Donald M. Klemm
Military Service & Mission
Donald Klemm served as a fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War. On June 11, 1967, he was the aircraft commander of an F-4C Phantom II (tail number 63-7706, call sign “Oakland 3”) on an escort mission over North Vietnam. During the mission, while flying as number two in a flight of four, his aircraft collided mid-air with another aircraft in the area (near grid 48Q XJ 433 687). Two parachutes were observed, but they were believed to belong to the other aircraft’s crew, who returned as POWs. Klemm and the other crew member on his aircraft were never heard from again. His remains were not recovered.
Status & Memorials
- Listed as Missing in Action; his case is categorized by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) as “Active Pursuit.”
- His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (the “Punchbowl”) in Honolulu, Hawaii.
- Also appears on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (Wall) in Washington, D.C.
Legacy
From his hometown of Youngstown, Ohio, Klemm remains one of the many who paid the ultimate sacrifice during the Vietnam War—his bravery and service honored through memorials and by those who continue to remember him. Local recognition includes his name among the missing honored in remembrance ceremonies in the Mahoning Valley area. (vindyarchives.com)
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