From collection Member List
From the 99 Lives Project (99 Lives (knox.edu))
DONALD EARNEST WARDAN
DONALD EARNEST WARDAN
BIRTH DATE
1 Nov 1918
BIRTH LOCATION
Burlington, Des Moines County, Iowa, USA
FATHER
Clifford Francis Wardan, railroad engineer
MOTHER
June Maud Earnest Wardan
SPOUSE
Evelyn Haggerty Wardan (see remarks)
HIGH SCHOOL
Maplewood / Richmond Heights HS
HIGH SCHOOL LOCATION
Maplewood, Missouri
HIGH SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
Baseball, basketball, football, track, glee club
HOMETOWN
Richmond Heights, St Louis County
HOME STATE
Missouri
ENTERED KNOX
February 1939
CLASS YEAR
1943
MAJOR
Economics
SPORTS
Track
FRATERNITY
Phi Gamma Delta
ENLISTMENT DATE
29 Sep 1941
ENLISTMENT NUMBER
16109411
WAR / CONFLICT
World War II
MILITARY SERVICE
US Army Air Forces
SERIAL NUMBER
O 659 778
RANK
Captain
UNIT
317th Flying Squadron; 100th AAF Bu Mitchel Field, New York
SERVICE HISTORY
Left Knox to enlist as an aviation cadet; promoted to Captain; served more than 46 months; based at Mitchel Field, Long Island, New York
INCIDENT
Republic P-47D Thunderbolt, Serial No. 42-28718, crashed in the ocean 17 miles south of Wilmington, North Carolina, apparently during training
CASUALTY DATA
DNB / Died Non Battle - airplane crash
DATE OF DEATH
5 Aug 1945
AGE AT DEATH
26
LOCATION OF DEATH
Supply or Southport, Brunswick County, North Carolina, USA
BURIAL
Saint Joseph's Cemetery, Galesburg, Knox County, Illinois, USA
PLOT LOCATION
Section J, lot 093, space 7; buried 5 Oct 1945
FIND A GRAVE
AWARDS
Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with 11 Oak Leaf Clusters
REMARKS
c/o John J Haggerty, 1363 East Knox Street, Galesburg, Illinois