DeBlanc won Medal of Honor

BY KENNETH HICKSON, THE DAILY IBERIAN

ST. MARTINVILLE — The soft, solemn sounds of Taps from a marine’s bugle, the ear-piercing blasts from military rifles and a fighter jet flyover that could be heard a town away filled the air Monday at St. Michael Cemetery.

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It was all to say goodbye to Louisiana’s last living World War II Medal of Honor recipient — Col. Jefferson Joseph DeBlanc Sr. of St. Martinville.

Hundreds of people, including dozens of U.S. service members and veterans, packed into the St. Martin de Tours Catholic Church for the funeral of the 86-year-old retired U.S. Marine. DeBlanc’s son, the Rev. Jefferson DeBlanc Jr., officiated his father’s funeral Mass.

“Dad was a person who had a profound happiness of heart and he liked to share it with others,” DeBlanc said. “(He) consciously devoted his life to the service of others.

“As a U.S. Marine, Dad went to war with his country and put his life at risk more times then we’ll ever know.”

On Dec. 6, 1946, DeBlanc was presented the Congressional Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest decoration for valor and bravery, by President Harry S. Truman.

He was awarded the honor for shooting down five Japanese Zeros during a dogfight in 1943 before taking fire and losing his own aircraft, a Grumman F4F Wildcat. DeBlanc parachuted to the ocean and swam six hours to the Japanese-held Kolombangara Island.

Natives found him and returned him to the U.S. military 15 days later.

Following the funeral, family, friends and members of the military gathered near DeBlanc’s final resting place in St. Michael Cemetery.

Fellow Medal of Honor recipient Mike Thornton spoke at the gravesite.

“This will be a day of rejoicing because Jeff is still with us in many ways,” Thornton said.

Then, after Taps was played, and marines fired the traditional gun-salute, other members of the U.S. Marine Corps folded the American Flag and presented it to DeBlanc’s family.

In addition to DeBlanc’s military career, he was also a longtime math and science teacher in St. Martinville and belonged to a number of organizations.