Kevin M Davis Poet Prose

Memorial Day

Memorial Day
Kevin Davis 2026

A Tribute to Warrant Officer Don — Friend, Remembered

Don was born in Moline, Illinois on June 9, 1950, the son of Donald and Leone, and brother to Sharon, Margaret, and Lawrence. His childhood unfolded first in the Peoria area, where he and his siblings grew up in the rhythms of Midwestern life. At seventeen, he moved with his family to New Lenox, Illinois, finishing high school at Lincoln-Way Central — a young man already carrying the quiet steadiness that others would come to rely on.

After graduation, Don chose a path of service. He entered the U.S. Army to become a combat helicopter pilot, training first at Fort Wolters in Texas and then at Fort Rucker in Alabama. There he earned his place as a Warrant Officer and took his seat in the aircraft that would define his calling — the UH-1H Huey.

After a brief return home, Don deployed to the Republic of South Vietnam. He arrived on March 3, 1970, assigned to B Troop, 7th Squadron, 1st Cavalry, part of the 1st Aviation Brigade. He was twenty years old.

On May 25, 1970 — Memorial Day — Don was serving as the pilot in the right seat of a Command and Control helicopter near Nui Coto Mountain, south of Chi Lang in the Mekong Delta. Fifty-five days into his tour, a single .51 caliber round pierced the right door, penetrated the armor, and took his life. He died doing the work he had trained for, in service to his crew, his unit, and his country.

He was brought home to Swan Lake Memory Gardens in Peoria, Illinois, where his family laid him to rest.

Today, Don’s name is engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., Panel 10W, Line 98 — a permanent place among those who gave everything.

But beyond the wall, beyond the dates, beyond the uniform, Don is remembered because you remember him. Because he was your friend. Because the people who knew him carry his story forward. Because a life lived with courage and loyalty leaves a mark that time cannot erase.

This is how he stays alive in the world — through memory, through honor, through the love of those who still speak his name.

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