Papers and photographs pertaining to the career Air Force service of Colonel Donald L. Heiliger, a Madison, Wisconsin native who served as a pilot in Vietnam, was shot down and held as a prisoner for six years, and served as an air attaché to several different countries. The collection is comprised of personal letters, invitations, correspondence, flight records, training materials, service records, military papers, certificates, articles, and photographs documenting Heiliger's entire Air Force career. The majority of manuscripts pertain to his time as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. Heiliger was captured in 1967 after ejecting from his F-105 Thunderchief that had been hit by ground fire while flying a bombing mission over North Vietnam. Included are a few letters written by Heiliger to his parents and to his first wife, Carol, during his time as a POW. There are also letters written by Heiliger's mother to him while he was a prisoner. There is correspondence his parents received from government agencies and private organizations over Heiliger's status as a POW and efforts to have him released. Also found is a large collection of correspondence Heiliger received after his return home in 1973, mainly from people who had worn his name on POW remembrance bracelets. Also included are cards and welcome home signs that were made by Wisconsin schoolchildren and Madison residents. Other manuscripts pertaining to his POW time include materials pertaining to his reorientation program after his release, regulations and instructions regarding mailing items to POWs, and articles collected by his parents pertaining to the Vietnam War and American prisoners. There is also a large collection of materials pertaining to his post-Vietnam service as an air attaché with Uruguay, Chile, and Israel. Included are military papers and reports from his time spent working with each country, along with a large collection of personal invitations and thank you letters he received. Other manuscripts from his service include military papers and reports from his ROTC training and his service as a navigations instructor, flight records spanning his entire career, medical evaluations, and various certificates and promotion-related documents. Photographs in the collection also cover his entire service. Included are group images from his ROTC and Air Force navigation training classes, a few images of Heiliger posing next to an F-105, and a group image of he and his fellow pilots on nuclear alert while stationed in South Korea. Images from his attaché service include group photographs at events, Heiliger posing with various Untied States Air Force generals, and some group images from his assignments abroad. Of particular interest is a photograph taken during the signing of the first agreement between the United States Air Force and the Israeli Air Force. A few images of 9/11 attack on the Pentagon round out the photographs. Also included in the collection is a visual recording of a press conference given by Heiliger after release and return to the United States in 1973. The film shows Heiliger answering questions about his time in prison, his thoughts about the war protesters, and how he was adjusting back into everyday life. The end of the film is comprised of footage taken of Heiliger landing at an airport and meeting his parents.
