World War II Honoree
Killed in World War II
Donald DeWitt Bell
Branch of Service
U.S. Army Air Force
Hometown
Watertown, South Dakota
Honored By
Orville L. Kline
RANK: FLIGHT OFFICER. INDUCTED INTO THE U.S. ARMY AIR CORPS APRIL 29, 1941 AT FORT SNELLING, MINNESOTA. SERVED AS A GLIDER PILOT ASSIGNED TO THE U.S. ARMY AIR FORCES, 305TH SQUADRON, 442ND TROOP CARRIER GROUP, 9TH U.S. AIR FORCE IN THE EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS. KILLED IN ACTION SATURDAY, MARCH 24, 1945 WHILE PARTICIPATING IN OPERATION VARSITY, THE LAST FULL SCALE AIRBORNE DROP OF WWII. HE HAD SAFELY LANDED HIS GLIDER BEHIND ENEMY LINES AND WAS SEEKING SHELTER WHEN HE WAS FATALLY WOUNDED IN THE VICINITY OF FLUREN, GERMANY. HE IS BURIED IN THE NETHERLANDS AMERICAN CEMETERY, MARGRATEN, NETHERLANDS. DECORATIONS AND MEDALS. AIR MEDAL WITH 1 BRONZE OAK LEAF CLUSTER AND THE PURPLE HEART. THE AIR MEDAL WAS AWARDED TO THE FLIGHT OFFICER FOR MERITORIOUS ACHIEVEMENT WHILE PARTICIPATING IN AERIAL FLIGHT.