Jefferson J . DeBlanc Jefferson Joseph DeBlanc ( February 15 , 1921 – November 22 , 2007 ) was a World War II Marine Corps fighter pilot and ace — shooting down nine Japan ese 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 . Medal of Honor action . On 31 January , First Lieutenant DeBlanc was flying a Wildcat over Japanese - held Kolombangara island in the Solomons Islands leading eight F4F Wildcat s from VMF - 112 on an escort mission for a strike force of 12 Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber s sent to attack Japanese shipping . " En route " to the target area , DeBlanc discovered and reported to Guadalcanal that his fighter had developed a serious fuel leak which made return to base unlikely and he requested that rescue forces be alerted . Leading the escorts directly to the target area , DeBlanc and the other Wildcats observed a pair of Mitsubishi F1M " Pete " float planes attacking the Dauntlesses from above and behind , and he dove to disrupt their attack . DeBlanc ' s aircraft was fired at by the rear gunners on the " Petes " , but he maneuvered evasively and pressed home an attack on the first , exploding it , then maneuvered and took the second under fire , hitting it in the fuel tanks and setting it afire . Although the SBDs hit their targets successfully , and the escort mission was completed , DeBlanc remained in the target area to cover the withdrawal of the Dauntlesses , despite a critically low fuel supply , and began a climb back to altitude . By this time , night was falling , but DeBlanc observed a formation of Nakajima Ki - 43 " Oscar " Imperial Japanese Army fighters headed for the dive bombers . Surprising them from beneath , he damaged one and shot down its wingman when the latter left the formation . The others broke off their attack of the dive bombers and turned on the Wildcats . DeBlanc and his wingman attempted to defend themselves using the Thach Weave , but his wingman swung too wide during the maneuver and was shot down . DeBlanc himself was saved when a third Wildcat flown by Lt . James Lavell Secrest , approaching from head - on , overflew his aircraft and forced a pursuing " Oscar " to dive away . DeBlanc attempted to disengage but was attacked by two more " Oscars " . He turned towards them in a climbing head - on attack , and the first exploded in the exchange of fire . The second maneuvered behind him , however , but DeBlanc managed to slow his Wildcat abruptly and force his remaining opponent to overshoot him , and he also shot it down for his fifth victory of the day . DeBlanc was then surprised by a fighter he had not detected . Rounds struck his aircraft , ripped his wrist watch from his arm , smashed the instrument panel , and set afire the Wildcat ' s engine . DeBlanc was forced to bail out at low altitude over Vella Gulf near Japanese - held Kolombangara . The total time of the action from arrival in the target area to his own bailout was approximately five minutes . Landing in the sea , DeBlanc discovered that he was badly wounded in the back , arms and legs . Supported only by his life jacket , he swam for the beach . After six hours in the water , he reached shore , and for three days subsisted on coconuts he found in an abandoned hut while his wounds went unattended . He was taken by a group of indigenous people who bartered him for a sack of rice to another tribe that hid him and cared for his wounds . The tribal members carried DeBlanc by outrigger canoe to the home of an Anglican missionary , who forwarded him to two Coastwatchers , who immediately attempted contact with the Allied authorities by clandestine radio . On 12 February , three days before his 22nd birthday , a Navy PBY Catalina patrol bomber landed in the sea off the island and tribal members paddled DeBlanc out to it in a canoe . He was flown back to his base and to the hospital . Further wartime service . Promoted to captain on 1 June , he was transferred to VMF - 122 , Marine Aircraft Group 11 , in July , and returned to the United States about six weeks later . Assigned to Headquarters Squadron 41 , Marine Base Defense Air Group 41 , Marine Corps Air Station El Toro , Santa Ana , California , DeBlanc remained with that unit until December 1943 , when he was transferred to Headquarters Squadron , Marine Aircraft Group 32 . Two months later he rejoined Marine Base Defense Air Group 41 . After one month with them , DeBlanc was assigned to VMF - 461 , Marine Base Defense Air Group 43 at El Centro , California . In November 1944 , Captain DeBlanc returned to the Central Pacific for a second tour of overseas duty . He flew with VMF - 422 in the Marshall Islands until May 1945 , when he was transferred to VMF - 212 , engaged in the Okinawa campaign . He continued flying in the Ryukyus until the end of the war , shooting down one more Japanese plane to bring his total to nine . He returned to the U . S . in October 1945 and was detached to Naval Air Station in Seattle , Washington . Decorations . On December 6 , 1946 , DeBlanc was presented the Medal of Honor by President Harry S . Truman in the White House " for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty … " for his actions in the Solomon Islands on January 31 , 1943 . In addition to the Medal of Honor , DeBlanc holds the Distinguished Flying Cross ; the Purple Heart ; the Air Medal with four gold stars in lieu of second through fifth award ; Presidential Unit Citation with one bronze star ; Asiatic - Pacific Campaign Medal with three bronze stars ; American Campaign Medal and the World War II Victory Medal . Medal of Honor citation . The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR to FIRST LIEUTENANT JEFFERSON J . DEBLANC UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS RESERVE for service as set forth in the following CITATION : / S / HARRY S . TRUMAN 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 .