Jack "Pop" Warren Gibson Sr. Captain USAF (Retired)

Jack, or better known to us as Pop, took extreme pride in his family and country (everyone to Pop was family). He was a man of commitment who celebrated 62-years of marriage with an Alabama beauty who had legs that never ended.

He loved his country spending over three decades serving in the United State Air Force. He was a young-eighteen-year-old man who heard his call of duty. That duty led him to serve the United States of America for over 30 years. He served unwavering during World War II, Korea, and the Vietnam wars. He was our hero both at home and in foreign lands. His many stories (after all he had over 97 years of them to share) were both emotional, funny, and sometimes a bit, well you know, can’t be repeated. You know those flyboys.

Pop was a humble man but it’s time to brag on him. He began his service as a buck private in the Army Air Corps stationed in San Antonio. He earned his Sergeant stripes and shortly thereafter the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred. The Air Corps was suddenly in desperate need for pilots. He was sent to Officer Candidate School and after successfully completing it; he entered the Pilot Training Program. He served in the China/Burma/India and North Africa theaters as a pilot and did so through the end of World War II. He was acknowledged by General Chennault (Commander of the Flying Tigers in China) for his support of the Flying Tigers. His flying career was not without incident, he actually crash landed a P-40 fighter, a glider and a C-46 transport. Our favorite argument with him was that he had three less landings than takeoffs. Our argument was if he didn’t land the planes on an airfield with the gear down, it didn’t count. His argument was that any landing he could walk away from counted. He continued flying throughout the Korea and Vietnam wars. In summary, his Air Force career took him from an enlisted man to an officer and retired as Captain Jack W. Gibson, Sr.

Pop took fashion cues from no one. His signature every day look was all his: khaki shirt, khaki pants, black socks, and shirt tucked in tight at all times with a belt. He didn’t believe in shirts that didn’t have two front-pockets.

He cared deeply for those around him. He was there always for those he loved. He had a unique mind for mechanics, logic, and mathematics, but his kind heart was even more special. It’s a loss of a man we all loved from the greatest generation and it’s personal because he was our father, father-in-law, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He was simply “Pop”.

Pop passed peacefully on June 14, 2019 after being presented as a gift to us all in February 28, 1922.

In loving memory, we all wish you CAVU forever Pop. For us non-airmen, CAVU means Ceiling and Visibility Unlimited.