D. MICHAEL HILLEGAS, LTJG, USN
D. Michael Hillegas '94
Lucky Bag
From the 1994 Lucky Bag:
Donald Michael Hillegas
Mission Viejo, California
I-Day + 1- Puke lately? Shaggy, boogar, lurch, Drillegas watch out for that left by albilge(Didn’t learn anything in plebe boxing eh). Where were you for plebe and youngster year anyway? You certainly earned your reputation by being so hard on the plebes. Speaking of plebes what about detail( Hillegas the human bullhorn)? Mr. Domingo. The chill factor increases exponentially from p%$#k to push-over. Not a good idea to total the CC’s brand new cherokee. April 22, 1993 the rebirth of the SHAG. AAAAH! MMMMM! BEER! Killians’ I can’t feel my face. Hey, wanna go to UD. BANG! BANG! Bubba drink you under; hey pay for your food when you leave, 10:00 Mike’s done. Service Selection Night-Hillegas, Samsonite, Luggage, One ea. Don't puke on any more cars. The GREAT HUNCH, SHAGGY SHUFFLE. Would your look at that MEAT G.
(GUS,RUCH,SLOPP,YODES))
Donald Michael Hillegas
Mission Viejo, California
I-Day + 1- Puke lately? Shaggy, boogar, lurch, Drillegas watch out for that left by albilge(Didn’t learn anything in plebe boxing eh). Where were you for plebe and youngster year anyway? You certainly earned your reputation by being so hard on the plebes. Speaking of plebes what about detail( Hillegas the human bullhorn)? Mr. Domingo. The chill factor increases exponentially from p%$#k to push-over. Not a good idea to total the CC’s brand new cherokee. April 22, 1993 the rebirth of the SHAG. AAAAH! MMMMM! BEER! Killians’ I can’t feel my face. Hey, wanna go to UD. BANG! BANG! Bubba drink you under; hey pay for your food when you leave, 10:00 Mike’s done. Service Selection Night-Hillegas, Samsonite, Luggage, One ea. Don't puke on any more cars. The GREAT HUNCH, SHAGGY SHUFFLE. Would your look at that MEAT G.
(GUS,RUCH,SLOPP,YODES))
Loss
From the AP News Archive on March 7, 1998:
CRESTLINE, Calif. (AP) _ A Navy crew on Saturday retrieved the bodies of five people aboard a helicopter that crashed in the snow-packed San Bernardino Mountains.
The SH-60B Seahawk was on a training mission from North Island Naval Air Station in San Diego to Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas when it vanished from radar screens Friday afternoon, said Navy Lt. j.g. Charlie Brown. All aboard were killed.
The Navy identified them as: Lt. Kelly E. Mackey, 30, of San Jose, Calif.; Lt. John Lee, 28, of Oceanside, N.Y.; Lt. j.g. Kent E. Koontz, 29, of Nashville, Tenn.; Lt. Donald M. Hillegas, 25, of Raleigh, N.C., and Daniel R. Garber, a 24-year-old aviation anti-submarine warfare operator third class from Perry, Iowa.
The Navy ground team battled blustery wind, thick woods and steep, icy terrain Saturday to bring the bodies down to the nearest road.
Civilian authorities said the pilot had reported icy rotor blades shortly before he went down in fog. "We talked to him at 1,500 feet above ground and the aircraft was in control and not disabled," controller Michael Harne told The Press-Enterprise in Riverside. "He said, 'We are taking on ice' and he was going to descend. There was no panic."
Searchers combed canyons and mountaintops for five hours before finding the wreck on 5,000-foot Monument Peak southwest of Lake Silverwood, about 60 miles east of Los Angeles. A U.S. Customs helicopter using night vision gear spotted the helicopter, said Cindy Beavers, spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County sheriff.
The chopper was assigned to Helicopter Anti-submarine Squadron Light-47. Besides submarine hunting, the Seahawks are used for reconnaissance and search duties.
From Ibiblio.org:
SH-60B "Seahawk" of Light Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron 47 crashed during a flight from its home base at Naval Air Station North Island, California. The five occupants: LT Kelly Mackey, LT John Lee, LTJG Donald Hillegas, LTJG Kent Koontz, and AW3 Daniel Garber, were killed. 6 Mar. 1998.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
Graduated 1990 from Moorestown High School. Football, Soccer, Tennis, Basketball, Student Association, Latin Club, Track. The Stank Master! GO NAVY!! Chili’s M-Town Connection. D.H., M.H., M.C., P.G./THE SILVER WOLF Belgarion Rules The West. The Child of Light/the Will and the Word D-Man and strawberries. LITTLE BUCK! Naval Aviation. U.S.S. Enterprise. USNA Class of ’94 jb, mh (?) th (?) bh (?).
Michael was survived by his parents, Donald and Nancy Hillegas, sister Julie Unger, and grandparents David and Eleanor Hillegas and Robert and Margaret Ferris.
Memorial
Moorestown High School (Moorestown, NJ) has a memorial honoring the veterans, including Michael, amongst its alumni. He is buried in Martha's Vineyard, MA.
Photographs
"Mike Hillegas gets ready to pass the ball to a teammate." From his high school yearbook.
From his high school yearbook.
Related Articles
Kelly Mackey '90 was also lost in this crash.
Michael is one of 7 members of the Class of 1994 on Virtual Memorial Hall.
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
