Veterans Center Connection
Through Elliott and Judy Wolfe’s Newhall Veterans Center on Lyons Avenue, I came in contact with Jeff Stabile and I knew it was just a matter of time before we would chat over coffee to begin creating his veterans page.

Jet Engine Training
Jeffrey T. Stabile was born on July 17, 1944 in Des Moines, Iowa, but his family moved a few years later to New York where he grew up on Long Island.

Jeffrey T. Stabile Unit – Patch 22nd Bomb Wing Field Maintenance Squadron

He attended Bayside High School in Queens, New York, which was built during the great depression and is now known as possessing the highest graduation rate of New York’s high schools, according to Stabile.

In 1959, Stabile’s family moved to nearby Douglaston where he had the good fortune of meeting his future wife, Peggy O’Hagan, a striking beauty who lived two blocks away.

At age 16, Stabile became a men’s department salesman at Gertz Department Store and while attending Bayside he played on a championship tennis team at the famous Forest Hills Stadium.

After high school, Stabile promptly enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, taking 10 weeks of basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.

Next, he took 12 weeks of jet engine specialist training at Amarillo Air Force Base in Texas, which set the stage for his lifelong vocation.

March Air Force Base
Following technical training, Stabile was assigned to March Air Force Base in Riverside, California where he spent his remaining stint with the Air Force.

Stabile’s vital responsibility was maintaining jet engines on eight engine B52 Bombers and four engine KC135 Tanker Air Crafts, which were predominantly used in bombing communist forces during the Vietnam War.

In 1965, Stabile was the youngest airman at March Air Force authorized to ground and release aircraft for flight.

Often, his team prepared KC135 task forces of 15 tankers to escort as many as 30 F-4 Phantom Jet Fighters to Vietnam via Travis Air Force Base, Hawaii, Guam, and Okinawa.

Jeffrey T. Stabile Technical School Amarillio, Texas April 1963

Occasionally, Stabile was required to participate in these missions and on one occasion a typhoon diverted their mission to land at Clark Air Force Base.

Stabile, nicknamed “Jet Guy,” was asked to check a KC135 engine where he discovered that an engine had to be replaced, thus averting a potential catastrophe. An engine and a stand had to be shipped from Guam.

A routine assignment for Stabile was testing all eight B52 engines by running them all at once which was incredibly noisy.

In order to have a B52 mission ready, Stabile performed an engine test one late chilly night, which aggravated a lieutenant general who promptly ordered to cease late night testing.

Stabile calmly informed his immediate superior that he would simply comply, which apparently became secondary. Shortly thereafter, that order was revoked.

Honorable Discharge
While at March Air Force Base, Stabile attended classes at Chapman College, San Bernardino Valley College, and later several other colleges.

Jeffrey T. Stabile Wedding Day July 17, 1965

Stabile and Peggy O’Hagan first met in high school at a neighborhood clubhouse party and he was instantly smitten, but unbeknownst to him Peggy was actually scheming to meet him.

They dated as often as possible and he ultimately proposed to Peggy in his 1956 Ford at a Denny’s restaurant in Riverside. They were married July 17, 1965, which was Stabile’s 21^st birthday.

“Peggy selected that wedding date figuring I would not forget our anniversary,” said Stabile.

On Feb. 17, 1967, Jeff received his honorable discharge and he promptly returned home to his wife.

He immediately sought employment, which was not difficult considering his Air Force experience.

Stabile was hired over a phone call interview to repair small jet engines, which he did until landing a job with a Manhattan, New York stock brokerage firm.

He and Peggy’s son Jeffrey, Jr. was born at March Air Force Base and their daughter Beth was born in Great Neck, New York.

Air Force Experience
After working in Manhattan for several years, Stabile was hired by the Television Bureau of Advertising, which led him to Chicago and all over the Midwest making customer presentations designed to promote their businesses.

Stabile grew restless and yearned to put his Air Force experience to good use and for the next 40 years he traveled the world buying and selling commercial aircraft parts and services.

Jeffrey T. Stabile Boeing 727 Oregon Forest Home

Stabile participated in purchasing and dismantling 747’s, 727’s, 737’s, and MD80’s, but his most curious project was selling a Boeing 727 to a gentleman in Oregon who wanted to convert it into his home.

In 2007, Stabile retired and started Pegasus Two Consulting as a sales and marketing consulting business, which kept him active for several years.

Veterans Services Collaborative

Jeffrey T. Stabile & Peggy O’Hagan March 1963

Earlier this year, Stabile became quite active volunteering for Santa Clarita’s Veterans Services Collaborative, an organization created by Elliott and Judy Wolfe, designed to assist veterans seeking employment, education and veteran administration benefits.

This past spring the organization opened a local veterans center located at 23222 Lyons Ave., where Jeff can often be found volunteering.

On Nov. 1, 2018, Stabile took on the position of executive director, whose chief responsibilities include assisting veterans and fundraising ventures.

Jeff, I salute your fine military service and your excellent community service. Bravo!

Hometown Heroes Military Banner Program

The City of Santa Clarita Hometown Heroes Military Banner Program honors our city’s heroes with a banner featuring the military member’s photograph, name, rank, and branch they serve. The banners are installed around Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Veterans Day.

To order a Hometown Heroes Military Banner to honor your hero, please visit Santa-Clarita.com/Heroes.

Veterans and Military Personnel

KHTS Hometown Station would like to publish information regarding name, branch of service, dates served, deployment orders, promotions, and award presentations from veteran and active military families and personnel. Please send your information to Bill Reynolds, Director of Veterans Affairs.

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.