US Navy Captain Charles Clarke McDonald was born in Glen Ellyn, Dupage County, Illinois on November 15, 1901, the son of Lewis Wetzel McDonald (1879-1939) and Bessie Marilla Clarke (1884-1972). His father supported his family by a lifetime of working for the Northwestern Railroad Company, He was first a telegraph operator for them in Mendota, Ill, then moved to their general offices in Chicago and then as an agent in Deadwood, SD. Afterwards he spent 28 years as an agent in Long Pine, Nebraska before retiring in 1937. He would pass away in the Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk, VA while visiting with his son Charles and his family.
As for Charles, after finishing his preliminary education he entered the University of Illinois before his acceptance into the US Naval Academy at Annapolis. He would graduate in 1924 and then volunteered for the Navy's flight program. He reported into NAS Pensacola in 1926 and received his wings in 1927 as a member of the 25th Aviation class at NAS Pensacola (Aviator #3362). Upon completion of this training, he married a young Pensacola girl he had met while on duty here. He and Loretta Christine Miller (1909-1969) were joined in marriage on May 20, 1927, the daughter of Louis Anthony Miller of Sandusky, Ohio. After the wedding they had a close group of friends over to celebrate at their house at 818 North Baylen Street. One of the guests was her sister who had married at stalwart Pensacolian Mitchell A. Touart Jr. But apparently, Loretta's wedding was a surprise to everyone. His bride had graduated from Sandusky High School and attended St. Mary's College.
By the time WWII broke out Charles had been promoted to the rank of Lt. Commander. By 1945, he was the captain of the escort carrier CVE-27 USS Suwanee. However, with Japan's surrender on September 2, 1945, the US Navy began its transformation into a peace time role. On October 2, 1945, Captain McDonald along with Admiral William Sample arranged to hitch a ride on a Martin PBM Mariner aircraft from the VP-205 Squadron flying out on a routine surveillance flight. It was surmised that the two men needed the airtime to remain qualified for their flight pay. The original pilot was LTjg Brad Leete, however the "flight officer" pulled rank on him and said sarcastically, "Leete, there’s an Admiral flying with us and I’m not going to let him fly with you…I’m going to give him a good flight." Leete said later that, "It was a most gorgeous, picturesque day, but the only problem was that it was unusually turbulent." Regardless of the weather, the plane took off from Wakayama, Japan at 0702 hours and the plane was observed heading away from Kobe, which was 30 miles north. That was the last contact with the plane either by radio or sight. At 1500, the estimated time of return of the plane, attempts were made by the control tower to contact it by radio. When the tower was unable to establish communications with the aircraft, two planes were dispatched to make a thorough search, all to no avail. Whether it was caused by engine trouble, or the weather will never be known. After days of searching, they were declared dead. Loretta was notified at her home at 1304 North Barcelona Street, Pensacola that her husband was missing. Luckily, he had been home on leave in August but now he was gone!
Years later, the two senior officers and the seven members of the flight crew were discovered on November 19, 1948 still in their wreckage on a mountain in Honshu, Japan. The bodies were recovered and returned to the United States to be interred together on May 17, 1949 at Arlington National Cemetery in a common grave. As for his wife, it does not appear she ever remarried and would pass away in Durham, NC on December 6, 1969. Captain McDonald's only child, Ann Miller McDonald (1932-2008) would marry John T. Bibb III in 1953.
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