It was November 1944 when Lester Arasmith first killed another human.
The then 20-year-old pilot with the U.S. Army’s 530th Fighter Squadron was on a strafing mission in northern China, his squadron tasked with destroying railroad freight cars moving supplies to the Japanese.
Arasmith’s commanding officer had spotted three enemy aircraft below, and they tailed the planes, which moved so calmly it was as if they didn’t realize they were being trailed, Arasmith said.
“I said, ‘Are you sure this is an enemy airplane?’†he recalled from his home in Lincoln on Sunday.
Sure enough, Arasmith noticed their wings displayed the red circle of the Japanese Imperial Army. Commanded to shoot, he fired upon the left-side landing gear of one of them.
A Japanese pilot crawled out of the cockpit, preparing to open his parachute. In that moment, Arasmith said, he forgot he was in the middle of a war. He stared in silence as the enemy soldier attempted escape.
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“I was just transfixed,†he said. “But then I was told to kill him, and so I did.â€
The harsh image of the Japanese soldier’s body exploding under his gunfire haunts the 90-year-old to this day.
“It does something to you up there,†he said, tapping his index finger to his forehead.
Returning from that mission, Arasmith said, his commander chewed him out for hesitating, saying it could’ve been Arasmith who died that day.
“I never made that mistake again,†he said.
Arasmith later served in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and after World War II brought down five more enemy aircraft, earning the status of American Fighter Ace. Only pilots who shoot down five or more planes while in aerial combat earn that recognition.
And on Wednesday, Arasmith received the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor Congress can give to a soldier. He and Donald McPherson, 93, of Adams, are the only living Nebraska aces to receive it.
McPherson flew by private plane to the award ceremony at Emancipation Hall in Washington. His three-day trip was completely paid for, and several of his family members traveled with him.
“It’s really a great honor,†McPherson said. “And now with fighter planes being designed to be flown pilotless, this is probably the last time (the medal) will be presented. That makes it even more important.â€
McPherson said the moment that defined his three years as a fighter pilot in the U.S. Navy came during his first mission in World War II.
He and his squadron were tasked with firing upon an enemy airfield on the Japanese island of Kyushu.
“It was my very first mission, and you didn’t know what to expect,†he said. “I was also flying with people I had never flown with before.â€
When he spotted a bomber sitting on the tarmac, McPherson fired his rockets and watched the plane explode. He was about to pull away when his plane's engine died. And the enemy was mounting a counterattack.
By the time he had managed to restart the engine, McPherson said, the enemy was shooting. It was the one time he returned to base with holes in his plane.
“You get acquainted pretty fast under those conditions,†he said. “It could have been much worse, especially when you’re getting shot at about every day. I feel really quite fortunate.â€