Donald Edward Wilson was born in New Orleans in July 1918. Times were tough during the Great Depression. He had to walk or take the streetcar to school. Wilson's father was active in the YMCA and engaged his son in physical activities early in life. There were five children in the Wilson family. Mardi Gras was a big event in front of his house. He left New Orleans in the summer of 1938 to enroll in the Naval Academy. He graduated early in 1941 because of looming war clouds. His midshipman cruise was scheduled to go to Europe in the summer of 1939 but that was scrapped. The ship sailed to Halifax, Quebec, and New York for the 1939 World's Fair instead. Life was good at the Academy. He met good roommates there. Upon graduation, he was granted two weeks leave.

Donald Wilson reported to San Francisco for duty assignment at Pearl Harbor aboard the USS New Orleans (CA-32). The ship had been slightly damaged during the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor and had been sent stateside. Wilson had to find a way back from Pearl Harbor to the United States to find his ship. The alternative was to serve on a submarine or destroyer. He sailed back on a ship taking refugees from Hawaii to San Francisco. Wilson boarded New Orleans there. It was being upgraded with new equipment. When ready, it escorted a troopship to Australia. The voyage was uneventful. The cruiser had a subsequent short mission and then was assigned to Admiral Halsey's [Annotator's Note: US Navy Fleet Admiral William F. Halsey] "suicide fleet." The New Orleans participated in the Battle of Coral Sea. The ship had some enemy planes that flew over but they were after the aircraft carriers, not the cruisers. The New Orleans escorted the USS Yorktown (CV-5) at times and the USS Lexington (CV-2) at other times. She would later escort the USS Enterprise (CV-6). After Halsey's fleet, the New Orleans was sent to Espiritu Santo.

Donald Wilson and the USS New Orleans (CA-32) engaged in combat with the Japanese fleet at Guadalcanal. During the late night struggle, the ship was hit and lost a good portion of its bow. Other American ships were also severely damaged. There were many casualties on the ship. Shipboard watertight separations prevented the ship from sinking. The skipper wanted to beach the ship at Savo Island which the Japanese controlled. The executive officer took over command and brought the ship to safety at Tulagi Harbor. Despite being harassed by a Japanese scout plane every day, the ship was returned to operable condition. The ship made for Sydney, Australia but was hit by a storm on the second night out. Efforts were made to keep the forward bulkheads from collapsing in the harsh weather. During the event, bodies floated out from the lower decks of the open vessel. The corpses were never recovered. Some of the ship's dead had previously been buried at Tulagi. The New Orleans reached Sydney on 24 December 1943 [Annotator's Note: Wilson subsequently corrects the year to be 1942]. A single dry-dock was large enough to accommodate the cruiser, but two other ships were in line prior to the New Orleans. The Navy had to assist the local workers in preparing the stricken ship for sailing back to the United States. In March [Annotator's Note: March 1943], the ship sailed to the West Coast via Samoa and Pearl Harbor. Upon reaching port in Seattle, the crew was allowed to take 30 days' liberty in rotation. Wilson wanted to meet his fiancée back in Louisiana but he did not have the first rotation. His future wife and her mother came to Seattle so that the couple could be married. The new husband and wife managed to squeeze in a wedding before Wilson had to report back to the ship for his scheduled watch. The couple lived in Bremerton while the ship was being repaired. A new bow had been prefabricated while the New Orleans was sailing back home. It was installed when the vessel entered dry-dock. Upgraded equipment was also installed while the ship was in for repairs for three months. The New Orleans then went to San Francisco to have a new gun turret installed and made operational.

Donald Wilson applied for flight training. When he received transfer orders for him to leave the USS New Orleans (CA-32) for San Francisco, he thought he was about to enter flight school. Instead, he was sent to Quincy, Massachusetts for duty aboard the cruiser USS Vincennes (CL-64). [Annotator’s Note: The interview goes back in time to the Battle of Midway.] Before the New Orleans was damaged [Annotator's Note: during the Battle of Tassafaronga], it participated in the Battle of Midway. At Midway, New Orleans escorted the carrier Yorktown [Annotator's Note: USS Yorktown (CV-5)]. So many enemy aircraft attacked the carrier, it was impossible to stop them all. Wilson could see the bombs and torpedoes as they hit the Yorktown. It stayed afloat for quite awhile. The New Orleans rescued a number of Yorktown survivors. The cruiser suffered no battle damage from the combat. With everyone shooting at the planes, it was difficult to see exactly, but New Orleans was credited with one shoot down. After the battle, Wilson's ship was vectored to Alaska initially but then called back to Pearl Harbor. When she sailed into the harbor, she flew her largest flag onboard. It was a great occasion and was well attended. Wilson was treated royally by friends he had in Hawaii. Some of his friends in ship's company also benefited from his reception. Wilson enjoyed Honolulu.

Donald Wilson took the train across country from San Francisco to Quincy, Massachusetts to report aboard the cruiser USS Vincennes (CL-64). [Annotator's note: The USS Vincennes (CL-64) was Wilson's second ship. He had served previously aboard the USS New Orleans (CA-32)]. On the Vincennes, Wilson was assigned to main battery fire control as a range finder operator. He trained onboard prior to the ship's commissioning. The ship needed a main battery plotting officer at the same time as Wilson was offered a flight school opportunity that he had applied for while aboard the New Orleans. The plotting officer duty station was offered to Wilson if he refused flight school. Wilson stayed with the Vincennes. Before general quarters, Wilson's watch was up forward in the ship. When battle stations were sounded, he had a difficult time going all the way down into the lower reaches of the ship to the main battery plotting room. The ship was an admiral's flagship. It traversed the Panama Canal and made its way to Pearl Harbor. The Vincennes then went to a large atoll [Annotator's Note: Majuro Atoll in the Marshall Islands] where countless large and small ships moored. Wilson managed to make it to shore and have some cold beers. Crap games where everywhere. After returning to the ship, the fleet took off for the Battle of the Marianas.

Donald Wilson and the USS Vincennes (CL-64) participated in the shore bombardment of Saipan and Tinian during the Battle of the Marianas. The Japanese Navy was largely ineffective after that combat. After the battle, Wilson was dropped off on one of the islands and told to await his return to the United States. He finally caught a plane to Honolulu. From there, he rode home on the battleship South Dakota [Annotator's Note: USS South Dakota (BB-57)] which was damaged during the Battle of the Marianas and was en route for repairs. He arrived in Seattle aboard the ship. He went on to flight school by way of Dallas and then Kansas City and finally Iowa. He and his wife lived in rugged conditions during his training. Wilson's training instructor was tough on him. Some of the trainees had a difficult time qualifying. Wilson got his wings and reported to Pensacola for advanced training. He returned to New Orleans in time for Christmas [Annotator's Note: Christmas 1944]. He trained and qualified for PBY flying boats [Annotator's Note: Consolidated PBY Catalina flying boat] in Pensacola. A housing officer was from New Orleans. His fellow New Orleanian found an acceptable home for Wilson, his wife and their new child. He was nearly complete with his training along with his crew when the war ended. Everything stopped and personnel were released if they had enough points. Wilson and other officers were sent to San Diego, to Coronado for more training in a mock-up of a PBM [Annotator's Note: Martin PBM Mariner flying boat]. He then flew to Pearl Harbor and then to Okinawa to join a squadron [Annotator's Note: Wilson does not identify the squadron he joined]. Following that assignment, he went to Hong Kong for duty. He was next transferred to Tsingtao, China to assist the skipper in running the squadron.

Donald Wilson spent time in Tsingtao, China. Living conditions and the local population were very different for him. He worked with the squadron commander and often had interesting flights that were sometimes very risky. Wilson even flew at rooftop level over Tokyo once. Destruction from the war was significant in Japan. The one survivor [Annotator's Note: US Navy Ensign George Gay] of Torpedo 8 [Annotator's Note: Torpedo Squadron 8 (VT-8)] that was wiped out at Midway was stationed in Yokosuka with the squadron. The squadron skipper announced one day that Wilson was returning to the United States. He flew a long flight all the way back across the Pacific to San Francisco. Wilson made sure the navigation and star sighting along the course was correct. They arrived safely at the buoy at San Francisco.

Donald Wilson recounts a court martial and other interesting incidents that occurred while his ship [Annotator's Note: USS New Orleans (CA-32)] was in Sydney, Australia. He found some of the events to be quite entertaining and humorous.

Donald Wilson was changed by the Second World War. He lost friends on his ship [Annotator's Note: USS New Orleans (CA-32)]. They were there and then they were gone. [Annotator's Note: The USS New Orleans (CA-32) had her bow blown off during the Battle of Tassafaronga in November 1942. There was a significant loss of ship's company during that incident.]. Wilson remained in the Navy until 1948 when he resigned his commission and returned to New Orleans. He began his civilian career with a large fabrication company. He was project manager for the Sheraton Hotel and completed the job on time and under budget. Prior to going to Annapolis [Annotator's Note: the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland], Wilson had only been out of New Orleans to see the 1932 Olympics and the World's Fair in Chicago. As a midshipman, he went to the 1939 New York World's Fair. It is difficult for him to say for certain that the United States changed because of the war because he had not seen much of it beforehand. Races worked together and respected the conditions that existed at the time. When he returned to New Orleans in 1948, he could tell things were changing in that direction. Wilson recounts the loss of an ancestor in the 1856 Hurricane that struck the Mississippi River. Nevertheless, he has a great fondness for New Orleans. World War 2 changed the rest of the world. The Germans and Russians did horrible things to the people they conquered. Wilson experienced the war in the Pacific. What happened in Europe was devastating. Wilson has a granddaughter in the Foreign Service. She was in Moscow when she was sent home to have a baby. Shortly, after the child's birth, she had to evacuate to Pensacola. Wilson feels having The National WWII Museum is great. There is a lack of historical education in today's schools. Young people do not know enough about World War 2 or the earlier conflicts. Wilson is engaged in his local museum's commemorations of regional historical events. The National WWII Museum and the museum in Fredericksburg [Annotator's Note: The National Museum of the Pacific War is in the boyhood hometown of US Navy Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz] are both excellent endeavors. Wilson greatly admires Admiral Nimitz. Admiral Spruance's [Annotator's Note: US Navy Admiral Raymond A. Spruance] orders to turn the lights on saved many pilots and their aircraft. [Annotator's Note: Wilson becomes very emotional during the recollection of the daring order.]