After graduating from Waukegan Township High School, Donald E. Hoffman attended Northwest Missouri State University. In his junior year he joined the Air Force, and for the next year trained to become a fighter pilot. He graduated in pilot class 51-D, June 23, 1951 at Craig Air Force Base in Selma, Alabama. On July 18, 1951, he married Jeannine Glass of Alexander City, Alabama. Don and Jeannine have one son, Donald Jr.

After completing combat training at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, he joined the 12th Fighter Bomber Squadron on November 23, 1951 at Hoengsong Airdrome in Korea.

On December 8, 1951, Lieutenant Hoffman departed the Hoengsong Airdrome, Korea, on a pre-briefed close support mission against enemy positions. He was a member of a four-ship flight of F-51 Mustang aircraft. He made one run over a designated target and reported that his napalm tanks did not release. As he attempted a second pass over the same position, he lost his right napalm tank and went into a spin, failed to recover, and disappeared into a low layer of clouds. Smoke and flame shot up through the clouds, and other members of the flight circled the area only to discover the aircraft completely destroyed. No signs of life could be observed, and since the locality was controlled by the enemy, further information was not available. Although Lieutenant Hoffman had been with this organization only since November 23, 1951, his wing commander said that he had shown outstanding courage and devotion to duty and was flying his seventh combat mission against the enemy when he was reported missing in action. Following the cessation of hostilities in Korea, no further information could be obtained about the fate of Lt Hoffman and he was declared killed in action.

Editor's note: The National Air and Space Society files contain an additional picture and information about Lt Hoffman.