Military Monday : John Joseph Gannon

John Joseph Gannon, my grand uncle is the focus of Military Monday this week. John was born in Albany on 03 May 1914 to Catherine Eger Gannon and John Joseph Aloysius Gannon.

John Joseph Gannon, circa 1934

John's siblings:

• Anna Catherine (1910-1988) married John Richard O'Sullivan
• Margaret Mary (1913-1998) married George Edward Kirk White
• George John (1920-1979) married Rita Jones; married Joan Theresa Sullivan 

As a young man John was a sheet metal worker living with his parents at 79 Tremont Street in Albany. During WWII, John enlisted in the 8th Air Force and was stationed in England during the war years. John married Helen Constance Horan (1917-1991) on 24 August 1946 at the Westover Field Air Force Base in Massachusetts. John and Helen had two children John Terrence and Michael Joseph.

John spent 22 years in the Air Force. He rose to the rank of Master Sargent. Many of those years were spent overseas. He was stationed for six years at the Rheinmain Air Force Base in Germany and he was also stationed at another United States Air Force Base in Germany, Hahn AFB.

Air Force Office of Special Investigations

Around 1950 John joined the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) within the Air Force. OSI officers conduct investigations regarding criminal, fraud, counterintelligence, and internal security within the Air Force to keep units and bases secure. At this time he was out of uniform and in civilian clothes. John retired in 1962 from the Air Force at the Plattsburgh, NY base.

John & Helen Gannon

Below are a series of photos of John in uniform.

John Joseph Gannon, 1942, Texas

John and Helen remained in the Plattsburgh area after retirement. John passed away on 24 April 1975. Helen joined him on 02 March 1991. They are buried at Mount Carmel Cemetery in Plattsburgh, NY.