To
the majority of us modelers, Col.James Jabara, the first jet ace in history, is
a USAF pilot. True
enough as Col. J. Jabara was born in the US and lived and worked for his native
country. However, not many of us know that he is born to a father
who immigrated to the US seeking a better life and future.
In
January 1952, Major Jabara visited Lebanon as part of a tour organized by the US
military leadership. During this visit, he received a hero's reception all
over Lebanon, specially at his grandfathers birth place in Marjeyoun, south
Lebanon. Local newspapers wrote about his combat achievements in the
Korean war. He
was accompanied by his father, along with US military officials.
Regrettably,
Jabara's visit was the first and the last one to Lebanon.
After
the visit, locals kept their interest in Maj.Jabara's war news until it
faded with time. During
my research, I visited Marjeyoun and was able to locate few photos of this visit
which I included here for all to see. These are never before seen photos.
Special
thanks go to Mrs.. Rene Jabara and to Mr.. Adnan and Mrs.. Catherine Jabara.
NB:
If any of the readers are close relatives to Col. Jabara, please write as I
am planning in the future, to publish a book about our hero.
Below
is Maj. Jabara's tour timetable, as translated from local newspapers:
10/01/1952
Major
James Jabara in his fatherland
Yesterday morning,
Khaldeh’s airport was jammed with large crowds on the way to receive Major
James Jabara; the hero of the Korean War and the first jet ace in history.
Stepping out of the
plane and seeing the crowds welcoming him, he addressed them in English:
"You engulfed me with this great welcome and I am very glad to be among you
in my family’s native land."
Dr. Alife Jabara,
the chief of protocol assistant in the Lebanese Foreign Ministry, represented
the government in receiving the hero. Among the front welcomers were Sir Harold
Minor, the USA’s plenipotentiary minister, Colonel George Mileet, the US
military attaché and Colonel William Covington, the US aerial attaché. They
also accompanied him to the presidential headquarters where he signed down his
name on the protocol note pad.
At the reception,
His Excellency the Archbishop Abi Fanyos and Archimandrite Gabriel Salibi who
said a Mass represented Beirut municipal.
Then he visited the
Foreign and Defense Ministers and the
armed forces commander, in the company of USA’s plenipotentiary minister and
the army and aerial attachés.
In addition, Major
Jabara visited Prime Minister Yafi at
his Diwan in the company of Colonel William Covington and the military attaché
in the American delegation. The
visit to the Prime Minister’s office lasted for fifteen minutes.
When he exited the
reporters asked Jabara how he felt.
“I am very glad with
the visit, which is unfortunately, very short.”
He thanked all those
who showed deep emotion towards him.
Our reporter said
that Major Jabara is twenty-eight years old; petite; irritable, not talkative.
When asked why, he replied:
“That goes back to
his tiring work, but he loves it and does not favor any other thing.”
The following is
Major Jabara’s schedule of his visit in the Lebanon
- Thursday,
January 10th : A party in his honor in the American delegation held by the
American minister from six thirty to eight thirty in the evening.
- Friday, January
11th : A trip to Zahlé and Ba’alback, then comes back by night to attend
a party held in his honor by the American aerial attaché and Colonel William
Covington in the Lebanese Officer’s Club.
- Saturday,
January 12th: Lunch at Bristol hotel held by the Lebanese Prime Minister
Abdallah Al Yafi ,who’s being the Foreign Minister as well.
From six thirty to
eight thirty he attends a party thrown in his honor by the lady, Najib
Khairallah’s wife in her residence.
At ten – the night
of the same day – he joins a dancing charitable social gathering in the
Lebanese Syrian Club for the Orthodox orphanage.
- Sunday, January
13th : Tour to the Arz, (Cedars) and having lunch held by Mr. Michel Touma
– the tourists and summering proxy.
- Monday, January
14th : Party thrown in his honor by Dr. Ibrahim Jabara and Mr. Antoine
Jabara at Dr. Jabara’s house.
- Tuesday January
15th : Trip to Marjiyoun.
- Saturday
January 15th : The delegation travels to Damascus in Colonel Covington’s
plane.
12/01/1952
While Lebanon honors
Major Jabara, the Lebanese Communists demonstrated against him Thursday night in
Beirut, the American legation threw a dinner in honor of Major James Jabara the
aerial jet hero. During lunch, the communists made a demonstration in front of
the legation building, yelling against Major Jabara who shot down a large number
of Chinese Communist and Northern Korean military planes.
As a result, the
commentary team headed by the proxy Tanios Tawil tried to scatter the
demonstrators and they arrested two of them : Sa’ad Hasan Dallal and Naji
Abdel Kader Harb. By the way Sa’ad Hasan Dallal is Toufic Dalla’s relatives
the latter was arrested as a result of a communist demonstration which took
place last week in front of the British delegation.
The news reporter
mentioned that Major Jabara visited Mr. Gabriel Aswad – the general interior
manager by proxy in his office at the administration house at 11:00
AM. On Thursday (the day before yesterday). He was accompanied by the head of
the alliances. He was welcomed in the most suitable, hospitable way.
Today, Saturday,
Major Jabara attends the honoring held by the Prime minister in the military
club and attended also by the heads of the alliance and the Senior Army
Officers.
Click on
images below to see larger images
|
|
|
The
Jabara's grandfathers home today. It is still there but no one
is living in it.
|
With
the late Lebanese Prime Minister Abdallah Al Yafi.
|
14/01/1952
Major
Jabara visits the Metropolitan
The Ministry Grants
the Aerial Hero the Cedar’s Medal.
Major James Jabara
visited His Excellency the Metropolitan Ilia Salibi in the archbishopric
accompanied by the aerial attaché in the American legation and some noble men
of the community. His Excellency welcomed him with an Archbishop Abi Fanyos and
some of the notable figures of the sect, among them were “ Mr. Habibe Abi
Shahla, Boulos Fayyad, Fouad Al Khoury, the Mayor of the Capital and many
others.
His Excellency
welcomed Major Jabara in a work praising the brilliant deeds and the aerial
success he achieve. His Excellency expressed the Lebanese delight in Major
Jabara’s excellence, which is considered a proof of the Lebanese superiority
in the various fields once given the chance. In the end, His Excellency wished
Major Jabara peace and success.
The Major Jabara’s
thanked him for the hospitality.
Champagne was
served, thus the audience drank Major Jabara’s toast being the Lebanese aerial
pride.
A Medal
for the Major
Yesterday at noon,
the Prime Minister – being the Foreign Minister, threw a lunch in the Military
Club, in honor of Major James Jabara. The National Defense Minister, the legated
American Minister, seniors of the American legation, the general manager of the
Foreign Ministry and many others.
During the feast
Prime Minister Yafi awarded Jabara the national (Cedar - Arz) medal of the
Commander degree. For the occasion, he said a word “congratulating the Major
for the his distinct acts that qualified
him to the rank, which made Lebanon proud of him.”
Major Jabara
answered back with a speech thanking the President for this honor, he also
thanked the Prime Minister for his
hospitality.
16/01/1952
Major
Jabara in Zahlé And Riak
Major James Jabara,
accompanied by the delegate of the Lebanese Syrian American Union, visited Zahle
and Riak.
The city council
welcomed him. The members accompanied him to the American Zahlian Library where
welcoming speeches were presented. Major Jabara talked with the member of the
Lebanese Syrian American Union, they expressed their great thanks to what
they’re receiving of honoring and hospitality in the Lebanese areas. They also
expressed their relief for building the American Zahlian Library as a means to
strengthen the amicable and cultural relations between Lebanon and the United
States.
The visitors then
moved to the palace where they were welcomed by the mayor who praised the
brotherly relations between the Lebanese and American people. And in this
occasion, Mr. Mansour Zinaty expressed the interest of the Lebanese Syrian
American Union Clubs in the Zahlian American Library and in the continuation of
the relations between the United States and Lebanon.
The Mayor answered
with a similar word welcoming all the efforts offered to strengthen these
relations.
The Major Jabara
continued his way to Riak where he was received by Major Khoury and the two
parties drank the toast of Lebanese American friendship. The Major checked the
aerial base in Riak and saw some of the training planes, bomb shooters and
others. He expressed his big hope to consolidate the Lebanese aerial weapon and
strengthen continuously.
The Major and his
companions had lunch on Major Khoury’s table, and after exchanging the
speeches, he went back to Beirut thanking the great hospitality which he
received in “ Beka’a’s Bride “ Riak.
17/01/1952
When the American
Minister Says A speech away from the Capital and Formalities He thought that the
strength of the
Relations between
Americans and Lebanon decides to a great extent the feeling between the two
people
Major James Jabara
visited Merjayoun – his father’s birthplace – were all the residents
welcomed him.
The procession went
to the Palace of the Ministry where Major Jabara was welcomed by the Mayor of
the South, Prince Abdul Aziz Shahab in a speech containing what follows:
“Lebanon is a nursery, if the branches of this nursery stayed in their land,
they become weak, yet if they were moved to different fertile countries like the
United State, they grow and blossom directly”.
The
American Minister’s Word
The delegated
American Minister followed and said the following : “ Your active heartily
welcome, your lively hospitality and great welcome in which you receive Major
Jabber in his father’s birthplace here and in the other Lebanese areas, proves
his visit to Lebanon to be a happy occasion. This happiness is no less for the
Americans because it presents the amicable political relations between Lebanon
and America.
For more than a
century, Americans were interested in sharing the Middle and Far East Countries
with the progress projects especially those of cultural and medical aid, then in
the past twenty years in business projects.
This kind of sharing
allowed a strong base to the common interest and friendship between Lebanon and
the Middle and Tar East on one side and America and Americans on the other.”
The
Lebanese Emigrant Track
These relations were
strengthened and fastened a lot by the emigration of a large number of Lebanese
to the United States. America who builds up her strength from different
nationalities. Took those Lebanese and mixed them with the American
civilization. Those Lebanese did not only succeed in standing still among the
large groups of different nationalities in the United States. They surpassed
many and appeared in the front of various fields. What in more important is that
they reach this excellence in a way that reflects what their homeland and cities
owe them.
They showed a high
degree of social responsibility and they were among the most notable factors
that follow the law and discipline in the American life. “That’s why I tell
you that you have a lot of reasons that had you to be proud of your citizen’s
success in international business fields mainly the spiritual field.
You have the right
to be proud of Major James Jabara for distinguishing himself in a striking way
in a field, which requires specialties in moral, courage, and personal
sacrifice.
“ In my turn, I
salute Major Jabara as well as his father and the representative of the Lebanese
Syrian American Club Union in appreciation of the great role they represented in
the field of international friendship and understanding. I also salute you, the
Lebanese people, for giving us your citizens either temporary or constantly, and
I congratulate America with the treasure it got.
|
A
hero's welcome in Marjeyoun along with his father on his right.
|
The
Relations among the People
I think that the
strength of the relation between the two countries decides to a great extent the
feeling between the two people. I think that the large number of Lebanese in the
United States is a source that allows great encouragement during these
circumstances in which we are facing important duties in this country.
I touch on this
encouragement when I visit Lebanese villages. I know it’s going to have a
great effect in the constant brotherly relations between our two countries, and
in getting rid of the political aspects and other difficulties that block our
way.
“ I ask for your
support, and I promise to give my personal support to nourish this blossom of
friendship between Lebanon and America to grow and bloom to the utility and
exchanged interest between the two countries. “When I talked in the opening of
the American Zahlian Library party, I described that cultural effort as the
bridge joining the countries. Now I say that this occasion is on of the pillars
on which the bridge is built. With yours and our support we can make it a very
strong bridge in the service of our two brother countries.
Later Mr. Lab
Golmieh said an English speech, then professor Dibs representing Archbishop
Shair the Archbishop of the Catholics. Then Major Jbara said a word thanking
everyone for the great hospitality they received him in. Moreover, he showed the
American lave of Lebanon and the Lebanese emigrants royalty to their homeland.
Then the troops
walked to the Major’s house – Mr. Halim Jbara to have lunch where speakers
and poets took turns.
17/01/1952
Major
Jabara Visits the Metropolitan
We described in an
earlier “ Nahar “ issue the visit done by Major Jabara to His Excellency the
Lofty bishop the Metropolitan Ilia in the archbishopric institution in Beirut.
The first picture
represents His Excellency shaking hands with the Major, between them stood
Archimandrite Garfriel Salibi.
In the second
picture appears the Major and their Excellency the Metropolitan Ilia and
Akkar’s Metroplotitan, and notable figures of the sect and they all sat in the
reception hall.
19/01/1952
In the
Presidential Headquarters
Major James Jabara
and America’s legated Minister visited the presidential headquarters were
received by His Grandeur the president and it lasted for sometime.
Emad
|