MiamiCubano
El Martillo (My Boxing Name)
Received this via email, and just wanted to share with my brother Marines and fellow servicemen/women.
Semper Fi.
Col. Jefferson DeBlanc, Sr
With sadness, I'm asking you to share the news of the passing of another Marine. I did not know this warrior, but I understand that we are losing almost a thousand veterans of WWII each day. Like so many past and present Marines, there are stories to be told. Taken from the AP and Dallas Morning News, with the deepest respect, I quote:
Retired Marine Col. Jefferson DeBlanc, Sr., an ace fighter pilot who won the Medal of Honor during World War II, is dead at age 86. Col. DeBlanc, of St. Martinville, LA, died Thursday (Thanksgiving Day) at Lafayette General Hospital of complications of pneumonia. Col. DeBlanc was awarded the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military honor for bravery, for his actions during a bombing raid against the Japanese in the Solomon Islands on Jan. 31, 1943.
A lieutenant barely in his 20's, he was in charge of the six planes providing air cover. In an F-4F Grumman Wildcat, he downed two Japanese float planes and one fighter before heading back the naval base at Henderson Field. Because all six fighters were low on fuel, he ordered the rest of his flight group back to base. He took on and shot down the two enemy aircraft alone, though it was unlikely he would have enough fuel to make it back to safety (Col. DeBlanc became an ace in one day, shooting down five planes).
His plane was hit, and Col. DeBlanc parachuted into the ocean and swam all night to reach Kolombarangara Island. Wounded in the back, arms and legs, he subsisted on coconuts for the next two days, according to medalofhonor.com. He was captured by local tribesmen and bartered for a ten-pound sack of rice.
He was eventually picked up by a Navy float plane and reunited with his squadron. He recovered from his wounds and went on to see action in several other campaigns in the war. He was decorated several times for his service in the war before and after that engagement. After the war he returned to St. Martinville. He was a schoolteacher and administrator and retired from the Marine Corps Reserve in 1972.
Rest in peace, Sir. It would be an honor to meet you on the other side...
Semper Fidelis
Andy Voigt
Sgt., USMC 1975-1979
Semper Fi.
Col. Jefferson DeBlanc, Sr
With sadness, I'm asking you to share the news of the passing of another Marine. I did not know this warrior, but I understand that we are losing almost a thousand veterans of WWII each day. Like so many past and present Marines, there are stories to be told. Taken from the AP and Dallas Morning News, with the deepest respect, I quote:
Retired Marine Col. Jefferson DeBlanc, Sr., an ace fighter pilot who won the Medal of Honor during World War II, is dead at age 86. Col. DeBlanc, of St. Martinville, LA, died Thursday (Thanksgiving Day) at Lafayette General Hospital of complications of pneumonia. Col. DeBlanc was awarded the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military honor for bravery, for his actions during a bombing raid against the Japanese in the Solomon Islands on Jan. 31, 1943.
A lieutenant barely in his 20's, he was in charge of the six planes providing air cover. In an F-4F Grumman Wildcat, he downed two Japanese float planes and one fighter before heading back the naval base at Henderson Field. Because all six fighters were low on fuel, he ordered the rest of his flight group back to base. He took on and shot down the two enemy aircraft alone, though it was unlikely he would have enough fuel to make it back to safety (Col. DeBlanc became an ace in one day, shooting down five planes).
His plane was hit, and Col. DeBlanc parachuted into the ocean and swam all night to reach Kolombarangara Island. Wounded in the back, arms and legs, he subsisted on coconuts for the next two days, according to medalofhonor.com. He was captured by local tribesmen and bartered for a ten-pound sack of rice.
He was eventually picked up by a Navy float plane and reunited with his squadron. He recovered from his wounds and went on to see action in several other campaigns in the war. He was decorated several times for his service in the war before and after that engagement. After the war he returned to St. Martinville. He was a schoolteacher and administrator and retired from the Marine Corps Reserve in 1972.
Rest in peace, Sir. It would be an honor to meet you on the other side...
Semper Fidelis
Andy Voigt
Sgt., USMC 1975-1979
