Don McPherson: America’s Last WWII Ace Dies at 103

America has lost a final link to its fighter ace legacy. Donald McPherson, a World War II Navy pilot credited with shooting down five enemy aircraft, passed away on August 14, 2025, at the age of 103. Widely recognized as the nation’s last surviving ace, his life embodied both the ferocity of combat and the quiet service of a man dedicated to family and community.

From Farm Boy to Fighter Pilot

Born in Adams, Nebraska, in 1922, McPherson grew up working his family farm during the Depression. Drafted into history by war, he enlisted in the Navy in 1943, training 18 months before earning his wings. Just five days later, he married his high school sweetheart, Thelma Johnston. By early 1945, he was flying Grumman F6F Hellcats with Fighter Squadron VF-83 off the carrier USS Essex.

Combat Over Okinawa

McPherson entered combat at the height of the brutal Okinawa campaign, where kamikaze attacks threatened the U.S. fleet. On April 6, 1945, he downed two Japanese dive-bombers in a single mission near Kikai Shima. Weeks later, during mass kamikaze raids, he shot down three more enemy aircraft—including obsolete but deadly floatplanes packed with explosives. That final tally earned him “ace” status.

Reflecting later, McPherson said he valued saving ships and sailors from suicide planes far more than duels with enemy fighters. One grateful gunner from the destroyer Ingraham even phoned years later to thank him for preventing their ship’s destruction.

Faith, Family, and Community

Though he received the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, and eventually the Congressional Gold Medal, McPherson rarely spoke of himself as a hero. Returning home in late 1945, he settled back in Adams, farming and raising three children with Thelma. He worked for the U.S. Postal Service, coached youth baseball, led a Boy Scout troop, and served in his church and local veterans’ groups. The town ballfield was eventually named McPherson Field in honor of him and his wife, who ran the concession stand.

In 2015, McPherson was inducted into the Nebraska Aviation Hall of Fame and honored in Washington alongside other surviving aces. Nearly 80 years after flying Hellcats in combat, he even took to the skies again in a restored Hellcat, calling the experience “really, really cool.”

A Legacy That Outlives War

For McPherson, faith and service mattered more than medals. His daughter said he wanted to be remembered first as “a man of faith.” Yet history will forever honor him as America’s last ace—a symbol of the courage, sacrifice, and modesty of the Greatest Generation.

At 103, Donald McPherson’s passing not only closes the book on America’s WWII aces but also reminds us of the men who fought fiercely in youth, then came home to build, teach, and serve in peace.