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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:
Ms. Helen Gibbons-Hillstrom

John Francis Gibbons was raised in a family of aviation enthusiasts. He was the youngest of three who served their country in the air, he in Naval Aviation, his older brother in the U. S. Army Air Force, and his older sister in the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP).

John Gibbons of Pittsburgh, Pa., at age 18, joined the Naval Aviation Cadet Program (V5) and was called to active duty on April 13, 1943.

He received Ground School Training at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and Preparatory Flight Training at Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, PA.; Pre-Flight Training at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, Primary Flight Training at the Glenview Naval Air Station, Glenview, IL; and Advanced Flight Training at the Naval Air Station (NAS) in Corpus Christi, TX. His flight training included everything from piper cubs, to the N2S Stearman, SNV Vultee Vibrator, N3N Yellow Peril, and the SNJ North American.

John received his wings as a Naval Aviator on October 11, 1944 and was commissioned an Ensign in the U. S. Naval Reserve.

He was transferred to the Naval Air Station at Sanford, FL. for Operational Training where he flew F4F and FM-2 Wildcats.

He was assigned to the Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Squadron VC-15 at the Naval Air Station in Norfolk, VA reporting to the Commander of the Atlantic Fleet. This was part of the Atlantic Theater of Operations searching for U-boats off the Atlantic coast.

The war ended when John was stationed at the Quonset Point Naval Air Station in Rhode Island flying F6F Hellcats. He was released from active duty in November 1945. He continued flying on temporary duty in the Naval Reserve for the next six years with the All Pittsburgh Squadron, VF-653, who were flying F4U Corsairs.

John F. Gibbons received an Honorable Discharge from the U. S. Naval Reserve on August 17, 1958.