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Ensign Donald Edwin Adams

A black and white headshot image of a White male in uniform. He is looking straight at the camera.
  • Unit: Fighter Squadron 74
  • Service Number: O-505123
  • Date of Birth: December 26, 1929
  • Entered the Military: September 8, 1947
  • Date of Death: August 14, 1952
  • Hometown: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • Place of Death: Pukchong, North Korea
  • Award(s): Purple Heart, Navy Unit Commendation, Air Medal with Gold Star, Letter of Commendation (with ribbon), Korean Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, Republic of Korea War Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal
  • Cemetery: Courts of the Missing, Court 8. National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
Contributed by Mr. Theodore Frank
Milwaukee Marshall High School (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
2024/2025

Early Life

Donald Edwin Adams was born to Edwin H. Adams, a plumber, and Sylvia Ida Geiger, a housewife, on December 26, 1929, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Shortly after his birth, his father died, and Donald, his sister Laverne, and their mother moved in with his grandparents, Hubert and Ida Heiger. Adams’s mother later remarried Sargeant Major Thomas McIver. 

Adams lived in Milwaukee until at least 1940, when he moved to Sweetwater, Tennessee. He attended Tennessee Military Institute between 1943 and 1947. He lettered in football and ran track. He was the cadet officer in charge of the school armory and a member of the Officers’ Club and the Rifle Team.

From 1947 to 1949, Adams spent two years at Marquette University in Milwaukee, majoring in math. In the summers, he worked as a laborer, first for the Milwaukee Railroad and later the for the Allis Chalmers Company.

1930 Census Record showing Donald, his older sister, and his mother living with his maternal grandparents. National Archives and Records Administration.

Homefront

During the Korean War, Milwaukee remained a major center of heavy manufacturing. Companies such as Allis-Chalmers, Harley-Davidson, and A.O. Smith produced tractors, motorcycles, engines, industrial controls, gears, and automobiles—many with military applications. The city was also known for its food and beverage industries, including beer production, meatpacking, dairy processing, and fish canning.

While some factories shifted to civilian production after World War II, military contracts continued during the Korean War. Milwaukee was a key transportation hub, with extensive railroad connections, a busy Great Lakes shipping port, and an operational international airport—General Mitchell Field.

The Milwaukee area saw an increase in urbanization with the annexation of neighboring suburbs during this time. Discriminatory housing practices limiting where Black residents could live in Milwaukee kept the area highly segregated. 

A black and white aerial image of a massive industrial complex in the middle of the city with houses surrounding it.
Main production facilities of the Allis-Chalmer’s Company in the West Allis section of Milwaukee. Milwaukee Historical Society.
A black and white image of a outdoor canopy attached to the airport terminal. There are several 1950s cars parked at the surb. In the building on the distance it says, “General Mitchell Field.”
The new air terminal canopy at General Mitchell Field, July 1955. Milwaukee Public Library Digital Collections.

Military Experience

Donald Adams enlisted in the U.S. Navy in Chicago on September 8, 1947. His enlistment coincided with his enrollment at Marquette University, where he majored in mathematics. On March 24, 1949, after completing two years at Marquette, he was appointed a midshipman and attended Naval Aviator Basic Combat Training in Pensacola, Florida. Adams attended additional naval schooling at Fleet All-Weather Training Unit, Atlantic, before being assigned to Naval Air Station Quonset Point, Rhode Island.  

While in transit to the Pacific Theater, Adams was promoted to the rank of ensign. He was stationed aboard the USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) as a part of Fighter Squadron 74 in the Korean Combat Zone. Ensign Adams’s duties as a member of Fighter Squadron 74 included being an Airframe Officer, a Physical Training Officer, an Assistant Legal Officer, and a Naval Aviator.

Fighter Squadron 74 was responsible for flying cover, bombing missions, and suppressing enemy air defenses. Ensign Adams piloted a F4U Corsair fighter and participated in 20 missions, including attacks on the Kyosen hydroelectric power plant, Pyongyang, and other rail, supply, and electricity grid targets. 

On August 14, 1952, while on a mission with seven other aircraft at a rail marshalling yard five miles southeast of Pukchong, North Korea, Ensign Adams’s aircraft made a dive from 8,000 feet toward the target, but he failed to pull out of the dive in time. He perished during this mission when his plane hit the ground and exploded. His remains were not recovered.

Donald Adams’s certificate from his promotion to the rank of ensign, May 27, 1952. Official Military Personnel File.
A black and white aerial image of a large ship full of airplanes in the middle of the ocean. The shore can be seen in the far distance.
USS Bon Homme Richard arriving off of Pearl Harbor from Korea, December 1952. Naval History and Heritage Command (NH 97342).
A black and white aerial image of an open cockpit plane in flight over mountainous terrain.
The Cought F4U-4 “Corsair” Fighter about to make a rocket attack on a North Korean railway bridge, September 1951. Naval History and Heritage Command (80-G-435115).
Two black and white headshot images of a White male in uniform. One is looking straight at the camera. One is looking to his right.
Application photo for Naval Aviator College Program, 1947. National Archives and Records Administration.

Commemoration

Ensign Adams was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart, a Navy Unit Commendation, and an Air Medal with Gold Star. Additionally, he was awarded a Combat Action Ribbon, a Korean Service Medal, a National Defense Service Medal, a Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, a Republic of Korea War Service Medal, and a United Nations Service Medal. 

Adams is remembered at court eight in the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawai’i. His name is also inscribed on the Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall of Remembrance in Washington, D.C., which was updated in 2022 to include the names of the fallen.

Commendation that accompanied Adams’s Air Medal recognizing his service in the Korean War. Official Military Personnel File.
At the end of the Korean War, the U.S. Navy determined that Adams was killed in action, January 16, 1956 (part 1). Individual Deceased Personnel File.
At the end of the Korean War, the U.S. Navy determined that Adams was killed in action, January 16, 1956 (part 2). Individual Deceased Personnel File.
Adams’s name is engraved on the Honolulu Memorial at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. American Battle Monuments Commission.
An image of a gray marble wall engraved with ‘Wisconsin Adams Donald E’ among other names.
Adams’ inscription at the Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall of Remembrance. Find a Grave.

Bibliography

Primary Sources

Binder 36-C – Members of Armed Forces and U.S. Citizens Abroad. National Archives and Records Administration (NAID 205683289). https://catalog.archives.gov/id/205683289.

Donald Edwin Adams. Individual Deceased Personnel File. National Archives and Records Administration – St. Louis.

Donald Edwin Adams. Korean War Navy Death File. National Archives and Records Administration – St. Louis.

Donald Edwin Adams. Official Military Personnel File, Department of the Navy. National Archives and Records Administration – St. Louis.

Donald Edwin Adams. U.S., Korean War Casualties, 1950-1957. https://ancestryclassroom.com. 

Donald Edwin Adams. U.S., World War I, World War II, and Korean War Casualty Listings. https://ancestryclassroom.com. 

Donald Edwin Adams. Wisconsin, U.S. Marriage Records, 1820-2004. https://ancestryclassroom.com.

Remember When . . . Mitchell Field has a canopy? Photograph. July 1955. Milwaukee Public Library Digital Collections (RW 2014). https://content.mpl.org/digital/collection/RememberWhe/id/424/.

USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31). Photograph. December 31, 1952. Naval History and Heritage Command (NH 97342). https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/NH-97000/NH-97342.html. 

Vought F4U-4 “Corsair” Fighter. Photograph. September 1951. Naval History and Heritage Command (80-G-435115). https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nara-series/80-g/80-G-430000/80-G-435115.html. 

Wisconsin. Milwaukee County. 1930 U.S. Census. Digital images. https://ancestryclassroom.com.

Wisconsin. Milwaukee County. 1940 U.S. Census. Digital images. https://www.ancestryclassroom.com. 

USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) Second Korean Cruise 1952. WestPac Cruise Book 1952-53. https://www.navysite.de/cruisebooks/cv31-52/index.html. 

Secondary Sources

“Agriculture.” Encyclopedia of Milwaukee. Accessed January 10, 2025. https://emke.uwm.edu/entry/agriculture/.

“Airports and Air Transportation.” Encyclopedia of Milwaukee. Accessed January 10, 2025. https://emke.uwm.edu/entry/airports-and-air-transportation/.

“Allen-Bradley (Rockwell Automation).”  Encyclopedia of Milwaukee. Accessed January 10, 2025. https://emke.uwm.edu/entry/allen-bradley-rockwell-automation/.

“Allis-Chalmers in World War Two.” U.S. Auto Industry World War Two. Accessed January 13, 2025. https://usautoindustryworldwartwo.com/allis-chalmers.htm. 

“Bon Homme Richard (CV-13).” Naval History and Heritage Command. Updated April 7, 2020. Accessed January 3, 2025. https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/b/bon-homme-richard-ii.html. 

“Briggs & Stratton in World War Two.” U.S. Auto Industry World War Two. Accessed January 13, 2025. https://usautoindustryworldwartwo.com/briggsandstratton.htm. 

Celebrating 144 Years of Integrity, Innovation, and Customer Satisfaction. AO Smith, 2018. https://www.aosmith.com/uploadedFiles/Web_Assets/Documents/History/A.O.%20Smith%20Timeline%20Brochure.pdf

Connell, Tula. “1950s Milwaukee: Race, Class, and a City Divided.” Labor Studies Journal 42 (no. 1), December 20, 2016. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0160449X16676416. 

“Cutler-Hammer.” Encyclopedia of Milwaukee. Accessed January 11, 2025. https://emke.uwm.edu/entry/cutler-hammer/. 

“Donald Edwin Adams.” American Battle Monuments Commission. Accessed January 4, 2025. https://weremember.abmc.gov/#!/details?id=124347. 

“Donald Edwin Adams.” Honor States. Accessed January 3, 2025. https://www.honorstates.org/profiles/10962/.

“Ens Donald Edwin Adams.” Find a Grave. Updated October 17, 2013. Accessed January 4, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/118865779/donald-edwin-adams.

“ENS Donald Edwin Adams.” Korean War Project Remembrance. Accessed January 3, 2025. https://www.koreanwar.org/html/97/korean-war-project-wisconsin-505123-ens-donald-edwin-adams/.

“Ensign Donald Edwin Adams.” Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. Accessed January 3, 2025. https://dpaa-mil.sites.crmforce.mil/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt000000JaBTJEA3.

“Ensign Donald Edwin Adams.” Find a Grave. Updated June 2, 2013. Accessed January 4, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/111679036/donald-edwin-adams.

“Food Processing.” Encyclopedia of Milwaukee. Accessed January 11, 2025. https://emke.uwm.edu/entry/food-processing/. 

Foran, Chris. “Our Back Pages: When Schlitz, Blatz bought Korean War soldiers a brew—1.2 million of them.” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel [Milwaukee, WI], February 14, 2017. https://www.jsonline.com/story/life/green-sheet/2017/02/14/our-back-pages-when-schlitz-blatz-bought-korean-war-soldiers-brew-12-million-them/97668434/. 

“History.” Gallun Leathers. Accessed January 12, 2025. https://gallunleathers.com/history/. 

Lackey, Jill Florence. “The Rise and Fall of Bronzeville.” Urban Milwaukee, August 5, 2017. https://urbanmilwaukee.com/2017/08/05/yesterdays-milwaukee-the-rise-and-fall-of-bronzeville/. 

“Meatpacking.” Encyclopedia of Milwaukee. Accessed January 11, 2025. https://emke.uwm.edu/entry/meatpacking/. 

“Pawling and Harnischfeger.” Encyclopedia of Milwaukee. Accessed January 11, 2025. https://emke.uwm.edu/entry/pawling-and-harnischfeger/. 

“Photos: Milwaukee’s Industrial Past.” Frontline. Accessed May 19, 2025. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/photos-milwaukees-industrial-past/. 

“Photos: Wisconsin’s dairy history in pictures, 1864 to 2019.” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel [Milwaukee, WI], May 13, 2019. https://www.jsonline.com/picture-gallery/news/special-reports/dairy-crisis/2019/05/13/wisconsins-dairy-history-pictures-1864-2019/3248694002/. 

“Port Milwaukee.” Encyclopedia of Milwaukee. Accessed January 11, 2025. https://emke.uwm.edu/entry/port-milwaukee/. 


This profile was researched and created through the Researching Silent Heroes program, sponsored by the American Battle Monuments Commission.