Francis Lent was a Melrose storekeeper until 1942, when he sold Lent Grocery and enlisted as a cadet in the US Army Air Force. On July 10, 1943 1^st Lieutenant Lent was sent to the South Pacific theatre of war. A month later, he shot down his first Japanese Zero. By October, he had brought the total to 6, qualifying him as an Ace Pilot. By November, he had added 2 more to his score. He credited his success to his trap shooting days in Melrose.

He shot down 8 planes in 4 months to earn the Air Medal (Oak Leaf Cluster) and Distinguished Flying Cross and Silver Star. By Feb. 1944 he was ranked one of the top 11 of the Southwest Pacific’s 5^th Air Force fighter aces. The 26 year old received his Captain's commission that July.

In 1945. With 11 enemy planes and a few probables to his credit, Lent, who was scheduled to return home to his family and fiancée, volunteered to fly a mission for someone else. The P-51 Mustang, T-Rigor Mortis, was unfamiliar to him which caused him to crash during an attempted landing in New Guinea. His death was officially announced on June 22, 1945. The memorial service was at St. Boniface Church on July 7, 1945.