Gilbert Mishkin
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 Gilbert and Ida Mishkin, 1947 |
Gilbert Mishkin, 776th
2 March 2010
Gilbert Mishkin passed away on March 2, 2010 following complications after surgery for colon cancer. Gil was born in Chicago, Illinois on November 11, 1915 to Rebecca and Max Mishkin.
He graduated from Harrison High School in Chicago in 1933 and from Herzl/Crane Junior College in 1936. He also took courses at the Ray School of Advertising (1937-38) and of special note, a course in precision inspection given by the U.S. Navy at the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1942. From 1942 until his enlistment in the Army, he was employed by the U.S. Navy as an inspector of naval ordnance material (20 mm projectiles).
He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in April of 1943. Gil trained at Ft. Sheridan, Illinois; Miami Beach, Florida; New Orleans, Louisiana (Delgado Trade School for airplane mechanics); Keesler Field, Biloxi, Mississippi; Maxwell Field, Montgomery, Alabama and Napier Field, Dothan, Alabama. He deployed to the European theater from Camp Patrick Henry, in Warwick County, Virginia on the USS General M.C. Meigs (AP-116) on August 9, 1944.
Gil arrived in Naples, Italy on August 21, 1944 as part of the 19th replacement battalion. He arrived at Pantanella Air Base (464th Bomb Group, 776th Squadron) near Canosa on September 7, 1944 and was stationed there through May 18, 1945, with a break from November 20th to December 7th for training with the Norden bomb sight in Bari, Italy.
On May 19, 1945, he was transferred to Tortorella
Air Base at Foggia, Italy (99th Bomb Group, 416th
Squadron). From September 2nd through 24th he was
on detached service to Pomigliano (2nd Bomb Squadron),
returning to Tortorella on September 25th. Gil left
Tortorella for Naples on September 27th (19th and
7th replacement battalions).
On November 7th Gil and his comrades sailed back to the
United States aboard the Sea Scamp, landing at Newport News, Virginia on
November 18th. He was honorably discharged from military
service on November 23rd at Camp Grant in Rockford, Illinois.
After leaving the service in 1945, he returned to Chicago, where in
1947, he married Ida Sophie Moskovitz. After the war, Gil worked
for 44 years at Chicago's city hall in the Department of Buildings,
rising to the position of Head Payroll Clerk. He retired from his
job (a job for which he was regularly commended, and one that he loved)
in 1990 at the age of 74.
Gil's wife Ida preceded him in death in March, 2007 after 60 years of devoted marriage. Gil is survived by his son Lee Mishkin, his daughter Betty N. Mishkin, daughter-in-law Betty S. Mishkin and grandsons Bryan and Brandon Mishkin. Gilbert Mishkin will be remembered as a wonderful father and grandfather who always had a positive outlook on life, greeted everyone with a big smile and a great sense of humor, who loved his job and all the beauty that Chicagoland has to offer, served his country with great pride and who loved his wife and family with all his heart.
Memorial contributions in lieu of flowers were made to the American Cancer Society, the American Red Cross and the Jewish National Fund.