Donald L. Heiliger was born January 16, 1937 in Madison, Wisconsin. He first joined the Wisconsin Army National Guard as a member of the band, but later transferred to the Air Force ROTC program while in college at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He received a commission as a 2nd lieutenant after graduating in 1958 and was sent for navigation training at Harlingen Air Force Base (Texas). After serving as an instructor at Harlingen for several years, Heiliger was sent to Nellis Air Force Base (Los Vegas, Nevada) in 1965 for specialized training in piloting the F-105 Thunderchief fighter-bomber. Heiliger was then stationed in Southeast Asia where he alternated from serving on nuclear strike duty in South Korea and flying bombing missions against targets in North Vietnam.
In 1967, Heiliger was assigned to a squadron known as Ryan's Raiders, which specialized in flying all-weather strike missions against North Vietnamese targets. On May 15, 1967, Heiliger's plane was struck by anti-aircraft fire that forced him to eject over North Vietnamese territory. He was eventually captured and spent the next six years as a prisoner of war, spending some time in the infamous “Hanoi Hilton” prison. After being released in 1973, Heiliger obtained a masters degree and continued to serve in the Air Force as an air attaché to countries such as Uruguay, Chile, and Israel.
Heilger retired from the Air Force with the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1985, one month short of thirty years, and took a job with an international marketing firm based out of Washington D.C. He moved to Stoughton, Wisconsin in 1987 and became an active participant in local government. Heiliger has been married twice. His second marriage was to Cheryl Edwards soon after his release in 1973. He has three children from his first marriage and was still married when he was shot down over Vietnam.
Heiliger passed away in March 23, 2016 and was buried in Roselawn Memorial Park in Monona, Wisconsin.
