Edward Francis "Frankie" Kibby, II was born January 24th, 1919 in Bear Lake, Idaho. On December 27th, 1938 in Dingle, Bear Lake, Idaho, he married Violet Victoria Erickson who was born on April 29th, 1916 in Los Angeles, California to parents Algot and Ellen Erickson (born in Sweden) and sister to Swea, Ruth, and John. In 1941, they lived in California where, before the war, Edward was a welder at Lockheed where he likely worked on the P-38 Lightning, XP-49, PV-1 Ventura and other aircraft.
During WWII, Edward was a Staff Sergeant (SSGT) for the US Army Air Force. He enlisted at Fort Douglas in the Air Corps as a Private Jan 12th, 1944 where he was a skilled welder and flame cutters. He was a belly gunner for the B-17 bomber, one of the most dangerous assignments in World War II as it was protected only by a glass bubble jutting out from the bowels of the plane. Permanently fixed and unable to be retracted, there was no hiding from enemy attack. It was an enclosure that at any time could become an airman's coffin. And often did.
It wasn't until 1944 that fighter escorts were deployed to accompany them on their missions. By that time, thousands of airmen had perished over the skies of Europe. Size mattered when it came to selecting ball turret gunners. Airman in the bubble were hunched over almost in a fetal position, knees up to chin, machine gun controls inches away. By the first sign of daylight, the flying fortresses were on their way. Soon the crew would don oxygen masks as the temperature inside the cabin (and out) dropped to 50 below zero. Flight suits were heated and insulated but the crew often reported icicles on their eyebrows and frostbite around their mouths.
About lunchtime, the B-17s hit their targets. In conjunction, enemy shells would be exploding at predetermined altitudes — blasts of flying flak raining down upon the ship. Deviating from the course and getting out of formation was sure suicide because German fighter planes were always lurking in the clouds, ready to pick off a random plane. Airmen badly wounded from flak would die without immediate medical attention at that altitude due to shock. So, many were tossed out in parachutes, in the hopes that German troops would give them emergency care before shipping them off to P.O.W. Camps. Injuries from flak accounted for more loss of life among the B-17 crews than any other factor.
There is a story about when Edward's plane was shot at. When they landed, they put a broom stick through the hole in the belly of the plane where Edward was and have no idea how he didn't get hit by a bullet and die. He was released Jan 12th, 1946 and moved to Idaho near Bear Lake.
As the story goes, when Edward lived in Idaho, a preacher got stuck in a snowstorm and stopped at his house for help way out in the sticks. This is likely when Edward became a Christian. This is significant because when Edward move to Oregon, he started and maintained a prayer breakfast at Wah Chang for years. It is thought that he reached many people there.
At Wah Chang, he became the lead welder for the rare metals (zirconium) site in Albany, OR and helped develop the first titanium production bicycle frame for the Teledyne Titan that came out in 1974.
Violet died on May 6th, 2003 at the age of 87. Violet was buried at Willamette National Cemetery in Portland, Oregon and with her husband who was a veteran of World War II. Edward died January 6th, 1989 at age 69 in Salem, Oregon.
During WWII, Edward was a Staff Sergeant (SSGT) for the US Army Air Force. He enlisted at Fort Douglas in the Air Corps as a Private Jan 12th, 1944 where he was a skilled welder and flame cutters. He was a belly gunner for the B-17 bomber, one of the most dangerous assignments in World War II as it was protected only by a glass bubble jutting out from the bowels of the plane. Permanently fixed and unable to be retracted, there was no hiding from enemy attack. It was an enclosure that at any time could become an airman's coffin. And often did.
It wasn't until 1944 that fighter escorts were deployed to accompany them on their missions. By that time, thousands of airmen had perished over the skies of Europe. Size mattered when it came to selecting ball turret gunners. Airman in the bubble were hunched over almost in a fetal position, knees up to chin, machine gun controls inches away. By the first sign of daylight, the flying fortresses were on their way. Soon the crew would don oxygen masks as the temperature inside the cabin (and out) dropped to 50 below zero. Flight suits were heated and insulated but the crew often reported icicles on their eyebrows and frostbite around their mouths.
About lunchtime, the B-17s hit their targets. In conjunction, enemy shells would be exploding at predetermined altitudes — blasts of flying flak raining down upon the ship. Deviating from the course and getting out of formation was sure suicide because German fighter planes were always lurking in the clouds, ready to pick off a random plane. Airmen badly wounded from flak would die without immediate medical attention at that altitude due to shock. So, many were tossed out in parachutes, in the hopes that German troops would give them emergency care before shipping them off to P.O.W. Camps. Injuries from flak accounted for more loss of life among the B-17 crews than any other factor.
There is a story about when Edward's plane was shot at. When they landed, they put a broom stick through the hole in the belly of the plane where Edward was and have no idea how he didn't get hit by a bullet and die. He was released Jan 12th, 1946 and moved to Idaho near Bear Lake.
As the story goes, when Edward lived in Idaho, a preacher got stuck in a snowstorm and stopped at his house for help way out in the sticks. This is likely when Edward became a Christian. This is significant because when Edward move to Oregon, he started and maintained a prayer breakfast at Wah Chang for years. It is thought that he reached many people there.
At Wah Chang, he became the lead welder for the rare metals (zirconium) site in Albany, OR and helped develop the first titanium production bicycle frame for the Teledyne Titan that came out in 1974.
Violet died on May 6th, 2003 at the age of 87. Violet was buried at Willamette National Cemetery in Portland, Oregon and with her husband who was a veteran of World War II. Edward died January 6th, 1989 at age 69 in Salem, Oregon.
Edward Francis "Frankie" Kibby, II was born January 24th, 1919 in Bear Lake, Idaho. On December 27th, 1938 in Dingle, Bear Lake, Idaho, he married Violet Victoria Erickson who was born on April 29th, 1916 in Los Angeles, California to parents Algot and Ellen Erickson (born in Sweden) and sister to Swea, Ruth, and John. In 1941, they lived in California where, before the war, Edward was a welder at Lockheed where he likely worked on the P-38 Lightning, XP-49, PV-1 Ventura and other aircraft.
During WWII, Edward was a Staff Sergeant (SSGT) for the US Army Air Force. He enlisted at Fort Douglas in the Air Corps as a Private Jan 12th, 1944 where he was a skilled welder and flame cutters. He was a belly gunner for the B-17 bomber, one of the most dangerous assignments in World War II as it was protected only by a glass bubble jutting out from the bowels of the plane. Permanently fixed and unable to be retracted, there was no hiding from enemy attack. It was an enclosure that at any time could become an airman's coffin. And often did.
It wasn't until 1944 that fighter escorts were deployed to accompany them on their missions. By that time, thousands of airmen had perished over the skies of Europe. Size mattered when it came to selecting ball turret gunners. Airman in the bubble were hunched over almost in a fetal position, knees up to chin, machine gun controls inches away. By the first sign of daylight, the flying fortresses were on their way. Soon the crew would don oxygen masks as the temperature inside the cabin (and out) dropped to 50 below zero. Flight suits were heated and insulated but the crew often reported icicles on their eyebrows and frostbite around their mouths.
About lunchtime, the B-17s hit their targets. In conjunction, enemy shells would be exploding at predetermined altitudes — blasts of flying flak raining down upon the ship. Deviating from the course and getting out of formation was sure suicide because German fighter planes were always lurking in the clouds, ready to pick off a random plane. Airmen badly wounded from flak would die without immediate medical attention at that altitude due to shock. So, many were tossed out in parachutes, in the hopes that German troops would give them emergency care before shipping them off to P.O.W. Camps. Injuries from flak accounted for more loss of life among the B-17 crews than any other factor.
There is a story about when Edward's plane was shot at. When they landed, they put a broom stick through the hole in the belly of the plane where Edward was and have no idea how he didn't get hit by a bullet and die. He was released Jan 12th, 1946 and moved to Idaho near Bear Lake.
As the story goes, when Edward lived in Idaho, a preacher got stuck in a snowstorm and stopped at his house for help way out in the sticks. This is likely when Edward became a Christian. This is significant because when Edward move to Oregon, he started and maintained a prayer breakfast at Wah Chang for years. It is thought that he reached many people there.
At Wah Chang, he became the lead welder for the rare metals (zirconium) site in Albany, OR and helped develop the first titanium production bicycle frame for the Teledyne Titan that came out in 1974.
Violet died on May 6th, 2003 at the age of 87. Violet was buried at Willamette National Cemetery in Portland, Oregon and with her husband who was a veteran of World War II. Edward died January 6th, 1989 at age 69 in Salem, Oregon.
During WWII, Edward was a Staff Sergeant (SSGT) for the US Army Air Force. He enlisted at Fort Douglas in the Air Corps as a Private Jan 12th, 1944 where he was a skilled welder and flame cutters. He was a belly gunner for the B-17 bomber, one of the most dangerous assignments in World War II as it was protected only by a glass bubble jutting out from the bowels of the plane. Permanently fixed and unable to be retracted, there was no hiding from enemy attack. It was an enclosure that at any time could become an airman's coffin. And often did.
It wasn't until 1944 that fighter escorts were deployed to accompany them on their missions. By that time, thousands of airmen had perished over the skies of Europe. Size mattered when it came to selecting ball turret gunners. Airman in the bubble were hunched over almost in a fetal position, knees up to chin, machine gun controls inches away. By the first sign of daylight, the flying fortresses were on their way. Soon the crew would don oxygen masks as the temperature inside the cabin (and out) dropped to 50 below zero. Flight suits were heated and insulated but the crew often reported icicles on their eyebrows and frostbite around their mouths.
About lunchtime, the B-17s hit their targets. In conjunction, enemy shells would be exploding at predetermined altitudes — blasts of flying flak raining down upon the ship. Deviating from the course and getting out of formation was sure suicide because German fighter planes were always lurking in the clouds, ready to pick off a random plane. Airmen badly wounded from flak would die without immediate medical attention at that altitude due to shock. So, many were tossed out in parachutes, in the hopes that German troops would give them emergency care before shipping them off to P.O.W. Camps. Injuries from flak accounted for more loss of life among the B-17 crews than any other factor.
There is a story about when Edward's plane was shot at. When they landed, they put a broom stick through the hole in the belly of the plane where Edward was and have no idea how he didn't get hit by a bullet and die. He was released Jan 12th, 1946 and moved to Idaho near Bear Lake.
As the story goes, when Edward lived in Idaho, a preacher got stuck in a snowstorm and stopped at his house for help way out in the sticks. This is likely when Edward became a Christian. This is significant because when Edward move to Oregon, he started and maintained a prayer breakfast at Wah Chang for years. It is thought that he reached many people there.
At Wah Chang, he became the lead welder for the rare metals (zirconium) site in Albany, OR and helped develop the first titanium production bicycle frame for the Teledyne Titan that came out in 1974.
Violet died on May 6th, 2003 at the age of 87. Violet was buried at Willamette National Cemetery in Portland, Oregon and with her husband who was a veteran of World War II. Edward died January 6th, 1989 at age 69 in Salem, Oregon.
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