Top WWII Fighter Dies
Gabreski, of Dix Hills, was a hero over Europe
By Arnold Abrams
Staff Writer
February 2, 2002
At the controls of the Thunderbolt, a single-engine fighter produced by the now-defunct Republic Aviation Corp. of Farmingdale, Francis Gabreski downed 28 German aircraft to become the top American ace in Europe in World World II. He went on to fight in the Korean conflict, where, manning a sleeker and faster F-86 Sabre Jet, he was credited with killing 6.5 enemy MiG fighters.
Col. Gabreski, who was the nation's highest-ranking fighter ace, died of a heart attack Thursday at Huntington Hospital. He was 83 and a Dix Hills resident.
But among the numerous honors he accrued for his combat exploits, Gabreski ranked his 1978 admission to the nation's aviation hall of fame and the renaming of Suffolk County's Westhampton airport for him in 1992 as among the most appreciated.
Despite his legendary achievements, Gabreski, a dedicated man who stressed loyalty and personal discipline, never lost his knack for speaking bluntly.
When describing his first downing of a German Messerschmitt fighter, for example, he openly admitted the experience was frightful. "I said, ‘Oh my God, somebody can do the same thing to me,' and it scared the hell out of me,” he said.
Similarly, after being appointed president of the Long Island Rail Road, a post he held from 1978 to 1981, he became known as an employee advocate and publicly conceded that the line's commuter service "stinks.”
"My father said a lot of things you're not supposed to say,” said his daughter Frances Phillips of Westhampton, one of the nine children of Gabreski and his late wife Catherine, who was killed in a 1993 auto accident. "He was a straightforward man.”
Gen. Jerry Johnson, 82, one of the colonel's closest friends, recalled that, in keeping with his no-frills personality, Gabreski gracefully accepted much ribbing from colleagues about his military honors.
"He knew what he was, and he was not a god,” said Johnson, a resident of St. Petersburg, Fla., who retired from the Air Force in 1974 and, with 18 enemy kills to his credit, may succeed Gabreski as the nation's highest-ranking living ace. "In fact, he would say that if he could shoot as well as me, he would have done a lot better.”
Gabreski, who was born in Oil City, Pa., was downed near the end of World War II and spent several months in a German prison camp. When he retired from the Air Force in 1967, he had flown more combat missions than any other American pilot.
In one of his last interviews about a week ago, Gabreski, describing himself as "a relic from World War II,” said he had always considered it a duty to "perpetuate what this country did during that war.”
"I love this country, and I'm proud to be an American,” he said. "If we hadn't won the war, this world would now be an entirely different place.”
Gov. George Pataki, who met him several times at the American Airpower Museum at Republic Airport in Farmingdale, said that through his combat exploits, Gabreski "created a legacy of excellence as a military leader and left a nation far stronger and far better prepared to defend its freedoms.”
In addition to his daughter Frances Phillips, Gabreski is survived by five other daughters and three sons: Djoni Murphy of Trego, Wis.; Mary Ann Bruno of Reno, Nev.; Patricia Covino of Westhampton; Linda Kay Gabreski of Huntington Station; Debbie Burkhart of South Huntington; Donald Gabreski of Dayton, Ohio; Jim Gabreski of Melbourne, Fla.; and Robert Gabreski of Holmes Beach, Fla. Other survivors include 18 grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and two sisters.
Visitation will be at the Mangano Funeral Home, 1701 Deer Park Ave., Deer Park, on Monday from 6-9 p.m. and Tuesday from 2-5 and 7-9:30 p.m.
Funeral services will be held Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. at St. Matthew's Roman Catholic Church, 35 North Service Rd., Dix Hills. Burial will follow at Calverton National Cemetery.
edit by Hangtime: His son Don retired from the Air Force to help take care of the kids.. because Don's wife is an Air Force General. Gabby pinned her Stars at a special ceremony held a Ramstein AFB and was a very very proud Daddy.
