Donald was born to Percy Ray Harmon & Jennet Marian (Smyth) Harmon. He attended school in Saint Maries, Benewah, Idaho. On 31 October 1939 he joined the US Regular Army at Fort George Wright, Washington for Air Corps, Hamilton Field, California for a period of three years. He met Ruby Kearns and they were married in Salt Lake City, Utah on 11 Dec 1942. In 1943 his orders took him on his final military duty to foreign shores, never to return to his lovely wife, parents or siblings.

War Department letter dated 11 Mar 1947

Dear Mrs. Radabaugh:

This is in reply to your letter in which you request information relative to your brother, Sergeant Donald P. Harmon..

Your desire to learn as much as possible regarding the death of your brother is most understandable. Information available in the War Department reveals that Sergeant Harmon was a crew member aboard a B-117 (Flying Fortress) which departed from Kimbolton, England on 22 February 1944 on a bombardment mission to Wernigerode, Germany. During this mission at about 12:30 p.m. over central Netherlands, your brother's plane sustained damage by enemy antiaircraft fire and fell to the earth. Since your brother's whereabouts were unknown following this mission, he was reported missing in action on 22 Feb 1944. .

Sergeant Harmon remained in a missing status until information was received from the German Government through the Internal Red Cross that he died on 22 February 1944. I regret that additional information in regard to your brother's death was not contained in this report..

In an effort to obtain all available details concerning the deaths of our military personnel reported by the German Government, several volumes of captured German records have been translated. These records confirm the death of Sergeant Harmon on 22 February 1944 when his aircraft was downed in the vicinity of Munster, Germany..

An Examination of the records shows that Sergeant Harmon designated his wife as emergency addressee and it was in accordance with his designation that all notifications were sent to her. It is perhaps not generally known that the person so designated in many cases is not the mother, father or next of kin and the War Department feels morally obligated to notify the emergency addressee whom the individual has designated over his own signature..

Please accept my deep sympathy in your bereavement. Sincerely yours, Edward F Witsell, Major General, The Adjutant General of the Army.

Crew members who survived the crash and became prisoners of war until 20 Jul 1945:
1st Lt William Bonin Bombardier
SSgt Rufus W Till Right Waist Gunner
Tech Sgt Raymond W. Veiders, Jr Tail Gunner

Crew members who died with Donald:
Capt Harry Richard Simons Pilot
1st Lieut John H Robins Pilot
2nd Lieut Robert W Jones Navigator
SSgt Leo S Borkowski Waist Gunner
Sgt James F Fallon Engineer-Top Turret
Tech Sgt Ole K Nelson Radio Operator