The second world war pilot who was believed to be the US\u2019s last surviving \u201cace\u201d \u2013 a title he earned by shooting down five enemy combatants \u2013 has died.<\/p>\n
Donald McPherson was 103 when he died on 14 August, according to his online obituary<\/a>.<\/p>\n McPherson fought Japanese forces during the second world war\u2019s final years, serving in the Pacific theater as a US navy fighter pilot aboard the USS Essex. He earned the Congressional Gold Medal, three Distinguished Flying Crosses and recognition as an \u201cace\u201d fighter for his service.<\/p>\n Pilots had to shoot down at least five enemies in aerial combat to be recognized as aces.<\/p>\n According to both the American Fighter Aces Association and the Fagen Fighters WWII Museum, McPherson was listed as the US\u2019s last living ace from the second world war era.<\/p>\n McPherson\u2019s daughter, Beth Delabar, acknowledged the attention paid on her father\u2019s military accomplishments \u2013 but said he preferred to be known as a pious man who was dedicated to his family as well as community.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen it\u2019s all done and Dad lists the things he wants to be remembered for \u2026 his first thing would be that he\u2019s a man of faith,\u201d Delabar told the Beatrice Daily Sun<\/a>, the newspaper in McPherson\u2019s home state of Nebraska that first reported his death. \u201cIt hasn\u2019t been till these later years in his life that he\u2019s had so many honors and medals.\u201d<\/p>\n McPherson was 18 when joined the US navy in 1942, after Japan\u2019s December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. He completed an 18-month training program before marrying his wife, Thelma, in 1944.<\/p>\n He then belonged to fighter squadron VF-83, combating the Japanese in the F6F Hellcat planes that he flew.<\/p>\n