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Historical records matching Jefferson J. DeBlanc
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About Jefferson J. DeBlanc
From Wikipedia (English):
Jefferson Joseph DeBlanc (February 15, 1921 – November 22, 2007) was a World War II Marine Corps fighter pilot and ace — shooting down nine Japanese aircraft during two tours of duty in the Pacific at Guadalcanal and Okinawa — and a Medal of Honor recipient.
U.S. Naval service
DeBlanc enlisted in the Naval Reserve (USNR) as a seaman second class on 29 July 1941, and received flight training at the Naval Reserve Aviation Base in New Orleans, for two weeks, before going to the Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi, Texas, to continue his training. His Naval enlistment was terminated under honorable conditions on 15 October, and he was appointed an Aviation Cadet, USNR, on the following day. DeBlanc was one of approximately 24,500 Cajun G.I.s to serve during World War II.
Marine Corps service
Commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps Reserve on 4 May 1942, DeBlanc moved to San Diego to join Headquarters Squadron, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing. In July, he was assigned to the Advance Carrier Training Group, where he remained under instruction until 6 August.
He was placed in the new pilot's pool until, with less than 10 hours of flight time in the F4F Wildcat, he joined VMF-112, Marine Aircraft Group 11, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing in October. Two weeks later, he left for overseas and arrived at Guadalcanal on 2 November. On 13 November, Japanese Mitsubishi G4M "Betty" bombers attempted to torpedo Allied ships and were intercepted by VMF-112, and in that action DeBlanc shot down three. He was promoted to first lieutenant on 19 December. On 29 January 1943, DeBlanc was forced to ditch out of his Wildcat and luckily landed in the wake of an American destroyer that was fleeing across Ironbottom Sound due to a Japanese air raid. He was rescued by the destroyer and returned to flight status immediately after.
Post-war career
After returning to the U.S., DeBlanc continued his education — earning a B.S. degree in physics and math from Southwestern Louisiana Institute in 1947; an M.A. Education (physics) from Louisiana State University in 1951 and a second master's degree in Education (mathematics) in 1963; and earning a doctorate (Ed.D) in Education from McNeese State University in 1973.
DeBlanc was discharged from active duty on December 31, 1945. He returned to his home in St. Martinville, Louisiana, and was assigned to the 8th Marine Corps Reserve District, later serving as commander of Marine Air Reserve Group 18. DeBlanc retired from the Marine Corps Reserve as a colonel on July 1, 1972.
In 2006, DeBlanc appeared on an episode of the The History Channel series Dogfights. In the episode, titled 'Guadalcanal', DeBlanc's "Ace in a day" action is depicted. The episode was the fourth episode of the first season of the series, which recreated historical air combat campaigns using modern computer graphics.
On the morning of Thanksgiving Day, November 22, 2007, Jefferson DeBlanc died in Lafayette, Louisiana, age 86, from complications due to pneumonia. He was the last surviving World War II recipient of the Medal of Honor from Louisiana.
He is buried in Saint Michael's Cemetery Saint Martinville, St. Martin Parish, Louisiana.
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Jefferson J. DeBlanc's Timeline
| 1921 |
February 15, 1921
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Lockport, Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States
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| 2007 |
November 22, 2007
Age 86
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Lafayette, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States
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