I was glad to stumble upon an article about Colonel Gabreski. Many of you may already know his story, but I, being relatively new to Long Island, never came across this info. I recognized his name from the airport out east, but now I have a better understanding of who he was. Here's his wiki, with another link below:
Francis Stanley "Gabby" Gabreski (bornFranciszek Gabryszewski; January 28, 1919 β January 31, 2002) was a career officer and pilot in the United States Air Force, retiring as a colonel with 26 years of military service. He was the top American and U.S. Army Air Forces fighter ace over Europe in World War IIand a jet fighter ace with the Air Force in theKorean War.
Although best known for his credited destruction of 34Β½ aircraft in aerial combat and being one of only seven U.S. combat 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, he had six command tours at group or wing level, including one in combat in Korea, totaling over 11 years of command and 15 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.
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And here...
Francis Stanley "Gabby" Gabreski (bornFranciszek Gabryszewski; January 28, 1919 β January 31, 2002) was a career officer and pilot in the United States Air Force, retiring as a colonel with 26 years of military service. He was the top American and U.S. Army Air Forces fighter ace over Europe in World War IIand a jet fighter ace with the Air Force in theKorean War.
Although best known for his credited destruction of 34Β½ aircraft in aerial combat and being one of only seven U.S. combat 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, he had six command tours at group or wing level, including one in combat in Korea, totaling over 11 years of command and 15 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.
Read more here...
And here...
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