Balch, Donald L.
Person
Dates
- Existence: 1917 - 1995
Biography
Donald L. Balch was born on July 6, 1917 in Youngstown, Ohio. He entered naval aviation training in September 1941 and graduated in July of the following year. He served two combat tours in the Pacific Theater with Marine Fighting Squadron 221 (VMF-221), one during the Guadalcanal Campaign in 1943 and one during the Okinawa Campaign in 1945. Balch remained in the Marine Corps Reserve after the war and retired as a captain. In his civilian life, he worked as a stock broker in Santa Barbara, California. Balch passed away in 1995.
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
American Fighter Aces Association Oral Interviews
Collection
Identifier: 2002-02-13-OralHist
Abstract
Collection of approximately one hundred twenty (120) oral histories of Fighter Aces and several non-aces, including relatives of aces, other military pilots, and military historians.
Dates:
circa 1960s-1990s
Found in:
The Museum of Flight Archives