Oscar Francis Perdomo (June 14, 1919 – March 2, 1976) was a

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

officer and fighter pilot who was the last "

ace in a day The term "ace in a day" is used to designate a pilot who has shot down five or more airplanes in a single day, based on usual definition of an "ace" as one with five or more aerial victories. World War I Ace in a day on two occasions A Bristol F ...

" for the United States in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Early years

Perdomo was born June 14, 1919, in

El Paso, Texas El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the county seat, seat of El Paso County, Texas, El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau w ...

, one of five siblings born to Mexican

immigrant Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...

s to the United States. His father served in the

Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution ( es, Revolución Mexicana) was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from approximately 1910 to 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It resulted in the destruction ...

under the command of

Francisco "Pancho" Villa Francisco "Pancho" Villa (,"Villa"
''

Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

(AAF) Pilot School in

Chandler, Arizona Chandler is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and a suburb in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). It is bordered to the north and west by Tempe, to the north by Mesa, to the west by Phoenix, to the ...

. The AAF schools were civilian flying schools, under government contract, which provided a considerable part of the flying training effort undertaken during World War II by the Army Air Forces. Perdomo received his "wings" on January 7, 1944. He was then sent to the Army Air Forces Basic Flight School at

Chico, California Chico ( ; Spanish for "little") is the most populous city in Butte County, California. Located in the Sacramento Valley region of Northern California, the city had a population of 101,475 in the 2020 census, reflecting an increase from 86,18 ...

, where he underwent further training as a Republic

P-47 Thunderbolt The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bombe ...

pilot. Upon the completion of his training he was assigned to the 464th Fighter Squadron which was part of the 507th Fighter Group that was sent overseas to the

Pacific theater The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

to the Island of

Ie Shima , previously romanized in English as Ie Shima, is an island in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, lying a few kilometers off the Motobu Peninsula on Okinawa Island. The island measures in circumference and covers . As of December 2012 the island had ...

off the west coast of

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

. The primary mission of the 507th was to provide fighter cover to 8th Air Force

Boeing B-29 The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 F ...

's which were to be stationed on Okinawa. The 507th began operations on July 1, 1945. Perdomo was assigned P-47N-2-RE number 146 aircraft (serial number 44-88211), maintained by crew chief S/Sgt. F. W. Pozieky. Perdomo nicknamed his airplane ''Lil Meaties Meat Chopper'' with the

nose art Nose art is a decorative painting or design on the fuselage of an aircraft, usually on the front fuselage. While begun for practical reasons of identifying friendly units, the practice evolved to express the individuality often constrained by ...

depicting a diapered baby chomping a cigar in his mouth and

derby hat The bowler hat, also known as a billycock, bob hat, bombín (Spanish) or derby (United States), is a hard felt hat with a rounded crown, originally created by the London hat-makers Thomas and William Bowler in 1849. It has traditionally been worn ...

on his head, clutching a rifle. The name referred to his first son, Kenneth, then a year and a half old. Perdomo flew his first combat mission on July 2, while escorting a B-29 to Kyushu.

Ace in a Day

A "flying ace" or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The term "ace in a day" is used to designate a fighter pilot who has shot down five or more airplanes in a single day. Since World War I, a number of pilots have been honored as "Ace in a Day". The last "Ace in a Day" for the United States in World War II was 1st Lt. Oscar Francis Perdomo. Perdomo was a

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

and a veteran of ten combat missions when on August 9, 1945, the United States dropped the world's second

atomic bomb A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...

Nagasaki is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. It became the sole port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hidden Christian Sites in the ...

, Japan. The allies were still awaiting Japan's response to the demand to surrender and the war continued, when on August 13, 1945, 1st Lt. Perdomo, shot down four Nakajima "Oscar" fighters and one Yokosuka "Willow" Type 93 biplane trainer. While the 507th Fighter Group mission reports confirm his kills as "Oscars", they were actually Ki-84 "Franks" from the 22nd and 85th Hiko-Sentais. The combat took place near Keijo / Seoul, Korea when 38 Thunderbolts of the 507th Fighter Wing, USAAF, encountered approximately 50 enemy aircraft. It was Perdomo's last combat mission, and the five confirmed victories made him an "Ace in a Day" and thus the distinction of being the last "Ace" of the United States in World War II. He was awarded the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...

and the

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establish ...

with one leaf cluster.

Post-war

After the war, Perdomo continued to serve in the Army Air Forces. In 1947, he was reassigned to the newly formed

and served until January 1950. When Perdomo returned to civilian life, he joined the

Air Force Reserve The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a MAJCOM, major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of ...

. On June 30, 1950, Perdomo was recalled to active duty upon the outbreak of the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

at the rank of captain. He continued to serve in the Air Force until January 30, 1958, when he left the military at the rank of major.

Later years

Perdomo was emotionally affected when his son, SPC4 Kris Mitchell Perdomo, was one of 3 men killed on May 5, 1970, aboard a U.S. Army helicopter

UH-1 Iroquois The Bell UH-1 Iroquois (nicknamed "Huey") is a utility military helicopter designed and produced by the American aerospace company Bell Helicopter. It is the first member of the prolific Huey family, as well as the first turbine-powered helico ...

which crashed and exploded about 5 miles southwest of the city of Phy Vinh in Vĩnh Bình Province,

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...

. He had trouble coping with the situation and developed an addiction to alcohol, which took Major Oscar F. Perdomo's life on March 2, 1976. He was proclaimed dead upon his arrival at USC Medical Center,

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. His name is inscribed in the United States Air Force Memorial.United States Air Force Memorial
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Military decorations and awards

Major Oscar F. Perdomo's military decorations include the following:

Distinguished Service Cross citation

:Perdomo, Oscar F. :First Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Forces :464th Fighter Squadron, 507th Fighter Group, Twentieth Air Force :Date of Action: August 13, 1945 :Citation: The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to First Lieutenant (Air Corps) Oscar Francis Perdomo, United States Army Air Forces, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving as Pilot of a P-47 Fighter Airplane in the 464th Fighter Squadron, 507th Fighter Group, TWENTIETH Air Force, in aerial combat against enemy forces in the Southwest Pacific Area, on 13 August 1945. When a group of five enemy planes was sighted over Keijo, Korea, by the flight in which Lieutenant Perdomo was an element leader, he pursued the last three enemy aircraft and as he came within range, directed a burst which converged on the nose and cockpit of the last Japanese plane and set it aflame and plunging downward until it exploded. Lining his sights on a second aircraft, he fired until flames broke out in the hostile plane and it rolled over and dived into the ground. Closing on the flight leader, he remained inside a tight turn, firing all the way, until the Japanese craft stalled 100 feet from the ground and crashed. Turning toward Keijo to search for his comrades, Lieutenant Perdomo observed two Willow-type aircraft flying in close formation at 800 feet and went after them. The enemy sighted him and separated, and he chose the closer ship and fired, setting it aflame. Slowing his plane, Lieutenant Perdomo then fired several more bursts at the burning craft which spiraled to the right and dived into the ground. Failing to find the other hostile aircraft, he started to climb above the clouds but suddenly came upon three or four Oscars. He skillfully evaded their concerted attack and came in on them from the rear. One of the enemy turned to the right, but Lieutenant Perdomo fired with deadly accuracy until the plane burst into flames and exploded. Returning to rendezvous with his group, he encountered an Oscar engaged with two P-47's, and as the enemy exposed himself, Lieutenant Perdomo dived, firing steadily, and followed him in a turn, but just as he reached the Oscar his guns stopped. Calling in another P-47, he evaded the hostile plane while his comrade destroyed it. He then rejoined his men in order to complete the round trip of 1,500 miles back to his base. Through his outstanding skill and courage, coupled with his unfaltering determination to destroy the enemy at all costs, Lieutenant Perdomo shot down five Japanese aircraft and upheld the finest traditions of the Army Air Corps.

References

External links

*
Air & Space Journal profile, including color profile of Perdomo's P-47
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perdomo, Oscar F. 1919 births 1976 deaths American people of Mexican descent American World War II flying aces Aviators from Texas Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Silver Star United States Air Force officers United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II United States Army Air Forces officers Hispanic and Latino American aviators