Retired Col. Eugene Martin “Gene” Faber, 85, a decorated fighter pilot of World War II and the Korean War, died Nov.1. The Kingsville, Md., resident passed away in his sleep, the Baltimore Sun reported Nov. 6. Faber was born in El Modena, Calif. After graduating high school, he joined the Army Air Forces, eventually becoming a fighter pilot, flying missions over Germany in the P-47 Thunderbolt with the 404th Fighter Group based in Belgium. During the Korean War, he flew the F-86 Sabre with the 4th Fighter Wing. After the Korean War, he tested fighter aircraft at Eglin AFB, Fla., for several years. He also flew the F-4 Phantom in combat for one year during the Vietnam War. During his 33-year career, he flew 300 combat missions, according to the Sun.
B-52 Stratofortress bombers marked a new first in Operation Epic Fury when some of the BUFFs flew over Iran carrying JDAM-guided gravity bombs, according to people familiar with the matter. The development signals a weakening of Iranian air defenses and a new use for the venerable bomber in the nearly…