Having actually gone "Missing" on the above date, he was not officially declared by the military as being dead until February 21, 1946.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Don served as a Staff Sergeant & Photographer / Gunner on B-25D #41-30084, 499th Bomber Squadron, 345th Bomber Group, Medium, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on August 26, 1939 prior to the war.
B-25D #41-30084 took off, with a crew of 6 and other B-25's, from Mokmer Airfield, Biak, Numfor Regency, Papua Province, Indonesia on a bombing a strafing mission over the Wasile Bay Area, Halmahera Island, Indonesia.
They were hit by ground anti-aircraft fire that damaged the left engine causing them to crash into the shallow water of the Wasile Bay. Three of the crew were seen on the wing of the B-25 by other B-25's and two of them were waving. However the crew was never seen again. They either became unreported POW's of the Japanese or were killed.
Don was declared "Missing In Action" on this mission during the war.
He was awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart.
Service # 6294063
At the families request, the state where they resided (Arkansas) was added to his listing at Manila instead of his state of residence, as was normally done, (Oklahoma).
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-25D #41-30084:
Broman, Carl D ~ 2nd Lt, Co-Pilot, CO
Estep, Don F ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, AR
Kraps, Dean S ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, MI
Santillo, Americo ~ T/Sgt, Radio Operator, NY
Smith, Arnold A ~ S/Sgt, Engineer, VT
Voitier, George P ~ 2nd Lt, Pilot, LA
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Don served as a Staff Sergeant & Photographer / Gunner on B-25D #41-30084, 499th Bomber Squadron, 345th Bomber Group, Medium, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on August 26, 1939 prior to the war.
B-25D #41-30084 took off, with a crew of 6 and other B-25's, from Mokmer Airfield, Biak, Numfor Regency, Papua Province, Indonesia on a bombing a strafing mission over the Wasile Bay Area, Halmahera Island, Indonesia.
They were hit by ground anti-aircraft fire that damaged the left engine causing them to crash into the shallow water of the Wasile Bay. Three of the crew were seen on the wing of the B-25 by other B-25's and two of them were waving. However the crew was never seen again. They either became unreported POW's of the Japanese or were killed.
Don was declared "Missing In Action" on this mission during the war.
He was awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart.
Service # 6294063
At the families request, the state where they resided (Arkansas) was added to his listing at Manila instead of his state of residence, as was normally done, (Oklahoma).
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-25D #41-30084:
Broman, Carl D ~ 2nd Lt, Co-Pilot, CO
Estep, Don F ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, AR
Kraps, Dean S ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, MI
Santillo, Americo ~ T/Sgt, Radio Operator, NY
Smith, Arnold A ~ S/Sgt, Engineer, VT
Voitier, George P ~ 2nd Lt, Pilot, LA
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Having actually gone "Missing" on the above date, he was not officially declared by the military as being dead until February 21, 1946.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Don served as a Staff Sergeant & Photographer / Gunner on B-25D #41-30084, 499th Bomber Squadron, 345th Bomber Group, Medium, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on August 26, 1939 prior to the war.
B-25D #41-30084 took off, with a crew of 6 and other B-25's, from Mokmer Airfield, Biak, Numfor Regency, Papua Province, Indonesia on a bombing a strafing mission over the Wasile Bay Area, Halmahera Island, Indonesia.
They were hit by ground anti-aircraft fire that damaged the left engine causing them to crash into the shallow water of the Wasile Bay. Three of the crew were seen on the wing of the B-25 by other B-25's and two of them were waving. However the crew was never seen again. They either became unreported POW's of the Japanese or were killed.
Don was declared "Missing In Action" on this mission during the war.
He was awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart.
Service # 6294063
At the families request, the state where they resided (Arkansas) was added to his listing at Manila instead of his state of residence, as was normally done, (Oklahoma).
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-25D #41-30084:
Broman, Carl D ~ 2nd Lt, Co-Pilot, CO
Estep, Don F ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, AR
Kraps, Dean S ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, MI
Santillo, Americo ~ T/Sgt, Radio Operator, NY
Smith, Arnold A ~ S/Sgt, Engineer, VT
Voitier, George P ~ 2nd Lt, Pilot, LA
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Don served as a Staff Sergeant & Photographer / Gunner on B-25D #41-30084, 499th Bomber Squadron, 345th Bomber Group, Medium, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on August 26, 1939 prior to the war.
B-25D #41-30084 took off, with a crew of 6 and other B-25's, from Mokmer Airfield, Biak, Numfor Regency, Papua Province, Indonesia on a bombing a strafing mission over the Wasile Bay Area, Halmahera Island, Indonesia.
They were hit by ground anti-aircraft fire that damaged the left engine causing them to crash into the shallow water of the Wasile Bay. Three of the crew were seen on the wing of the B-25 by other B-25's and two of them were waving. However the crew was never seen again. They either became unreported POW's of the Japanese or were killed.
Don was declared "Missing In Action" on this mission during the war.
He was awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart.
Service # 6294063
At the families request, the state where they resided (Arkansas) was added to his listing at Manila instead of his state of residence, as was normally done, (Oklahoma).
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-25D #41-30084:
Broman, Carl D ~ 2nd Lt, Co-Pilot, CO
Estep, Don F ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, AR
Kraps, Dean S ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, MI
Santillo, Americo ~ T/Sgt, Radio Operator, NY
Smith, Arnold A ~ S/Sgt, Engineer, VT
Voitier, George P ~ 2nd Lt, Pilot, LA
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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