Hurlburt, Donald Wilson, 1st Lt

1st Lt. Donald Hurlburt flew the B-17 Flying Fortress in Europe from 1942 to 1943. CMSGT Don Skinner provided the following information on one his missions: "In October 1942 he was sent to England where he flew B-17s as co-pilot on George J. Oxrider's crew, with the 358th BS based at Molesworth. He flew 17 credited missions with Oxrider and 8 with Lt. Robert L. Conner, achieving his 25 mission quota on June 22, 1943. In January 1943, on a mission to Lorient, France, he flew as co-pilot with Oxrider in B-17 #41-24606 "Werewolf." Flak over the target disabled an engine, and the bomber dropped out of formation. On the way home, the aircraft was attacked by German fighters, and two engines caught fire. Oxrider managed to douse the flames, but just as they approached the English coast near Dawish, all but one engine quit.
On orders from Oxrider, the crew baled out, and Oxrider then crash-landed the aircraft in a muddy field near a school. The crew was all recovered with no injuries." A photo of the Oxrider crew is available on this profile.

After returning to the U.S. he spent a couple of months with Headquarters 1st Air Force at Mitchel Field, New York. His final duty was with the 1st Proving Ground Electronics Test Unit at then Eglin Field Military Reservation in the Florida Panhandle (Okaloosa County, Florida). He was killed from injuries sustained when his AT-18 Hudson gunnery trainer crashed during takeoff on October 1, 1943. Hurlburt Field, now home of the Air Force Special Opeations Command (AFSOC), is named in his honor.