colonel donald l. heiliger

Colonel Heiliger was born January 16, 1937 in Madison, Wisconsin where he graduated from Madison East High School in 1954.  He graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1958 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration/accounting where he received his commission as a Distinguished Graduate of the Air Force ROTC detachment 925.  

 

Col Heiliger entered navigator training at Harlingen Air Force Base, Texas, in November 1958 and was awarded his navigator wings in July 1959, finishing first in his class.  In March 1964, Colonel Heiliger entered undergraduate pilot training at Webb Air Force Base, Texas and was awarded his pilot wings one year later, again finishing number one in his class.  He then completed F-105 combat crew training at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada in 1965.

 

Departing Nellis Air Force Base, the colonel was assigned as a squadron pilot in the 36th and 80th Tactical Fighter Squadrons at Yokota Air Base, Japan.  While stationed in Japan, he was frequently assigned to Southeast Asia on a temporary duty basis where he flew numerous combat missions in his F-105.  While on his 44th combat mission, on May 15, 1967, he was shot down over North Vietnam.  Captured the next day, the colonel remained a prisoner of war until his release on February 18, 1973.  

 

Colonel Heiliger then returned to the United States and attended George Washington University until May 1975 when he commenced training for his assignment as Air Attaché to Uruguay and later Chile and Israel.  In August 1979, he returned to the United States as chief of the International Affairs Division in the Office of the Vice Chief of Staff, Headquarters, U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.

 

In 1988, Colonel Heiliger retired and moved to Stoughton, WI.   Since his retirement, he has worked as a realtor and has been an active volunteer in organizations such as Stoughton Rotary and the Stoughton Hospital Capital Campaign.  He served as treasurer on the MATC District Board for 9 years and was a Dane County Supervisor from 1992 to 2002.   

 

The colonel is a senior pilot with nearly 1,000 flying hours and more than 2,000 hours as a navigator.  His military decorations and awards include the Silver Star with oak leaf cluster, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal, and Purple Heart with oak leaf cluster.  Colonel Heiliger is married to the former Cheryl Edwards of Madison, Wisconsin with whom he has three sons.  

 

“I feel a deep devotion to this country. You can never truly feel how great this country is until you have missed it. It is the same feeling – that you cannot experience full joy until you have experienced full depressions. Our country may take many courses, but it always seems to come through and always keeps on getting stronger and greater. The most vital things that pulled me through while I was a POW were my faith in God, my faith in my country, my faith in our President, and especially my faith in all the Americans back home. This faith has been justified. It is the support of all Americans that allowed us to return home with honor.” - Col Heiliger 

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