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David Milton Coulter

David Milton Coulter

April 22, 2026

headshot photo of David Milton Coulter

Rank: 2nd Lieutenant
Branch: Army Air Corps
UT Major/Affiliation: Engineering – 1943
Hometown: Knoxville, TN

  • March 6, 1921 – Jan. 14, 1945
    • Knoxville High School Graduate
  • Engineering – 1943
  • 2nd Lt. Army Air Corps
    • Flight Engineer
  • 870th Bomb Sq, 497th Bomb Grp. B-29 Flight Engineer. KIA/Lost at sea during a bombing run to Japan.
    • The target was a Mitsubishi Aircraft Factory in Nagoya
    • Returning to the station at Saipan
  • Woodlawn Cemetery in Knoxville, Tennessee
    • Honolulu Memorial Cemetery in Honolulu, Hawaii

David Milton Coulter (March 6, 1921 – Jan. 14, 1945) was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, and graduated from Knoxville High School. He graduated from the University of Tennessee with a degree in Engineering in 1943. He immediately enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps upon graduation. He was trained as a flight engineer on board a B-29 crew and commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant. He was deployed to the Pacific Theater with the 870th Bomb Squadron of the 497th Bomber Group. The 870th was stationed at Saipan at the beginning of 1945 and was conducting heavy bombing operations on mainland Japan. 2nd Lt. David M. Coulter was reported missing in action on January 14, 1945, when his B-29 failed to return after a bombing mission targeting a Mitsubishi Aircraft Factory in Nagoya, Japan. It was reported that his B-29 was heavily damaged by Japanese fighter aircraft and went down in the Pacific Ocean on the return flight. After months of searching, 2nd Lt. Coulter was later declared killed in action. He is memorialized at the Honolulu Memorial Cemetery in Honolulu, Hawaii, and at Woodlawn Cemetery in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Back to Veterans Memorial Page

Coulter crew photo.
Coulter obituary.
Coulter missing aircrew report map location
Coulter missing aircrew report.
Coulter gravestone
Coulter draft card

Tennesseans and War

College of Arts and Sciences

217 Hoskins Library
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Knoxville, TN 37996 – 4008

Email: cmagra@utk.edu

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Knoxville, Tennessee 37996
865-974-1000

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