Col John K. Abbott USAF (Ret)

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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:
Mr. Jeffrey J. Abbott

Col John K. Abbott, USAF (Ret)
John Abbott's service in the United States military spanned over 30 years, and three wars. He enlisted in the US Army Air Corp on February 8th, 1943, and was trained as a B29 Radio Operator/Gunner. He then went on to Navigation School as a Navigator/Radar Operator. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in December of 1945.
Like many of his fellow servicemen, John Abbott left the service after the end of World War II, separating in June 1946. He reentered the military in December of 1950, shortly after the outbreak of the Korean War, and was assigned as a Navigation Instructor at Ellington AFB. Following this, he went overseas to Japan where he served as a C47 & C54 Navigator and as Wing Comptroller. In November of 1957 he returned to the United States, and was transferred to Strategic Air Command in 1958 as a B52 Navigator. In 1965, he became an ROTC Instructor at the University of Notre Dame. He was assigned as a liaison officer to Iran in 1970, and became Commandant of the Defense Language Institute-English Language Branch in 1971. In August of 1975, John Abbott retired, having completed almost 28 years of dedicated service in the defense of the United States.
During his long career, Col Abbott logged hours in many aircraft types, including the
following:
L-4 Grasshopper C-46 Commando
B-17 Flying Fortress C-47 Skytrain
B-24 Liberator C-54 Skymaster
B-25 Mitchell C-124 Globemaster II
B-26 Marauder AT-10 Wichita
B-29 Super Fortress T-29 Flying Classroom
B-52 Strato Fortress