Wilbur J. Thomas

Wilbur Jackson Thomas (October 29, 1920 – January 28, 1947) was an American combat pilot who was a United States Marine Corps fighter ace during World War II. He flew a Vought F4U Corsair in Marine Fighting Squadron 213 (VMF-213) which was assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Essex (CV-9) and was one of the first Marine squadrons to augment carrier air groups. Thomas was a triple ace with 18.5 aerial victories. He was killed in January 1947 attempting to land a Grumman F7F Tigercat at the Marine Corps Air Station El Toro in California.