DeBlanc Medal donated

A special display case is being readied at The National WWII Museum in New Orleans to receive a number of recently-donated items.

Most curious is a rough-hewn fishing spear, obviously primitive.

For more than six decades retired Marine Col. Jeff DeBlanc, famed Medal of Honor fighter pilot, kept the spear in his office.

DeBlanc was one of only two surviving WWII Marine Medal of Honor aviators until his death in November left only Col. Jim Swett.

The Louisiana native directed that his medal and other personal belongings be donated to the museum. A family member is shown above with museum staff, cataloging the Deblanc gift.   

Thursday marks the 65th year of DeBlanc heroic action over the Solomon Islands while flying escourt for a bombing mission. Defending the bombers against attacking Japanese fighters, DeBlanc shot down five, becoming an ace in a single action; fact, the entire action lasted only five minutes.

His F-4 Wildcat mortally damaged, and seriously wounded in the last wheeling dogfight, DeBlanc bailed out at minimum altitude.

Despite his serious injuries he swam six hours toward the nearest land, and escaped and evaded enemy capture for three days. He was eventually taken captive by natives who bartered him for a sack of rice to another tribe that hid him and cared for his wounds.

The tribe carried DeBlanc by outrigger canoe to the home of a friendly missionary, who forwarded him to to Australian coast-watchers; he was finally returned to American command when picked up by a Navy PBY patrol plane.

He carried with him the fishing spear which he'd picked up from one of local tribal chiefs. Later he would explain: "We had been given an intelligence briefing on what to do in a situation like this. We were told not to show fear or we would be killed. We were also told that if they take something from you, take something from them.

"When the chief grabbed my Marine Corps belt buckle, I reached up and grabbed his spear."

Of the donation, the museum curator said, "We are undergoing an expansion project that will give us four times the exhibit space we have now. If the family had come to us the day before the grand opening of that expansion, we would still have found a spot for it."