Donald M. McPherson , the Nebraska farm boy who grew into a Navy fighter pilot and the last surviving American “ace” of World War II, has died at 103.

He passed on August 14 in Adams, Nebraska, closing a chapter in US history that spanned dogfights over the Pacific to decades of quiet service back home.

McPherson earned his place in the annals of aviation aboard the aircraft carrier USS Essex (CV-9), flying F6F Hellcat fighters with Fighter Squadron 83.

By the war’s end, he had downed five enemy planes, a feat that gave him the coveted “ace” designation recognized by both the American Fighter Aces Association and the Fagen Fighters World War II Museum. His combat record brought him the Congressional Gold Medal and three Distinguished Flying Crosses, though he rarely spoke of the me

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