World War II Honoree

Don F. Pratt

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Brookfield, Missouri

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

RANK: BRIGADIER GENERAL. SERVED AS THE ASSISTANT DIVISION COMMANDER OF THE U.S. ARMY 101ST AIRBORNE ‘SCREAMING EAGLES’ DIVISION. HE WAS A MEMBER OF THE VAST ARMADA THAT PARTICIPATED IN THE INVASION OF GERMANY’S FORTRESS EUROPE, D-DAY JUNE 6, 1944. HE LANDED IN FRANCE WITH A FORCE OF CG-4A WACO GLIDERS, THE FIRST U.S. GLIDER ASSAULT OF THE NORMANDY INVASION AND WAS KILLED WHEN HIS GLIDER CRASHED AFTER LANDING SUCCESSFULLY, BUT THE TALL, WET GRASS CAUSED IT TO SKID WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED. THE GLIDER OVERRAN THE LANDING ZONE AND CRASHED INTO A HEDGEROW OF 40-FOOT TALL TREES. HE WAS THE FIRST AMERICAN GENERAL TO DIE IN THE INVASION AND WAS BURIED, WRAPPED IN A PARACHUTE, IN NORMANDY UNTIL THE END OF THE WAR, THEN INTERRED AT ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY, JULY 26, 1948.