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Yet another WW2 warbird pilot gone west.
As a member of the Patriot Guard Riders I gave a final salute with a pass in the PT23 over the funeral home when the family came out. My fellow Riders were in attendance with their American flags held straight and proud.
I wish I had known Colonel Klibbe.
Frank W. Klibbe was born on May 30, 1920 and grew up in Anderson, Indiana, to avoid being drafted into the Army or Navy; he enlisted in the Army Air Corps on October 26, 1941 and was accepted into the Aviation Cadet program in 1942.
During WWII, Col Klibbe was assigned to the 56th Fighter Group, 61st Squadron. He flew a P-47 Thunderbolt and in honor of his high school, he had a motif of an Indian chief head dress applied to the nose of his aircraft. He and "Little Chief" flew 63 combat missions and scored seven aerial kills compiling over 200 combat hours. He completed his combat tour May 8, 1944 was assigned as a flight instructor.
He continued to serve a long, distinguished career. He took part in the first transatlantic jet deployment in 1948. This mission proved the feasibility of flying fighter jets to a deployment in Europe rather than dismantling and shipping them. Col Klibbe retired in 1972. His awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross with two clusters, and the Air Medal with five clusters.
Frank W. Klibbe made his final flight to heaven on Saturday, April 26th 2008. Husband, father, friend, warrior with a keen sense of humor and a warm, creative spirit, he will be missed. Services will be held at the Steverson & Hamlin & Hillbish Funeral Home, Tavares, Florida on May 9th with interment services following at the Florida Nation Cemetery, Bushnell, FL.
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