This page is dedicated to the men and women from Darrtown and vicinity who defended our nation by serving in the United States military.
Casualty of War
Donald Trew McVicker
RIGHT -
S/SGT Donald T. McVicker
Donald Trew McVicker was born on April 26, 1922, in Hamilton, Ohio to Opal Trew McVicker, age 21, and Luther Scholl McVicker, age 26.
In 1944, at the age of 22 years, Donald Trew McVicker, a native of Darrtown, Ohio, died, as a result of serving on an air raid mission over Germany.
No records have been found to indicate whether S/SGT McVicker died in the aircraft while aloft or on German soil, after the plane crashed.
BELOW: This Dayton, Ohio newspaper item reported that Donald McVicker was missing in action.
missing in action & death NOTICation
BELOW: This Donald McVicker marker stands in the Darrtown cemetery.
The inscription on the marker reads:
REmembering donald mcvicker
The following recollections provide a glimpse of the personality of Donald Trew McVicker.
FROM LESTER BAUMANN, WHO LIVED ON A FARM ACROSS THE ROAD FROM THE MCVICKER FAMILY:
"Yes, I knew Donald McVicker VERY WELL. We saw each other nearly every day, for several years. I think he was about 4 or maybe 5 years older than I was. We used to nail pieces of old wooden shutters together and call the mess an* airplane. Don was airplane-happy . It was the ONLY thing on his mind. Just before he went into the Army Air Corps, he was working (in their basement) on a full-sized glider. I remember the wing being almost finished, covered with muslin, etc. I think It just may have been operational - if the Army hadn't gotten him.
Don had enlisted in the CPT (Civilian Pilot Training) at Miami University. The Navy had theirs, too - but Don chose the Army. He had hoped to be a pilot, but his eyesight wasn't up to par. You need GOOD depth perception and I think that was what sunk his boat, so to speak.
He ended up a gunner on a B-24 Liberator. Luther said that he had been informed by the War Department that the plane was missing in action on it's VERY FIRST MISSION. Don't know for sure. I guess nothing was ever found of the wreckage. May have gone down in the English Channel."
FROM DALE BUFLER, A DARRTOWN NATIVE WHO WAS ABOUT SEVEN YEARS YOUNGER THAN DONALD.
When asked if he remembered Donald McVicker, Dale said that indeed he did.
Dale shared a story that collaborates the tale told by Lester Baumann (above) regarding Donald McVicker's youthful desire to fly. Dale described the time that he and a couple of other boys from Darrtown helped Donald start the process of actually building a glider that he, Donald, would pilot.
Under Donald's leadership, the boys began collecting the necessary materials, which consisted primarily of wooden 2x4's, nails, and linen sheets. The grand plan was to construct a glider of sorts that Donald would guide though the air, after the other boys pushed it off one of the higher bluffs along Darr's Run - behind the McVicker property.
Things progressed to the point that Donald's father, Luther McVicker, finally had to intervene, by offering cautionary, fatherly advice, which he delivered in that calm cadence that was so typical of Luther; something along the lines of, "Boys, ... I don't think this is a very good idea."
Military
MCVICKER
IN Memory of
S/sgt Donald t. Mcvicker , 1922-1944
who gave his life in world war ii
interred plot m, row 10
grave 15
margraten, holland
Luther and Opal McVicker's granddaughter, Sally (Rinal) Johnson and her husband, Kim, found a "missing in action" telegram among items that Luther and Opal saved. Sally and Kim contributed a copy of the telegram, which appears at the link below.
S/SGT Donald Trew McVicker
Left to right: Luther McVicker, Donald McVicker, and Opal (Trew) McVicker
The above photos were contributed by Luther and Opal McVicker's granddaughter, Sally (Rinal) Johnson and her husband, Kim
See information about the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial at Margraten cemetery.
The links at the right display newspaper clippings that reported S/SGT Donald McVicker as "missing in action" and "killed in action."
The link at the right connects to an image of a page from a series of scrapbooks that Bernice (Weiss) Lindley maintained during her lifetime. This particular page includes four newspaper clippings (replicated below) that provide information about Donald McVicker's service to America. Others who served from the Hamilton, Ohio area are cited in the clippings. This image chronicals the devastating loss of lives that occurred in thousands of communities across the nation during WWII.
A link labled "Details of Death" appears below.
The "Details of Death" link connects to a page that displays information about the manner in which S/SGT Donald T. McVicker likely died.
If you do not want to see such information, please use the links at the right to LEAVE this page.
