Donald McPherson, believed to be America’s last surviving World War II fighter ace, died Aug. 14 at age 103, ending a direct link to the elite cadre of aviators who achieved air-to-air combat victories against Axis forces.
McPherson earned ace status by shooting down five enemy aircraft while serving as a U.S. Navy fighter pilot aboard the aircraft carrier USS Essex during combat operations against Japanese forces in the Pacific Theater. Both the American Fighter Aces Association and the Fagen Fighters WWII Museum had recognized him as the last living American ace from the Second World War.
The designation of “ace” requires a pilot to destroy at least five enemy aircraft in aerial combat, a standard that has remained consistent across military aviation history. McPherson achieved this distinction while flying F6F Hellcat fighters as part of Navy fighter squadron VF-83 during the war’s final months.
McPherson enlisted in the Navy in 1942 at age 18, following Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor. After completing an 18-month flight training program, he married his wife Thelma in 1944 and deployed to the Pacific, where he served from March 1945 through September 1945. His service record included the Congressional Gold Medal and three Distinguished Flying Crosses.
In documented combat accounts, McPherson described engaging two Japanese aircraft during a single mission. He noted observing the enemy planes on a converging course near the water’s surface before initiating his attack sequence. “Then I did a wingover to see what happened to the second one,” McPherson recounted in a video produced by the Fagen Fighters WWII Museum. “By using full throttle, my Hellcat responded well, and I squeezed the trigger and it exploded. Then I turned and did a lot of violent maneuvering to try to get out of there without getting shot down.”
Following that engagement, ground crew discovered a bullet hole in his aircraft approximately one foot behind his seat. His daughter, Donna Mulder, later recalled her father’s interpretation of such close encounters as evidence that “maybe God is not done with me.”
After the war, McPherson returned to his family’s farm in Adams, Nebraska, where he established youth baseball and softball leagues and assumed leadership roles in community organizations including the Boy Scouts, American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Adams United Methodist Church. The local community named its ballfield McPherson Field in honor of Donald and Thelma McPherson, who served as scorekeeper and concession stand operator during games.
Despite his military achievements, McPherson’s family emphasized his preference for recognition based on character rather than combat accomplishments. “When it’s all done and Dad lists the things he wants to be remembered for, his first thing would be that he’s a man of faith,” said his daughter Beth Delabar. “It hasn’t been till these later years in his life that he’s had so many honors and medals.”
McPherson maintained connections to military aviation throughout his later years. In September 2024, at age 102, he flew in a WWII-era aircraft at the Fagen Fighters WWII Museum in Minnesota, describing the experience as bringing back “really, really cool memories.” His relationship with the museum began when staff requested permission to replicate his wartime aircraft’s paint scheme on their restored Hellcat.
The Fagen Fighters WWII Museum commemorated McPherson’s service at its Victory at Sea event on Aug. 16, two days after his death. During previous visits to the museum, McPherson addressed school groups and visitors, providing firsthand accounts of Pacific Theater operations.
McPherson’s funeral was held Aug. 19. He was preceded in death by his wife Thelma.
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