Donald W. “Don” McConnell was born on November 13, 1918 in the city of Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada to Oscar Franklin McConnell and Mary May McConnell, nee Stine. Don was the youngest of the couple’s five children. His siblings were Delwin, Louise Olive, Virginia Allene, and Ethel Lenor McConnell. Oscar McConnell was a fitting maker for a clay pipe company. The family lived in Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and Canada before moving to Sherwood, King County, Washington in the early 1920s. Don attended high school in Renton, King County, Washington.

Don W. McConnell married Margaret Eunice “Peggy” Guy on January 2, 1940 in the city of Renton. The couple lived in Renton, where Don worked as a finisher at a brick factory. On October 16, 1940 he registered for the draft. He was 21 years old, 6’ tall, and weighed 190 pounds. He had brown hair, hazel eyes, and a dark complexion. His employer was the Gladding, McBean & Company, a business that manufactured clay tile, sewer pipes, and pottery.

Don McConnell was inducted into the United States Army on June 13, 1944 at Ft. Lewis, Washington. He served in the 330th Infantry Regiment of the 83rd Infantry Division. The 330th embarked for England on April 6, 1944. The unit landed on Utah Beach in Normandy on June 23, 1944 and relieved the 101st Airborne Division at Carentan, France. In July, the 330th fought through the dangerous hedgerow country of Normandy. After the St. Lo breakthrough, the unit moved by truck to attack the port cities of St. Malo and Brest in Brittany. They then moved east to the Loire Valley to protect the right flank of the Third Army as it advanced across northern France. In September, the unit patrolled along the Moselle River in Luxembourg. They crossed Germany’s defensive Siegfried line after capturing the town of Echternach on October 7th. Moving to the Hurtgen Forest, the 330th participated in the Allied drive toward the Roer River. The unit was scheduled to go into reserve for rest, but the Hitler’s surprise Ardennes Offensive on December 16th changed those plans. The 330th was attached to the 3rd Army and quickly moved south to cut the strategic Houffalize-St. Vith highway, seriously hampering the German advance in the Battle of the Bulge. After a brief rest, the unit once again crossed into Germany, reaching the west bank of the Rhine River by March 1st.

Private Donald W. McConnell was killed in action on March 3, 1945. He is buried in the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial, Margraten, Limburg, Netherlands. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart.

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project

(see www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to

write the stories of all 421,000+ of the US WWII fallen saved on Together We

Served and Fold3. Can you help write these stories? These stories will be

accessible via smartphone app at any war memorial or cemetery.

If you noticed anything erroneous in this profile or have

additional information to contribute to it, please contact me at

clock902@aol.com.

SBTSProject/Washington/King County

Sources:

WWII Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946, https://www.fold3.com/record/91048389/donald-w-mcconnell-us-wwii-army-enlistment-records-1938-1946

American Battle Monuments Commission, 1914-1950, https://www.fold3.com/record/529880862/donald-w-mcconnell-us-american-battle-monuments-commission-1914-1950

WWII Army and Army Air Force Casualty List, 1946, https://www.fold3.com/image/310763532?rec=299423775

WWII Hospital Admission Card Files, 1942-1954, https://www.fold3.com/record/700982965/mcconnell-donald-w-us-wwii-hospital-admission-card-files-1942-1954

Findagrave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56301567/donald-woodland-mcconnell

1920 United States Federal Census, https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/71270755:6061?_gl=1*h5pytw*_ga*MTc4MzU0Njg5OS4xNjQ5ODg0OTQw*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*MTY5NDYzODQwNC41MjQuMS4xNjk0NjQxNDY4LjQyLjAuMA..

1930 United States Federal Census, https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/112189162:6224?_gl=1*o5q1tv*_ga*MTc4MzU0Njg5OS4xNjQ5ODg0OTQw*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*MTY5NDYzODQwNC41MjQuMS4xNjk0NjQxNDY4LjQyLjAuMA..

1940 United States Federal Census, https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/62409184:2442?_gl=1*o5q1tv*_ga*MTc4MzU0Njg5OS4xNjQ5ODg0OTQw*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*MTY5NDYzODQwNC41MjQuMS4xNjk0NjQxNDY4LjQyLjAuMA..

Headstone and Interment Records for U.S., Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, 1942-1949, https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/38511:9170?_gl=1*o5q1tv*_ga*MTc4MzU0Njg5OS4xNjQ5ODg0OTQw*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*MTY5NDYzODQwNC41MjQuMS4xNjk0NjQxNDY4LjQyLjAuMA..

The Story of the 330th Infantry across Europe, https://83rdinfdivdocs.org/documents/330th/various/The_Story_of_the_330th_across_Europe.pdf

Washington, U.S., Marriage Records, 1854-2013, https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/490861:2378?_gl=1*1y9heqr*_ga*MTc4MzU0Njg5OS4xNjQ5ODg0OTQw*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*MTY5NDYzODQwNC41MjQuMS4xNjk0NjQxNTU2LjYwLjAuMA..

World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947, https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/37087366:2238?_gl=1*1y9heqr*_ga*MTc4MzU0Njg5OS4xNjQ5ODg0OTQw*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*MTY5NDYzODQwNC41MjQuMS4xNjk0NjQxNTU2LjYwLjAuMA..

Donald W McConnell