More Than a Name on a Stone: Donald A. Lewis

By Carolyn Applegate

Located in Downing, just across the road and slightly down the hill from the Baptist Church, is a lovely cemetery where stones adorn rolling hills. In the northeast section stands a beautiful upright memorial stone—a tangible representation of the love and loss of a family deeply wounded, a family who did not want the memory of their son and brother to be forgotten. Meanwhile, over 8,000 miles away, another memorial, the Tablets of the Missing—United States Army and Army Air Forces, also bears his name, because his body was never located.

Donald Allen Lewis was born in Toledo, Iowa, on October 19, 1911, to Joel Lee (J.L.) “Junior” and Cora Etta Groseclose Lewis. Tragedy was not new to this family. Donald’s older brother, Paul, was born in 1909 and died just two years later—the year Donald was born. Three years later, Donald’s little brother, Robert, was born. Although Donald was born in Iowa, the family appears to have been from Downing, as his entire family is buried there, and he graduated from Downing High School with the class of 1932. For several years, he was employed at the C.B. & Q. Depot in Downing.

Donald entered the Army Air Corps on April 15, 1942, at the age of 30. He received training at several locations, including Springfield, Illinois; Battle Creek, Michigan; Harlingen and El Paso, Texas; and Denver, Colorado.

Based on available information, Staff Sgt. Lewis was serving as a radio operator aboard a B-24 Liberator with the 528th Bomb Squadron, 380th Bomb Group when he was reported missing on May 8, 1944. On that day, his crew was likely flying a long-range bombing mission from northern Australia over the waters near New Guinea and the Halmahera Sea—routes known for their extreme distance, unpredictable weather, and limited margin for error. At some point during the mission or on the return flight, his aircraft was lost over open ocean, likely due to weather, mechanical failure, or fuel exhaustion. With no distress call received and no wreckage ever recovered, the bomber and its crew simply vanished, leaving behind only records and the enduring memory of those who waited for their return.

The loss of this son was no doubt compounded by anxiety, knowing their only remaining son, Robert, was also in the Army, stationed in Hawaii.

Many years later, the Nov. 14, 1963, edition of the Greentop Reporter shared how Donald’s parents had recently received President Kennedy’s Presidential Memorial Certificate in honor of their son, who was lost in the Southwest Pacific. The certificate reads:

“The United States of America honors the memory of Donald A. Lewis. This certificate is awarded by a grateful nation in recognition of devoted and selfless service of our country in the Armed Forces of the United States.”

(Signed) John F. Kennedy, President of the United States.

The pain this family endured was excruciating. It is evident as one reads the inscription on his memorial stone in Downing:

“Gave his life for his country and those he loved while serving as a member of the 5th Air Corps A A F. Southwest Pacific. A precious one from us is gone, a voice we loved is still, a place is vacant in our home, which never can be filled.”

The wording on Donald’s memorial stone reflects a common practice of the time, when airmen were often referred to as part of the “Air Corps.” He proudly served with the 528th Bomb Squadron, 380th Bomb Group, Fifth Air Force in the Southwest Pacific, where he gave his life in service to his country.

We deeply honor the sacrifice of Staff Sgt. Donald A. Lewis and the family who loved him so dearly. Though his aircraft was lost over the waters near New Guinea and the Halmahera Sea and his body was never recovered, his courage, dedication, and the love of his family endure, preserved in the memorials that bear his name and in the hearts of all who remember him.