​ Here he was to participate in the largest amphibious invasion in history: Operation Overlord. In the early morning hours of D-Day, he parachuted into France. Malarkey fought for three weeks in Normandy, 11 weeks in Holland, more than five weeks in the Battle of Bastogne, Belgium and four weeks in and around Haguenau, France, and the Ruhr Pocket in Germany. Promoted to sergeant, he served more time on the front lines than any other member of Easy Company After the war, Don returned to the University of Oregon in 1946, where he met and married Irene Moor of Portland, in 1948. Don graduated in 1949 with a bachelor’s degree in business and worked for Lovell Motors in Astoria. He was elected to the position of County Commissioner of Clatsop County, Oregon, and later moved to Portland, where he worked in insurance and real estate while raising his family of four children with his wife.

Born:                            31 July 1921                Astoria   Oregon

Enlistment date:            12 September 1942     Fort Lewis

Deployments:                Europe

Units:                             E Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne

Rank:                            Captain

Specialisations:             80mm Mortar

Qualifications:              Combat Infantryman Badge

Decorations:                  Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, EAME Campaign Medal with 2 Bronze Arrowheads and 4 Bronze Stars,   Presidential Unit Citation with Oak Leaf Cluster, WWII Victory Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Citation, Legion of Honor, French Fourragere, Belgian Fourrager, Netherlands Orange Lanyard

Discharge Date:            29 November 1945

Other Information:      As a young man, Donald Malarkey served as a volunteer firefighter and was in his first semester at the University of Oregon when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. In 1942 Malarkey was among the earliest soldiers who earned their jump qualification to be a paratrooper in the US Army Infantry. He became a member of "Easy Company,” 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division and was sent to England in 1943.