The Donald L. Heiliger Collection is organized into four series: Training and Vietnam, POW, POW Release, and Post-Vietnam Service.
Training and Vietnam (1955-1967) pertains to materials relating to Heiliger's ROTC and Air Force training, along with records of his Vietnam experience prior to his capture in 1967. Most of the materials consist of military records, flight and navigation training materials, and medical evaluations. The flight records provide an overview of his flight time serving as a pilot and as a navigator. Medical records were part of his evaluation for clearance to fly. Correspondence is mainly letters written by Heiliger to his parents while he was serving in Southeast Asia, with Heiliger asking about the welfare of the family and how things were back in Wisconsin. Also included is one letter written by his mother that was returned to sender after Heiliger was shot down three days after she had mailed it. There are a few newspaper clippings pertaining to his pilot training, along with certificates from his ROTC and navigation training. Photographs include images of Heiliger posing with his ROTC, navigation and flight training classes, along with images of him posing next to F-105s while in Vietnam. There is also one photograph of Heiliger with three other pilots that was taken while they were on nuclear alert in South Korea in 1966. All of the photographs are labeled.
POW (1967-1973) includes materials pertaining to Heiliger's time as a POW during the Vietnam War. The bulk is correspondence his parents received from various government and private organizations concerning Heiliger's POW status. This correspondence discusses the proper procedures for writing POWs and what can be mailed, the status of negotiations with the North Vietnamese government for their release, and support for the families of POWs. Also included are letters his parents received notifying them of his disappearance over North Vietnam, and the verification that Heiliger was in fact a POW. In 1971, his parents saw a television broadcast of the release of the three pilots and mistakenly identified one of them as being their son. A correspondence from the Department of the Air Force, along with a photograph, informing Heiliger's parents that he was not one of three POW pilots released is included in this series. There are also condolence letters from friends, family, the White House, and other federal and state government organizations. There are a few letters written by Heiliger to his parents, wife Carol, and his children. These letters tend to be very brief and reassure that he is safe and well. There are also letters written by his parents that were apparently sent to Heiliger while he was held captive. Apparently his mother typed a letter every month he was in prison, but did not necessarily send them to him. It is unclear as to which letters were actually sent.
POW Release (1973) pertain to Heiliger's return to the United States after his release. Most of the manuscripts in this series are welcome home materials, many being correspondence he received from people who had worn his name on a POW bracelet. The bracelets were made by the private organization “Voices in Vital America,” a Los Angeles based student organization that produced and distributed them during the Vietnam War. Included are letters and cards asking him about his health and well being, and wishing him a happy transition to life in the United States. Many of the letters express a personal connection to Heiliger, and relief that he was finally released. They have been arranged alphabetically by the last name of the sender. Heiliger included copies of typed replies to the people who had worn the bracelets. The thank-you replies have been arranged alphabetically by the last name of the receiver. There is also a large collection of hand-made welcome home greetings made by Wisconsin schoolchildren, most of which are oversized. The “Day of Gratitude Book” includes signatures from the citizens of Harford, Connecticut and was put together to welcome home POWs. The series also includes materials that Heiliger received as part of a reorientation program for POWs returning to the United States. Included are historical overviews of events that had taken place while they were captive and educational manuscripts reorienting them to civilian life. A 16mm reel-to-reel film was taken during a press conference Heiliger gave while he was receiving hospital evaluations at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (Dayton, Ohio) soon after his release. Heiliger gave the conference with another former POW, but the film has been edited as to include only Heiliger. The news conference addresses his experiences in prison, his views on the protests against the war, and his plans for the future. The last two minutes of the film show Heiliger disembarking a passenger plane and being greeted by his parents and a large crowd holding welcome home signs.
Post-Vietnam Service (1973-2005) are primarily manuscripts and photographs that pertain to Heiliger's service as an air attaché stationed in Uruguay, Chile, and Israel. A large portion of the series is made up of invitations and thank-you letters he received while serving as an air attaché. Most of the invitations were personally sent by various diplomats from other countries inviting Heiliger to attend dinner events. They have been arranged alphabetically by the name of the country extending the invitation. The thank-you letters were written to Heiliger thanking him for his efforts during tours and visits of upper level military officers and government officials. They have been arranged alphabetically by the last name of the letter's author. There are also military papers including flight records and medical evaluations performed between 1973 and 1985. Papers pertaining to his retirement from the Air Force are included in this series, along with certificates he received after his retirement. Photographs include various images of Heiliger posing with generals and other high level Air Force officials who were involved with the diplomatic efforts of the military. Also included is a photograph of Heiliger posing with Zsa Zsa Gabor at an event she hosted for military attachés. This series also includes patriotic photographs pertaining to the September 11 terrorist attack on the Pentagon.
