26 FROM IOWA LOST IN ACTION
[excerpt]
WASHINGTON, D. C. (AP)—The War Department Saturday listed 26 Iowa soldiers as missing in action in the European and Mediterranean theaters. They were:
EUROPEAN.
Algona—Staff Sergeant Robert W. Thompson.
Audubon—Sergt. Donald C. Munksgaard.
Boone—Second Lieutenant Robert W. Ward.
Cedar Rapids—Pvt. (f.c.) Harvey H. Wehde.
Council Bluffs—Corp. Dale E. Gustafson.
Des Moines—Pvt. (f.c.) Lester W. Pfannkuch.
Dubuque—Lieut. Arthur C. Toepel.
Gladbrook—Second Lieutenant Elmer C. Dudolski.
Iowa City—Lieut. Col. Don L. Weiss.
Keystone—Pvt (f.c.) Orlean E. Koeppen.
Knoxville—Capt. Richard A. Gee.
Marshalltown—Second Lieutenant Marion A. Gard.
Mason City—Capt. William C. Whorley.
Menlo—Pvt. (f.c.) Kenneth L. Powell.
Pella—Pvt. (f.c.) David M. Thomas.
Sewal—Staff Sergeant Dallas G. Couchman.
Shenandoah—Lieut. Ralph E. Deweese.
Sioux Rapids—Flight Officer Joseph Meleky.
Source: The Des Moines Register, August 27, 1944
Donald L. “Don” Weiss was born Apr 17, 1916 to Albert and Carrie Leona Brown Weiss. He died June 22, 1944 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA.*
Lt. Weiss served in World War II with the U.S. Army Air Corps 555th Bomber Squadron, 386th Bomber Group, Medium and was MIA/KIA/FOD as a crew member of a B-26 (Marauder) bomber which was shot down by enemy anti-aircraft fire near Caen, France. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart and Air Medal with 10 Oak Leaf Clusters.
*Lieutenant Colonel Weiss was originally listed as Missing in Action or non-recoverable. His name is permanently inscribed on the Tablets of the Missing at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. Later his remains were recovered, identified and interred at Arlington National Cemetery.
When an individual’s remains have been accounted for by the U.S. Department of Defense, a rosette is placed next to the name on the Wall/Tablet/Court of the Missing to mark that the person now rests in a known gravesite.
Source: ancestry.com
