James Jabara

James "Jabby" Jabara (10 October 1923 – 17 November 1966) was the first American and United States Air Force jet ace.

Born in Oklahoma, he lived in Kansas where he enlisted as an aviation cadet at Fort Riley after graduating from high school.

Jabara attended four flying schools in Texas before he received his pilot's wings and was commissioned as a second lieutenant.

Jabara flew two tours of combat duty in Europe during World War II as a North American P-51 Mustang pilot, and scored 1.5 air victories against German aircraft.

He worked at his parents' grocery store and graduated from Wichita North High School in Wichita, Kansas in May 1942.

Standing five feet, five inches (165 cm) tall, Jabara was short for a potential fighter pilot (and was reportedly required to wear corrective eyewear ), but this did not prevent him from immediately enlisting as an aviation cadet of the United States Army Air Forces at Fort Riley, Kansas.

In an attempt to improve his eyesight for flying, he ate 20 carrots a day in the mistaken belief that this would improve his vision.

After attending four flying schools in Texas, he received his pilot's wings and a commission as second lieutenant at Moore Field, Texas in October 1943.

His first tour lasted from January to October 1944 with the 363d Fighter Group of the Ninth Air Force.

On his first mission he was assigned to attacking German railroad targets in Belgium.

In a March 1944 mission while Jabara was escorting bombers to Germany, a German pilot shot off his canopy.

Although he faced below freezing temperatures at the high altitude, he was able to shoot down a German aircraft before returning to base.

During one mission, while in formation, he and another P-51 pilot collided in midair.

They both safely bailed out while the aircraft were destroyed.

In another incident, while Jabara engaged a German aircraft, they collided in mid-air, and when both pilots safely floated to the ground, they met and shook hands.

When Jabara's first tour ended, he returned to the United States as an instructor for other pilots.

He returned to Europe again for his second tour from February to December 1945 with the 355th Group of the Eighth Air Force.

During his European combat (and known then as "the Ceegar Kid" for his penchant for smoking cigars), Jabara flew 108 combat missions.

He was credited with the destruction of one and a half German aircraft in aerial combat (the half considered shared with another pilot) and four on the ground.

He received a Distinguished Flying Cross with one Oak Leaf Cluster for his 1.5 victories as well as an Air Medal with 18 Oak Leaf Clusters.

Jabara flew his first jet aircraft in 1948, the USAF Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star before transitioning to the USAF North American F-86 Sabre.

Jabara used this aircraft to shoot down multiple Soviet-built MiG-15 jets during the Korean War.

Jabara with his wife, Nina, had four children: James William (b. 1949), Carol Ann (b. 1950), Cathy (b. 1952), and Jeanne (b. 1957).

During World War II, the Allied forces fought German aircraft across the European Theater.

The Allies used several fighter aircraft, including the North American P-51 Mustang.

Jabara was assigned to two tours of combat duty as a P-51 pilot across Europe.

He achieved his first confirmed air victory of the war on 3 April 1951.

A month later he was credited with his fifth and sixth victories, making him the first American jet ace in history.

He eventually scored 15 victories, giving him the title of "triple ace".

Jabara was ranked as the second-highest-scoring U.S. ace of the Korean War.

He received the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, and the British Distinguished Flying Cross for his accomplishments in combat.

Jabara next held a series of commands at various Air Force bases across the United States.

He flew the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter and later the Convair B-58 Hustler.

In 1966, while on leave from service in Vietnam, Colonel Jabara was traveling with his family in two cars to their new home when his daughter crashed the car she was driving and he was riding in, killing them both.

They were buried together at Arlington National Cemetery.

In recognition of his contributions to military aviation, an airport outside of Wichita, Kansas was named in his honor.

Each year the United States Air Force Academy alumni association bestows the Jabara Award upon an Academy graduate whose aerospace accomplishments demonstrate superior performance.

Jabara was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, of Lebanese descent; his father, John, and mother came from Marjayoun, a town in Southern Lebanon.

Jabara joined the Boy Scouts, eventually becoming an Eagle Scout.

At an early age, he was set on becoming a pilot, "I used to read articles about [Eddie] Rickenbacker and all these novels you read about air combat, and I guess from the sixth grade it was my ambition to be a fighter pilot."