Donald's duty during WWII was the ball turret gunner (the one under the plane just behind the wings also known as the Belly gunner). His plane from the Bombing Squadron of FAW7 (Flight Air Wing 7)
VB-110 was called the PB4Y-1 Consolidated Liberator (also known as B-24's) with the tail data of 'M' B-12 BuNo. 63948. His last station was at the airbase in Dunkeswell, Devon, England - he received an Air Medal with three gold stars for his hours of flying time over the Bay of Biscay patrolling for U-Boats. These Liberators were powerful, with bomb bays loaded with depth charges and bombs for use against the U-boats. The Liberators' machine gun magazines were filled with hundreds of rounds for use against the German JU88's. A mission lasted eleven or twelve hours and covered up to 1,600 nautical miles.

On March 31, 1944 Donald's plane went missing over the Bay of Biscay near England. His bomber was patrolling for German submarines and they encountered bad weather with no fighter escorts. When they came out of a cloud bank a German fighter named Dieter Meister in a Ju-88 twin engine got them and they were listed as lost at sea on the 31st then declared killed in action on April 1, 1944. FYI - Navy records indicate a documented official death date of April 1, 1945 because they had to wait the customary one year. Donald's parents, Charles & Hazel Gamble, received his Air Medal and Purple Heart posthumously in 1945. Donale was six months shy of his 19th birthday. He will be forever honored by the family - especially his nieces and nephews - Myself (Carla Sherman), my brother Wayne Sherman and our cousins: Jeff Gamble, Valerie Gamble, Philip Gamble, Barbara Jo (Damazo) Gage, Carolyn (Damazo) Gentry, Joyce (Gamble) Hicks and Miriam (Silva) Riding.