Donald R. Emerson was born on May 17, 1923, in Pembina, Pembina County, North Dakota. He was the son of Charles Frank Emerson and Mabel R Roswell Emerson. One year after graduating from high school in Karlstad, Minnesota, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps. Just as he was finishing up training as an armorer, the age and education requirements for aviation cadets were lowered; he immediately filed his application and was soon classified cadet/pilot. By the end of 1943, he was ready for combat flying as a fighter pilot in a P-51 Mustang.
In January 1944, he sailed on the Ile de France to England where he was assigned to the Eighth Air Force's elite Fourth Fighter Group on March 9. During his eight months of active duty with the 4th FG, Donald completed at least 89 combat missions, including D-Day operations and the Russia Shuttle missions. He most often flew into battle in his P-51 Mustang VF-B #413317.
On Christmas Day, 1944, while flying another P-51 during the Battle of the Bulge, he was heading back to his base after a mission when he encountered six enemy planes. He managed to shoot down two of them, but as he crossed enemy lines flying close to the ground, he was struck by flak from anti-aircraft guns. His plane crashed in British-occupied territory in Belgium; it is believed that he died before his plane landed.
Cpt Emerson is now buried in the Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, Netherlands.
Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.abmc.gov