lest we forget

DEERE, DONALD THORPE

Rank / Branch:

SPECIALIST FIFTH CLASS (POSTHUMOUS), U.S. ARMY SPECIAL FORCES

Date Of Birth:

1944-09-06

Country Of Loss:

SOUTH VIETNAM

Status:

HOSTILE, SMALL ARMS

Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground:

GROUND

Other:

NOT MARRIED

Unit:

5TH SPECIAL FORCES

Date Of Loss:

1966-05-17

Loss Coordinates:

BINH LONG

Catagory:

BODY NOT RETURNED

Awards & Decorations:

SEE BIO

VETERAN HAGI0GRAPHY

DEERE, DONALD THORPE, SPECIALIST FIFTH CLASS, U.S. ARMY SPECIAL FORCES, SNYDER, SCURRY COUNTY, TEXAS

AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

COMBAT INFANTRYMAN'S BADGE, PARACHUTE WINGS, SPECIAL FORCES BADGE, SILVER STAR, BRONZE STAR WITH V DEVICE, PURPLE HEART, AIR MEDAL, NATIONAL DEFENSE SERVICE MEDAL, VIETNAM SERVICE MEDAL, VIETNAM CIVIC ACTION MEDAL, VIETNAM MILITARY MERIT MEDAL, VIETNAM CROSS OF GALLANTRY WITH PALM, VIETNAM CAMPAIGN MEDAL

BIOGRAPHY

Don was born in Roscoe, Texas. He was the son of Thelma Emma Thorpe and Herman Leon Deere. He was the youngest son and had an older half-sister by his mother and two older brothers. The family was living in Galveston in 1950 but moved back to Snyder in 1952. He spent he formative years in Snyder. He was a 1962 graduate of Snyder High School. As soon as he graduated from high school, he attended Texas State Institute in Sweetwater for two years and then entered the Army in 1964, he completed parachute training at Fort Benning and then trained in Special Forces at Fort Bragg. His brother Charles stated Don was strong and could run forever and a thousand pushups and setups was nothing for Don. Charles stated he drove behind him as Don jogged and when he stopped, it was over 10 miles. Charles stated he was a very unusual person and particularly for a younger brother.
POW/MIA INFORMATION: Name: Donald Thorpe Deere Rank/Branch: E4/US Army 5th Special Forces Unit: Detachment A-331 Date of Birth: 06 September 1944 (Roscoe TX) Home City of Record: Snyder TX Date of Loss: 17 May 1966 Country of Loss: South Vietnam Loss Coordinates: 114716N 1062714E (XU584034) Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered Category: 3 Other Personnel In Incident: (none missing) Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 15 October 1990 from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews.Acft/Vehicle/Ground: Ground
REMARKS: SYNOPSIS: Donald T. Deere was a Special Forces Advisor with Detachment A-331 in Vietnam. On May 17, 1966, he was part of a Mobile Strike Force that made contact with an enemy force estimated to be battalion sized. During that contact, Deere was wounded, and during an attempt to rescue him, it appeared that he was hit a second time.
Because of intense enemy activity, the remainder of the Strike Force was forced to pull back without further rescue attempts. Air strikes were directed into the area, and the team withdrew, leaving Deere behind. It is assumed that Donald Deere was killed, either by the enemy attack or the subsequent necessary air strikes. He is listed among the missing because no remains were ever recovered. Promotion to SP/5 while missing in action.
He was survived by his parents and his older half-sister, Francis Standefer, brothers, Leonard and Charles. His mother passed away in 1989 and his father in 1994. The are buried in the Hillside Cemetery in Snyder. In the same plot is a memorial headstone for Don.