Donald Laurence Choura

Donald L Choura was born in Cleveland, Ohio to Mary Ann (Zagar) and Laurence Joseph Choura. He recalled his childhood as an active one, with frequent trips to the emergency room following his many misadventures. He and his sister Honey shared their parents love of classical dancing and spent many evenings in the ballroom. Don and Honey even appeared on American Bandstand in the 1950's.

Don's adventurous spirit led him to join the US Army on November 24, 1959. After completing Airborne training at Fort Bragg in 1960, he served as a parachute rigger. In 1962, he was stationed at Fort Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska where he earned his first Army Commendation Medal. Missions included several airdrops to the North Pole and serving as a test subject during the development of techniques for parachuting personnel equipped with skis from high performance aircraft, becoming one of the first soldiers to parachute in this manner. He also was present for the March 27, 1964 Good Friday earthquake in Alaska.

Don became interested in sport parachuting and began actively to participate in competitive events in 1962. He was the first member of the active armed forces to hold a Bob Boquor Memorial Star Crest (#27). Sky Diver Magazine referred to the holders of the Star Crest as the "most exclusive club in sport parachuting." He later became rated as a master parachute rigger by the Federal Aviation Administration and was a technical writer for Parachutist magazine.

Don began his first tour of duty in Vietnam in June 1965 with the 383rd Aerial Delivery Detachment. He was stationed at a small coastal village, Qui Nhon, and later at Ton Son Nhut near Saigon. His unit provided support to combat infantry by recovering parachutes and other equipment that had been left behind at drop sites, often behind enemy lines. They also made a lot of night patrols, securing the facilities and air fields from infiltration by the enemy.

Following his tour in Vietnam, Don was assigned to the US Army Recruiting Command in Los Angeles from 1966 to 1969 where he served as Recruiter for prospective enlistees and Career Counselor for current personnel and as liaison to the public, including speaking to high school, college and business groups about the US Army in general and specific opportunities in Army careers.

Recalling how well the pilots were treated compared to the enlisted men in Vietnam, Don applied to flight school and graduated as a Warrant Officer in 1970. He was assigned to the 11th Armored Calvary Regiment as a rotary wing pilot. He completed two more tours in Vietnam as a Cobra attack helicopter pilot in the early 1970's. During this time, Don earned 39 Air Medals and another Army Commendation Medal.

In 1972, Don became one of an experimental group of 12 officers from the 155th Aviation Company, attached to the Combat Development Experimentation Command (CDEC) at Fort Ord, Monterrey, California, participating in a low-altitude night flying training program at CDEC's field laboratory at Hunter Liggett Military Reservation. Don received another Army Commendation Medal for this work in 1976. Two of his teammates, Craig Stiff and Randy Dyer, have remained good friends through the years.

Because of his extensive background with CDEC, the US Army Avionics Lab in New Jersey requested that Don be reassigned there in March 1974 where he participated in several avionics research projects. In June 1975, he returned to Fort Ord where he spent the remainder of his military career involved in the testing and evaluation of night vision, navigation, and weapons systems along with the development and validation of training programs for these systems. He was certified as a Cobra instructor pilot in 1975.

For his years as an Army aviator, Don was awarded a Meritorious Service Medal for his service from 1969 to 1979.

After retiring from the US Army on December 31, 1979, Don moved to Portland, Oregon, to study electrical engineering at Portland State University. He held various positions over the next two decades, including private security operations manager and skydiving instructor, retiring in 2006 as a senior computer technician at the City of Portland.

In 1985, Don met Carolyn Williams at work and their friendship later blossomed into a romance that endured for more than three decades. After sharing a life for 13 years, they were married on January 20, 2001. Even through some very difficult times, they remained loyal best friends and partners in crime. Don and Carolyn were huge Seattle Seahawks fans and were thrilled to watch them win the Super Bowl in 2014. They also never missed an episode of Dancing with the Stars. Though Don and Carolyn never had children, they shared their lives with numerous cats and were strong supporters of the Oregon Humane Society. In his final days, Don told one of his caregivers that Carolyn was "the light of my life." Don was previously married to Rosemary McVetta and Sherren Guthrie.

Retirement allowed Don time to indulge in his many interests and hobbies. He resumed sport parachuting for several years until a broken ankle put an end to any more hard landings. He spent several years participating in practical pistol matches, a skill he had learned from his father and from his military service. He also enjoyed reunions with his former Army comrades from the 383rd and 155th.

In 2004, Don fulfilled a long time dream of owning a replica 1964 Shelby Cobra sports car. Don and Carolyn spent many exciting and relaxing vacations on road trips with Cobra car clubs in Oregon, Colorado and California. Their favorite destinations were Lake Tahoe, Taos, New Mexico and Durango, Colorado. Don also delighted in showing Carolyn around his old stomping grounds in the Monterrey, California area. They especially enjoyed many fine restaurants, including Anton & Michel in Carmel and Nepenthe in Big Sur.

As members of the Cascade Cobra Club, Don and Carolyn met many wonderful fellow Cobra lovers and Don was recognized for his talents in mapping and leading runs throughout Oregon and Washington. In December 2015, their friends from the club named Don their "Cruz Commander" and thanked him "for all your hard work in leading us to destinations, never losing us in our travels and if we ever break down, you are the first to roll up your sleeves and lend a hand to get us up and running again."

In the last few years, Don had become very interested in collecting, crafting and refurbishing switchblade knives. He has nearly 200 knives in his collection, most in pristine condition. Carolyn was surprised to find the knife shows so fascinating.

Don is survived by his wife Carolyn Williams of Portland, Oregon; niece Michelle Otthofer of Alexandria, Virginia; niece Laura Casselli of Denver, Colorado; nephew Michael Casselli of Yellow Springs, Ohio; grandnephew Michael Casselli of Denver, Colorado; grandnephew Patrick Otthofer of Alexandria, Virginia; and stepson Christoper Guthrie of Oregon City, Oregon. He was preceded in death by his parents and sister Ruth "Honey" Archer.

Remembrances to the Oregon Humane Society.