Donald McPherson, the last surviving American ace pilot from the Second World War, died Aug. 14 at the age of 103. McPherson had five victories in a Grumman F6F Hellcat while serving aboard the USS Essex in VF83 squadron. The squadron flew missions to counter Kamikaze flights by the Japanese Navy, and McPherson shot down two D3 Vals and three E7K Alf floatplanes that were being used as suicide aircraft. He earned three Distinguished Flying Crosses and four Air Medals for his wartime service.
He returned to his hometown of Adams, Nebraska, where he worked as a rural mailman. He visited AirVenture in 2021 to recount his war experiences and tour a Hellcat in Warbird Alley. In 2024 he was taken for a flight in a Helldiver at Fagen Fighters WWII Museum in Granite Falls, Minnesota.
The UK just lost its last Victoria Cross awardee and with this passing, we draw closer to the day when the tether of the living memory of heroes is replaced by recorded history. Grateful surely, all who knew them, flesh and blood with hearts of lions.
I was born during WWII. As a boy I was drawn to air combat movies set in the Pacific and Europe. I dreamed of becoming a pilot. Men like Donald McPherson, the last living American ace, were my heroes. I will miss his spirit. Rest in peace.
Respect.