Post-war Career
After returning to the U.S., DeBlanc continued his education — earning a B.S. degree in physics and math from Southwestern Louisiana Institute in 1947; an M.A. Education (physics) from Louisiana State University in 1951 and a second master's degree in Education (mathematics) in 1963; and earning a doctorate (Ed.D) in Education from McNeese State University in 1973.
DeBlanc was discharged from active duty on December 31, 1945. He returned to his home in St. Martinville, Louisiana, and was assigned to the 8th Marine Corps Reserve District, later serving as commander of Marine Air Reserve Group 18. DeBlanc retired from the Marine Corps Reserve as a colonel on July 1, 1972.
In 2006, DeBlanc appeared on an episode of the The History Channel series Dogfights. In the episode, titled 'Guadalcanal', DeBlanc's "Ace in a day" action is depicted. The episode was the fourth episode of the first season of the series, which recreated historical air combat campaigns using modern computer graphics.
On the morning of Thanksgiving Day, November 22, 2007, Jefferson DeBlanc died in Lafayette, Louisiana, age 86, from complications due to pneumonia. He was the last surviving World War II recipient of the Medal of Honor from Louisiana.
He is buried in Saint Michael's Cemetery Saint Martinville, St. Martin Parish, Louisiana.
Read more about this topic: Jefferson J. De Blanc
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