Arthur Jibilian

Arthur Jibilian (Cleveland, Ohio, United States, 30 April 1923 - Fremont, Ohio, United States, 21 March 2010) was a U.S. Navy radio officer, who volunteered for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), and was parachuted behind enemy lines in Nazi-occupied Serbia.[1] He was awarded the Silver Star, received the Silver Star Citation, and was nominated for the Congressional Medal of Honor.[2][3][4] He was part of the OSS secret Halyard Mission[5]. A film on the mission, Heroes of Halyard, directed by Radoš Bajić, was released in 2023.[6]

Biography

Arthur Jibilian was born into an Armenian American family.[7]

Education

He was educated in the Toledo City School District and graduated from DeVilbiss High School, just when World War II started. In March 1943, he went to the Naval Station Great Lakes in North Chicago, where he learned the Morse code and naval intelligence protocol.[4] After his wartime experiences, he enrolled at the University of Toledo and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts.

Military Career

After the Naval Station Great Lakes, Arthur Jibilian volunteered[8] 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.[9] On 15 March 1944, Eli Popovich, Col. Linn Farrish, and radio Specialist Arthur Jibilian parachuted into partisan territory.[4]

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 HQ 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.[9]

Arthur Jibilian, Master Sergeant Michael Rajacich, borrowed from SI for this particular assignment, rounded out George Musilin team. Jibilian had earned a reputation for being an effective radioman, having served with Linn Farrish and Eli Popovich during the last mission in Yugoslavia between March and June 1944. Joseph Veselinovich, also among those American officers who, though they served with the Partisans, opposed Tito and his movement, was tasked to facilitate the secretive Halyard Mission to evacuate U.S. and Allied airmen from the Partisan-held territory.

On 2 August 1944, Arthur Jibilian, Nick Lalich, Michael Rajacich, and George Musulin were parachuted in the western part of Pranjani to the headquarters of General Dragoljub Mihailovich in Serbia to establish contact with Allied Force HQ[10]. On 10 August, fourteen American transport planes escorted by six Spitfires first evacuated 250 airmen, including a few Yugoslavs, namely Adam Pribićević, Zvonimir Vučković, Ivan Kovač, and Dr. Vladimir Belajčić, former Superior Court Judge of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. It was there that a total of 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.

In 2008 he was presented with the Congressional Medal of Honor from Rep. Bob Latta.[1]

Arthur Jibilian died of cancer in Fremont, on 21 March 2010 and is buried in the Arlington National Cemetery. He was the last survivor of the Halyard Mission team.[11][12][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c Manning, Matt (March 23, 2010). "Local WWII hero Jibilian dies of cancer". The News-Messenger. Fremont OH. p. 1. Retrieved December 5, 2025 – via Newspapers.com. "Local WWII hero Jibilian dies of cancer (part 2)". p. 2.
  2. ^ "Journal of the House of Representatives of the United States". 2014.
  3. ^ "A member of the "Forgotten 500" received a special Congressional Award on December 7, 2008 in Toledo, Ohio". www.teslasociety.com.
  4. ^ a b c Jibilian, Arthur (April 2008). "Rescuer In Yugoslavia". America in WWII magazine. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
  5. ^ Rebic, Aleksandra (April 17, 2017). "Remembering Arthur "Jibby" Jibilian, Halyard Mission hero, as winter turns to spring". General Draža Mihailovich history blog site.
  6. ^ Roxborough, Scott (28 December 2023). "How a Serbian Film About World War II Got Caught in a Modern-Day Political Crossfire". The Hollywood Reporter. Los Angeles. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
  7. ^ Freeman, Gregory A. (2 September 2008). The Forgotten 500: The Untold Story of the Men Who Risked All for the Greatest Rescue Mission of World War II. Penguin. ISBN 978-0-451-22495-8.
  8. ^ Freeman, Gregory A. (5 July 2011). Red Tails: The Tuskegee Airmen and Operation Halyard: An All-New Update for the Forgotten 500: A Penguin eSpecial from NAL Caliber. Penguin. ISBN 978-1-101-53343-7.
  9. ^ a b Chalou, George C., ed. (1995). The Secret War: The Office of Strategic Services in World War II. Diane Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-7881-2598-0.
  10. ^ Roberts, Walter R. (1973). Tito, Mihailović, and the Allies, 1941-1945. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 978-0-8135-0740-8.
  11. ^ "Art Jibilian, WWII American Hero, buried at Arlington National Cemetery". Tesla Memorial Society of New York. 5 May 2011. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
  12. ^ "Jibilian Arthur "Jibby"". American War Memorials Overseas. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
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