World War II Honoree

Donald Demar Palmer

Branch of Service

U.S. Navy

Hometown

Fairfax, Minnesota

Honored By

William D. Palmer

Relationship

Son

He enlisted in the Navy V-5 Flight Training Program in April 1943 before High School graduation that May. He participated in "Tarmac Training" at NAS Corpus Christi until he turned 18 years in December. His pre-flight training as an Aviation Cadet began in early 1944 at DePauw Univ in Greencastle, IN and continued at the Univ of Iowa. The Navy sent him to Glenview NAS, IL for Basic Flight Training in the winter of 1945. He completed Advanced Flight Training at Pensacola NAS and WWII ended during his time there. He completed his Operational Flight Training at Jacksonville NAS, FL, qualifying on the SB2C "Helldiver." He flew with Attack Squadron One Able off the USS Tarawa and from Kobler Field, Saipan in the Western Pacific beginning the summer of 1946. He left active duty service in August 1947.