Jabara, James, 1923-1966

<p>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.</p>

<p>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. 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.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>James Jabara, the world's first jet ace, was born in Muskogee, Okla., October 1923. Jabara was the prototypical fighter pilot, although perhaps not at first glance. Standing 5 feet 5 inches tall, Jabara was nevertheless larger than life. He was determined to enter pilot training, and he did. He was equally determined to become an ace in his F-86 Sabre, and he did.</p>

<p>Jabara graduated from Wichita, Kan., High School in May 1942, and immediately enlisted as an aviation cadet at Fort Riley. He graduated from pilot training while still a teenager in 1943 and scored 1 1/2 confirmed and two unconfirmed kills in more than 100 European combat missions in the P-51 Mustang. After two tours of combat duty, Jabara had earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and oak leaf cluster, as well as a reputation as a perfectionist in the air.</p>

<p>After World War II, Colonel Jabara attended the Tactical Air School at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, and from 1947 to 1949 was stationed on Okinawa with the 51st Fighter Group.</p>

<p>Jabara arrived in Korea in December, 1950, flying the brand-new F-86 Sabre as a member of the 4th Fighter Interceptor Wing, the top-scoring American fighter unit of World War II. The 4th FIW was rushing the unproven F-86 into combat to counter the Soviet-made MiG-15, which immediately outclassed every Western warplane in the Korean theater when it had first appeared a month earlier.</p>

<p>By April, 1951, Jabara and his fellow Sabre pilots had gained the measure of the tough and maneuverable MiGs. Jabara, in particular, caught the attention of the Air Force's top brass after destroying four MiGs in April.</p>

<p>He was earmarked by his commanders as a top contender to become the first jet ace -- the first to destroy five enemy jets in combat. When his 334th Fighter Interceptor Squadron rotated back to Japan at the end of April, Jabara was allowed to remain behind at Suwon Air Base to fly with the sister 335th FIS, giving him one more chance to score his fifth kill before his combat tour was over.</p>

<p>On May 20th, the MiGs came out to spar again -- in quantity. Near Sinuiju in northwest Korea, Jabara and the other members of the 335th encountered 50 MiGs ready for a fight. Although outnumbered two to one, the American flight commander called for his pilots to drop their two underwing auxiliary fuel tanks and attack. When Jabara attempted to punch off his tanks, only one came off the wing, leaving his fighter dangerously unbalanced and sluggish.</p>

<p>Although procedures called for an immediate return to base in such circumstances, Jabara pressed home the attack with a head-on pass at a group of three MiGs. As the enemy fighters shot past, Jabara led his wingman in a wrenching turn to get behind the scattering MiGs. As Jabara fought his balky controls to get a bead on the MiGs twisting in front of him, his wingman spotted three more enemy fighters closing in from behind. Ignoring the new attackers for the moment, Jabara sent a long burst of fire from his F-86's six machine guns into the nearest North Korean fighter, which caught fire. Jabara followed the stricken MiG downward until the pilot ejected. Jabara had become the first jet ace, although he barely had time to think about it.</p>

<p>As Jabara coaxed his Sabre back up to the still-raging battle at 25,000 feet, he realized that he had lost track of his wingman, creating a situation just as dangerous as dogfighting with one wing tank. Because a wingman provided crucial cover for his leader's "six o'clock" -- his tail -- losing one's wingman meant a pilot was to immediately withdraw from combat and head for home.</p>

<p>Another group of MiGs flashed in front of his windscreen, and he scored a hit on one. As the doomed MiG spiralled down below 6,500 feet, his partners caught up with Jabara and began peppering his Sabre with cannon fire. Luckily, two American pilots heard Jabara's calls for help over the radio and were able to drive the MiGs off after a two-minute circling dogfight.</p>

<p>When Jabara landed back at Suwon, he was greeted with congratulations and a chewing-out for engaging the enemy with a hung drop tank. Hailed as a hero, the modest Jabara was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and sent home to embark on a nation-wide public relations tour. His hometown of Wichita, Kan., held a parade in his honor.</p>

<p>After a stateside tour as an instructor pilot, Jabara returned to combat and ended the war with 15 MiG kills.</p>

<p>After the war, Jabara continued his career as one of the Air Force's rising stars. Then, in 1966, while moving his family to South Carolina in preparation for a combat tour in Southeast Asia, Jabara and his daughter were killed in a traffic accident. He was 43.</p>

<p>His memory lives on. Wichita's airport was renamed in his honor and the Air Force Academy's Col. James Jabara award annually recognizes academy graduates whose significant contributions to the Air Force set them apart from their contemporaries.</p>