WARREN, Ohio -- Donald R. Freer, a World War II veteran and former prisoner of war, will be honored Dec. 5 at the Ernie Hall Aviation Museum. The event, which will begin at 6 p.m. with dinner and remarks at 7 p.m., will mark the 70th anniversary of Freer’s survival after he was shot down in combat over Berlin.
Some 40 friends and family members are expected to attend the event, which is being hosted by the aviation museum.
Freer, a graduate of Warren G. Harding High School and a longtime Howland resident, was commissioned in early 1944 as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He joined the 322nd Squadron of the 91st Bomb Group as a B-17 pilot and completed 26 combat missions from his base at Bassingbourn, England. During his 27th mission on Dec. 5, 1944, Freer’s plane, Easy Does It, was shot down over Berlin. Freer was captured by German forces and remained a prisoner of war until liberation on May 15, 1945.
After the conclusion of the war, Freer remained a member of the Air Force Reserves. He attended Ohio State University and received a bachelor of science degree in engineering. Freer resumed working for Packard Electric, where he met his wife, Mary. They wed in 1956 and have been married for 57 years.
That same year, Freer joined Rocketdyne, a division of North American Aviation. Freer was instrumental in testing and developing Jupiter rockets and modified V-2 engines. During his management tenure with Rocketdyne, Freer was primarily based in Huntsville, Ala., and Cape Canaveral, Fla., where he supported the efforts of the Apollo missions.
Freer resides in Howland with his wife and remains interested in aviation, technology, science, literature and current events. He regularly attends the reunions of the 91st Bomb Group Memorial Association.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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