Jefferson J. DeBlanc

Jefferson Joseph DeBlanc was an American World War II Marine Corps fighter pilot and flying ace who served with distinction in the Pacific Theater. He was credited with shooting down nine Japanese aircraft during two tours of duty at Guadalcanal and Okinawa. His most notable action occurred on January 31, 1943, when he pressed forward with a mission despite mechanical problems and successfully shot down five Japanese aircraft in minutes before being forced to parachute to safety.

After bailing out, DeBlanc was rescued by native islanders who later traded him for a sack of rice, allowing him to be successfully retrieved by a Navy seaplane. For his extraordinary heroism and conspicuous gallantry on that day, he was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Following the war, DeBlanc continued his service in the Marine Corps Reserve until his retirement in 1972 as a colonel. In his civilian life, he pursued a career in education, teaching school and earning master's degrees in math and physics, as well as a doctoral degree in education.