In Memory OfLT Donald D. Matson II

LT Donald D. Matson II, 27, U.S. Navy, born December 23, 1958, was lost at sea on September 4, 1986. Matson was an A-7 Corsair II Pilot with Attack Squadron 82 on the USS Nimitz (CVN-68). With Cold War tensions still high, his unit was sent to the North Atlantic for NATO-led war games as a show of force. While on a strike attack training exercise off Norway's coast, communication ceased about an hour after takeoff. Extensive search & rescue operations were launched immediately, but Matson was never seen again. Fair winds and following seas, Shipmate! Til Valhalla, Brother!