(February 07, 1968)
KIA

Funeral services are being arranged in Long Branch, NJ for Air Force Sgt. J. Gene Abara, 22, a 1963 graduate of Lewiston-Porter Central High School who was killed in action in Vietnam Feb. 7.

He was a flight mechanic on a rescue and recovery helicopter which crashed and exploded in a valley in South Vietnam after being hit by ground fire.

A three-year veteran of the Air Force, Sgt. Abara had been serving in Vietnam since December 1966. He was stationed with Detachment 9, 38th Aerospace, Rescue and Recovery Squad, stationed at Pleiku Air Base.

Sgt. Abara resided in Ft. Niagara for three or four years while his father, Frederick S. Abara, was stationed here with the Army.

At Lew-Port, Sgt. Abara was a tennis player and won awards for solo performances on the saxophone

He was engaged to marry Joanne M. Dell of 4946 Creek Road, Lewiston, upon returning from Vietnam.

Born in Manila, the Philippines, Sgt. Abara came to this country in 1950. He joined the Air Force in October 1964.

Surviving in additional to his parents, who reside in Long Branch, are a sister, Lorna, a student at Rider College, Trenton, NJ and a brother, Frederick, a Junior high school student.

Funeral arrangements are being made by the Wooley Funeral Home, Long Branch. A Mass will be offered in St. Michael’s Catholic Church.