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On the first of January 1954 the Office of the Adjutant General of the United States Government officially notified the family of Major <em>Donald L. Driscoll </em>that since no additional evidence had been uncovered to indicate he was still living, he must be presumed deceased. The notice brought to a sorrowful end a long period of anguish and uncertainty from that day in December 1950 when he had been reported missing in action in the Saengchon section of Korea. But the knowledge that he gave his life gallantly in the service of his country makes us proud to have been members of his family.</p>
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Born on March 24, 1917, at Dumont. New Jersey, he grew up in Pleasantville, a few miles distant from Atlantic City, New Jersey. He was a typical American boy, with a manner that some people may have thought shy. To those who knew him well, however, he was thoughtful and modest rather than shy. He was quiet and studious and yet strong and robust, with a love of the outdoors that seems inherent in those who live on the seacoast. He and his younger brother, Barnes, lived the simple healthful life of a small town. Fishing, sailing, swimming—as much at home on the water as on the land—they excelled in sports, and except for one brief year which Donald spent at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School at Middletown, Delaware, they were constant companions. During his high school days, Donald’s interest in tennis increased along with his skill at the game and he had no difficulty in making the school tennis team. Later at the United States Military Academy at West Point, he was a member of the Varsity team and although he participated and took an active interest in other sports, tennis was his favorite. The skills and traits which his tennis playing developed in him were predominant throughout his life. Agility, speed, endurance, quickness of judgment and above all a firm belief in teamwork. He won many medals in tennis and in other sports, but so little did material recognition mean to him that it was often only by accident that his parents learned of the awards.</p>
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His parents were proud of his achievements and his record and like him were reticent to express their emotions. His father, a magistrate familiarly known as “Judge” to all residents of the county, has for years been dispensing justice with a firm hand yet with a warm and human touch. His decisions are sprinkled with kindly advice or a few highly salted remarks, whichever the culprit might warrant. His mother, quiet and forthright, has been devoted to her family.</p>
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After his graduation from high school, Donald’s next step was a year at Severn School in Severn, Maryland, in preparation for his appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point. Then in the fall of 1937 came the proud day when Plebe Donald L. Driscoll began the career to which he had so long looked forward. The next four years were typical—the boy enters with all his hopes and dreams and the mature man, assured and self-possessed, is graduated. And Second Lieutenant Donald L. Driscoll received his commission at probably the most critical moment in the history of the United States—June 1941.</p>
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Then followed a brief assignment in Hawaii—no longer the carefree tropical island of the 20s and 30s. War clouds hung heavy in the skies and people were living from day to day with the feeling of ominous things to come. In January 1943 came an assignment to the States, first to California and then to Texas and the grim business of intensive training of new troops for warfare. The next step was Europe with the 99th Division and the long succession of engagements that came to an abrupt end for Captain Donald L. Driscoll at the Battle of the Bulge. He was wounded twice, once by a land mine, and again by mortar fire, and by the time he was released from the hospital, the war in Europe had ended.</p>
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The year following the end of the war was spent in occupation duty in Germany. Returning to the States in the summer of 1946, he began that brief period of his mature life when violence in the world seemed for the time to be halted.</p>
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I look over some of his mementos and awards of this period and read: Captain Donald L. Driscoll has successfully completed the Advanced Infantry Officers Course at Fort Benning, Georgia, June 1948; The Secretary of the Army takes pleasure in congratulating Captain Donald L. Driscoll for sportsmanship, teamplay and outstanding athletic ability displayed in the Army-Wide Tennis Championship held at Presidio of San Francisco, California, July 1949.</p>
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Late in 1949 he was assigned as instructor of R.O.T.C. at New York University. There he met and fell in love with Laemore Cawley, a girl from Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania, who was employed as a secretary in New York at the time. They were married in March of 1950 and there followed a few short happy months before Korea exploded. He was soon assigned to duty on the fighting front and in November came the last fateful radio message from his company that they were meeting overwhelming forces. All members of his company were listed as missing.</p>
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The term “missing” is fraught with anxiety and dread, especially where the enemy is Godless and devoid of human pity. There followed three years of waiting and hoping that he would return at the end of the war. But this was not to be. We do not question the wisdom of God’s plan. We are consoled in knowing that Donald so bravely gave his life for the cause of free men in the world.</p>
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<em>—M. D. M.</em></p>