Veterans' Memorial Project
William Donald Jaeger
Evanston, IL
World War II
Lieutenant William Donald “Bud” Jaeger died in an aircraft collision near Bruning, Nebraska. During World War II, he was a flight instructor who trained pilots for the 23rd Fighter Squadron of the Army Air Corps, and the plane (a BT-13B) in which he was riding collided with another aircraft that wandered without permission into his air space. The pilot was able to bail out but Bud was hit by airplane wreckage and was not able to parachute to safety. Bud was survived by his wife, Marty, and his daughter, Sara, born six weeks after his death. Once I asked Bud’s parents – my grandparents – how they could bear the pain of losing their only son, who was only 25, in a senseless wartime accident. My grandmother said, “Bud always dreamed of becoming a pilot. Many people never get to do what they really want to do in life. It’s a comfort that Bud did.” Lt. Jaeger is buried at Memorial Park, Skokie, Illinois.
My grandmother, Sally Wood Jaeger, belonged to the Gold Star Mothers and made many lap quilts in Bud’s memory for the veterans in Veterans Administration Hospitals.
– submitted by Pamela Ketter Browning, niece of Lt. Jaeger Submit additional information or comments
