World War II Honoree
Killed in World War II
Donald Jay Moore
Branch of Service
U.S. Marine Corps
Hometown
Amarillo, Texas
Honored By
Orville L. Kline
RANK: 1ST LIEUTENANT. SERVED AS A UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS FIGHTER PILOT, WHO FLEW THE F4U-1A CORSAIR FIGHTER-BOMBER ASSIGNED TO THE FAMED ‘BLACK SHEEP’ MARINE ATTACK SQUADRON TWO ONE-FOURTEEN ‘VMF-214’, COMMANDED BY COLONEL GREGORY ‘PAPPY’ BOYINGTON ASSIGNED TO THE MARINE AIRCRAFT GROUP-THIRTEEN. HIS SQUADRON WAS BASE AT BARAKOMA AIRFIELD ON VELLA LAVELLA IN THE SOLOMON ISLANDS ARCHIPELAGO. ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1943 HE FLEW A COMBAT MISSION OVER RABAUL, NEW BRITAIN, PAPUA, NEW GUINEA AND FAILED TO RETURN TO BASE. HE WAS REPORTED AS MISSING IN ACTION, LOST AT SEA FRIDAY, JUNE 14, 1946 AND MEMORIALIZED IN THE TABLETS OF THE MISSING LOCATED AT MANILA AMERICAN CEMETERY, FORT BONIFACIO, MANILA, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. DECORATION AND CITATION: PURPLE HEART. THE LIEUTENANT, AN AMERICAN PATRIOT, WAS AWARDED THE PURPLE HEART FOR HIS SUPREME SACRIFICE IN DEFENSE OF HIS COUNTRY.