1Lt. Donald Manley was born in Louisiana on October 15, 1920 to the union of Miss Celestine Angela Brent of Pensacola and Rufus Sumner Manley of Kansas. His mother was the daughter of the esteemed Francis Celestino Brent and Mary Ella Shuttleworth, namesake of the Brent community in Pensacola. Donald's father supported his family as the president of a creosoting business in Orange, Texas. Donald's grandfather was F. C. Brent who fought for the Confederacy in the 62nd Alabama Infantry while his uncle Daniel Gonzalez Brent was with the 1st Florida Infantry Regiment. His great grandfather Thomas William Brent was captured at Mobile while commanding the CSS Savannah.
When WWII broke out, all five of the Manley boys enlisted in the military. There was Rufus Jr., Brent, Charles Conrad, James Grant, and Donald. Sadly, Celestine's son James Grant was on night patrol in his P-40 fighter out of Clark field when he crashed into the mountains north of Manila on November 27, 1941. He was stationed with the U.S. Army Air Forces, 17th Pursuit Squadron, 24th Pursuit Group at the time of his death. He was buried in the Manila American Military Cemetery in Honolulu. Ten days after his death, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. On December 16, 1944 the Germans mounted a deadly counter-offensive that came to be known as the "Battle of the Bulge". It was a devastating attack that required all American personnel to join in the fight to survive. At the time, Celestine's son Donald was assigned to the 40th Field Artillery Group as an artillery spotter. On New Year's Eve he was flying with his pilot behind enemy lines when he was shot down by ground fire. He survived the crash and walked back to his unit and resumed his duties.
The next day he was flying again on New Year's Day near Saarland, Germany when he was shot down by a German fighter and killed on January 1, 1945. His mother would receive her second telegram from the War Department announcing the death of yet another son. Donald's body was recovered and he was buried in the Hamm Cemetery, Luxembourg, Germany.
1Lt. Donald Manley, so of Miss Celestine Brent of Pensacola,
Killed in action 1-1-1945, Battle of the Bulge
WWII Artillery Spotter Aircraft
Pensacola News Journal 1-18-1945
James Grant Manley, Killed on patrol in his P-40 in the
Philippines ten days before Pearl Harbor on November 27, 1941