Lucky Bag Yearbook

From the 1963 Lucky Bag:

DONALD CLAY MacLAUGHLIN

Don entered the Naval Academy shortly after graduating from Cantonsville High School in Baltimore, Maryland. Mac, as his classmates call him, has always stood in the upper fourth of his class and has been seen many times taking a long Superintendent’s List weekend. Not all of his time was taken up with academics, however. He was also an outstanding athlete. He excelled in both soccer and lacrosse. He was captain of both these teams his plebe year. He went on to get his “N” in both his youngster year. Since he is a Maryland native, Don used all the facilities of his nearby home in Baltimore. If Don continues to use his outstanding ability to learn and advance as he has the past four years, he is sure to do nothing but better the service for us.

Loss

Donald was killed in action on January 2, 1966 when his A-4 Skyhawk was shot down over Vietnam. He was serving in Attack Squadron (VA) 76 and operating from USS Enterprise (CVA(N) 65).

Other Information

From Shipmate in 1966:

Lt. MacLaughlin was graduated from the Naval Academy in 1963, when he stood in the top 10 percent of his class. He was awarded the Naval Academy Athletic Association Sword for excellence in athletics. He was an All-America midfielder in lacrosse and was captain of the soccer team his first class year.

He is survived by his widow, Gayle, and their 21-month-old daughter of 6139 Verdes Rd., Jacksonville, Fla.; his parents, Dr. and Mrs. D. C. MacLaughlin, of Catonsville, Md.

Also on that page; no date given: “(Gayle MacLaughlin is now also deceased and his grown daughter, Sharon lives in Arizona.)”

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Donald graduated from Catonsville High School in 1959.  “Mac” . . . calls Catonsville home . . . great all-around leader . . . collegiate dresser . . . peeved by kneehighs and kilts . . . S.C. representative . . . Social and Athletic Committees . . . varsity soccer and lacrosse . . . will make a great addition to any campus.

Donald married his high school sweetheart Gayle Sharon Timmons on June 15, 1963 at the Naval Academy chapel.

He received flight training in Texas and Missouri and received his wings in January, 1965, at Jacksonville.

His high school started a Memorial Scholarship Fund in his name.

He was survived by his parents, his widow and 21-month-old daughter, Sharon Leslie. He was also survived by his brother Harry and two sisters Ann and Mrs. Bruce Hobler.

From The Baltimore Sun, December 3, 1965:

America’s nuclear Navy went into combat for the first time today when the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Enterprise launched a record number of strikes against Viet Cong targets in South Vietnam. . . .

The Enterprise’s 85,000 tons churned into a stiff breeze that swept rain squalls across its broad flight deck off and on all day.

It was about 10 miles offshore for this first combat assignment.

One of the pilots who put in his first day of combat today was Lt. (j.g.) Donald C. MacLaughlin, Jr., whose parents live in the 300 block North Rolling road, Catonsville, Md.

The 24-year-old Marylander piloted an A-4 from Attack Squadron 76 in a two-plane flight that dropped 1,000-pound bombs on Viet Cong structures in the delta area.

He said his mission “didn’t feel much different from a training flight except that we were using live ordnance.”

MacLaughlin, who graduated from the Naval Academy in 1963, said that because of a layer of clouds over the target he and his wingmate had to come in at a shallow angle, thus sacrificing some accuracy.

En route to and from the target at about 10,000 feet “it’s hard to tell” a war is going on down there, he said.

Donald has two memory markers in Maryland; the second is listed on Find A Grave twice. He is also listed at the Courts of the Missing in Hawaii.

Photographs

Source

From The Baltimore Sun on January 4, 1966

From his 1959 high school yearbook

From his 1959 high school yearbook

From his 1959 high school yearbook

From his 1959 high school yearbook

MacLaughlin Award

from Wikipedia’s entry:

The Lt. Donald McLaughlin Jr. Award — also known as the “Don McLaughlin Award” — has been given annually since 1973 by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) to the NCAA’s most outstanding college lacrosse midfielder. The award is presented to the best midfielder in Division I, Division II, and — until recently — Division III.

MacLaughlin was a leading midfielder and scorer on three consecutive Division 1 National Championship Navy Lacrosse Teams (‘61, ‘62, ‘63), and First Team All-American. He was also an All-American and Captain of the 1963 Navy Soccer team, leading Navy to its first appearance in the final NCAA Division-1 championship game.

Missing Status

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency lists Don as “unaccounted for.”¹

References