over Korea, 62.
  25. ^ Larry Davis (1978). MiG Alley: Air to Air Combat Over Korea. Squadron/Signal Publications. ISBN 0897470818. , 27. The episode is told in Whisner's words. Werrell also reported the incident, using this source.
  26. ^ Werrell, Sabres over MiG Alley, 187 and 202.
  27. ^ Guide to San Francisco Call Bulletin photographs, June 1952. Online Archive of california. Retrieved on 11 May 2007.
  28. ^ a b Francis S. Gabreski. videofacts. Retrieved on 12 May 2007.
  29. ^ Stripped of power in '79, ex-LIRR chief charges. New York Times. Retrieved on 12 May 2007.
  30. ^ Col. Donald F. Gabreski (USAF ret.), USAFA 1970, F-4, F-16 pilot; Lt.Col. Francis Robert Gabreski (USAF ret.), USAFA 1981, AC-130 pilot.
  31. ^ Columbus Ohio to celebrate Air Force Heritage Week. Air Force Link. Retrieved on 15 May 2007.. Her spouse is Colonel Donald F. Gabreski.
  32. ^ Catherine C. Gabreski. Find-A-Grave. Retrieved on 12 May 2007. Note that Kay also served in the US Army during World War II.
  33. ^ National Gravesite Locator. US Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved on 12 May 2007. Both are buried in Section 14, Site 724.
  34. ^ Gabreski Funeral. NJIPMS. Retrieved on 7 Jun 2007. First-hand account of funeral.

[edit] References

  • Francis Gabreski. 1992. Gabby: A Fighter Pilot's Life. Dell Publishing, New York.
  • Werrell, Kenneth P. (2005). Sabres over MiG Alley. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-933-9. 
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Robert K. Pattison		 President of Long Island Rail Road
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