MacDonald, World War II Ace - DuBois Native

June 16, 2011

DUBOIS WAS THE BIRTHPLACE OF A WORLD WAR II ACE 

            DuBois, March 4, 2002, was just like any other day in the life of DuBois residents.  And that’s as it should be unless you were aware of the fact that on that day World War II Army Air Corps Ace died in DeFuniak, Florida.

            And why was this death any different than the Many World War Heroes that are passing away each day?  Because the many articles written about this man reveal that this World War II Air Ace, this famous P 36 pilot, this third ranking ace and the top surviving ace of the War in the Pacific with 27 Japanese planes shot down, this commander of the 475th Fighter Group was Col. Charles Henry MacDonald, born and raised, yes, in DuBois.

            Mac Donald was born November 23, 1915.  When the family moved from DuBois is still unknown, but it known that he graduated from Overbrook High School in Philadelphia in 1933.  He attended Louisiana State University graduating in 1938 with a bachelor’s of arts degree in journalism.  Immediately following graduation he joined the Army, was assigned to the Army Air Corp and received basic training at Randolph and Kelley fields in Texas.

            In February of 1941 he arrived in Hawaii when he flew off the deck of the Carrier Enterprise.  He was at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and actually got off the ground in a damaged P-36 and was nearly shot down by the U S Navy when returning to base.

            Yes, it’s true, written in many newspapers, aviation magazines and World War II books are volumes about this highly decorated war ace and his famous plane “The Putt Putt Maru.”   MacDonald was third in Japanese planes shot down only to Maj. Richard Ira Bong with 40 and Col. Thomas B. McGuire with 38.  Unlike Bong and McGuire he survived the war and lived to the ripe old age of 87 before passing away March 4, 2002.

            In this age of instant information on the Internet, you can, as I did, read article after article about this famous aviator.  In aviation circles his name was known to all and he himself knew and flew with the most famous aviator of all, “The Lone Eagle”, Charles H. Lindbergh.  The stories of the interaction of these two men are most interesting.

            Far be it for me to tell this great story,.  This article is meant to wet your appetite.  To know the full story of this great American war ace, born and raised in the City of DuBois, you can get on the Internet, go to Yahoo.com, type in Col. Charles H. MacDonald and you’re on your way.  Or you can read the following books.  Great American Fighter Aces by Dan Bauer,

Fork-Tailed Devil: the P-38 by Martin Caidin; or The Wartime Journals of Charles A. Lindbergh.

            Lastly, you can visit the DuBois Area Historical Museum at 30 West Long Avenue and review the articles copied from the magazines and books and the information downloaded from the Internet.  I promise you a very interesting bit of reading.

 

Article written by Evo G. Facchine, President DuBois Area Historical Society, Inc., as it appeared in the DuBois Couirier Express in 2004.

Others who contributed to this article were: Ralph MacDonald, the colonel’s son, Vincent         Bonfardin, Russ Scherer, and Ray Nelson

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