Draft:Arthur Jibilian

Arthur Jibilian (Cleveland, Ohio, United States, 30 April 1923 - Toledo, Ohio, United States, 21 March 2010) was a U.S. Navy radio officer, a volunteered for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), who was parachuted behind enemy lines in Nazi-occupied Serbia. He was awarded the Silver Star, received the Silver Star Citation, and was nominated for the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Biography

Arthur Jibilian was born into an Armenian American family. He was educated in the Toledo City School District and graduated from DeVilbiss High School.

Military Career

Jibilian was drafted into the U.S. Navy on 15 March 1943 and sent to boot camp at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station in North Chicago, where he trained as a radioman, learning Morse code and naval protocol. He volunteered for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and was sent to Washington, DC where OSS instructors taught him to code and decode messages, operate three-piece radios consisting of a transmitter, receiver, and power pack, all to fit a small, unobtrusive suitcase. He was taught to "mingle in a crowd", act, and carry the suitcase like a local traveler. Then, he went to Fort Benning, and Fort Bragg for parachute training and taking part in army maneuvers with Special Ops groups. Jibilian and other radiomen were then sent to Cairo, Egypt. There, Jibilian was interviewed and told by Lieutenant Eli Popovich that he was selected for a second mission in Yugoslavia. The first mission took place on 23 January 1944 when Eli Popovich and Linn Farish discussed the evacuation of American MIAs in Partisan territory in Bosnia with Josip Broz Titoit. On 15 March 1944, Eli Popovich, Col. Linn Farish, and radio Specialist Arthur Jibilian parachuted into Partisan territory.

The Americans also planned and executed similar actions in Chetnik territory in Serbia earlier still -- 19 October 1943 -- when 2nd Lieutenant George Musulin parachuted near General Dragoljub Mihailovich's headquarters where he acted as an interpreter. After the Allies decided to distance themselves from Mihailovich to appease the Soviets and the British, Musulin returned to Italy and continued insisting that American representatives be sent to Mihailovich to organize the evacuation of American and Allied airmen there.

Arthur Jibilian, Master Sargeant Michael Rajacich, borrowed from SI for this particular assignment, rounded out George Musulin team. Jibilian had earned a reputation for being an effective radioman, having served with Linn Farish and Eli Popovich during the last mission in Yugoslavia between March and June 1944. Joseph Veselinovich was also among those American officers who, though they served with the Partisans, opposed Tito and his movement. Veselinovich was withdrawn from the Partisans as a result.

On 2 August 1944, Arthur Jibilian, Nich Lalich, Michael Rajacich, and George Musulin were sent to the headquarters of General Dragoljub Mihailovich in Serbia. They parachuted in the western part of Pranjani. It was there that more than 500 U.S. airmen and foreign servicemen in Operation Halyard were evacuated to Bari, Italy.

After the war, Jubilian went to the University of Toledo where he met and married Beverly-Jo Williams in 1951. He worked at Basic Refractories Inc. as a safety director from 1955 until his retirement in 1983.

Arthur Jibilian died on 21 March 2010 and is buried in the Arlington National Cemetery.