Jan Klebukowski’s fascination with aviation and space began early, sparked by a visit to the 1964-65 World’s Fair in New York and watching the moon landing on TV. His interest was further nurtured by attending Glen Cove South School, nicknamed “World of Tomorrow School,” which had its own planetarium and offered classes in model rocketry and basic electronics. This foundation, along with electronics training at Grumman Data Systems Institute, led him to enlist in the Air Force in 1985. His basic training and military education at Lackland, Lowry, and Mountain Home Air Force Bases prepared him for a 22-year career spanning active duty and Air National Guard service, focusing on aircraft maintenance and communications systems.
Later, Klebukowski transitioned to the Air National Guard, joining the 213th Engineering Installation Squadron for Ground Radio Maintenance. His role involved installing communications systems at various overseas locations.
Throughout his career, Klebukowski held several Air Force Specialty Codes (AFSCs), including Integrated Avionics Communication Navigation & Penetration Aids Systems Specialist and Ground Radio Communications. He was awarded the Cold War Certificate, a military decoration recognizing his service during this strategic period as well as the Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal and others. He retired as a master sergeant with the 106th Rescue Wing in 2007.
Since retiring, Klebukowski holds memberships in the Air Force Association and Air Force Radar Museum Association. He has also channeled his experiences into writing by authoring a book on the history of Roslyn Air National Guard Station.
We honor his service.
Nominate a Veteran for Honoring Veterans
Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? VA’s Honoring Veterans social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.
It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. All it takes is an email to newmedia@va.gov with as much information as you can put together, along with some good photos. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.
TogetherWeServed
This Honoring Veterans story was prepared with the assistance of Togetherweserved.com, an online community where Veterans can reconnect with those they served with and preserve the memories and photographs of their military service so that this may live on for their family and future generations. Find out more at TWS online.
Disclaimer: A portion of this story was generated by AI. None of the data we reported included personal or sensitive information, and it was fact-checked and edited by a human copy editor prior to publishing.
Prompt Engineer: Hima Thummala
Editor: Tayler Rairigh
Researcher: Paola Negron
Graphic Designer: William Vega
