Roll of Honor
Donald Herman Heitkamp
Incident
Senior Airman Donald Heitkamp, Airman First Class Barry Holmes, Staff Sergeant Charles Huskey, and their two pilots were killed when their UH-1 helicopter crashed shortly after 3:00 pm, near Bear Butte State Park, South Dakota.
They were providing security for a missile maintenance movement for a convoy from Ellsworth AFB to Opal when the accident occurred. An additional Security Policeman who was participating in the security of the convoy was the only sole survivor of the crash.
Senior Airman Heitkamp served with the United States Air Force Security Forces for less than three and a half years and was assigned to the 45th Missle Security Squadron.
Yesterday was Memorial Day--26 May 2025. I remembered and reflected on Donny Heitkamp, my friend, my roommate, my fellow Security Policeman assigned to the 45th MSS. Me, Donny and several other SPs lived together in house we rented in downtown Rapid City. Donny was a crazy Cowboy fan and I was a Redskins fan, man we have some fun Sunday/Monday night football games. I had PCSed to Wueschheim, GE before the accident, but I heard the news through the SP community. Donny was an awesome friend and roommate even though he drank cheap beer and added saltine crackers to our hamburger helper dish to make more to feed more. I had heard rumors that Donny was somehow instrumental in saving A1C Latania D. Huguley, but only her knows the truth, but if true, which I can believe because he was that kind of guy. I truly miss him.
Retired SMSgt Jerome D. (JD) Headrick Roommate, Friend, Fellow SP, and Airman May 27th, 2025
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-FED-D832FD12- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Senior Airman Heitkamp gave the United States Air Force Security Forces 3 years.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Donald Herman Heitkamp served in the Other (1983â1986) before joining law enforcement.
Senior Airman Donald Herman Heitkamp is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In TX, 653 of 2,421 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 27% of this state's fallen. That is 4 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At United States Air Force Security Forces, 28 of 41 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 68.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Donald Herman Heitkamp's cause is highlighted.
How Donald Herman Heitkamp Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Donald Herman Heitkamp is highlighted in May.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
40 officers from United States Air Force Security Forces are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
