| Donald Sloat | |
| Birth Place: | Coweta, Oklahoma |
| Death Place: | Que Son Valley, Quang Nam Province, South Vietnam |
| Placeofburial: | Vernon Cemetery, Coweta, Oklahoma |
| Allegiance: | United States of America |
| Branch: | United States Army |
| Serviceyears: | 1969–1970 |
| Rank: | Specialist |
| Unit: | 3rd Platoon, Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 196th Light Infantry Brigade, Americal Division |
| Battles: | Vietnam War |
| Battles Label: | Wars |
| Awards: | Medal of Honor Bronze Star Medal Purple Heart |
Donald Paul Sloat (February 6, 1949 – January 17, 1970) was a United States Army soldier and a posthumous recipient of the Medal of Honor, the military's highest decoration for his actions in the Vietnam War.[1]
Donald Sloat was born to Ezra Paul Sloat and his wife, Beatrice Evelyn Turnbow, in Coweta, Oklahoma, where he lived most of his life.[2] He graduated from Coweta High School in 1967. He then attended Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College in Miami, Oklahoma.
He enlisted in the U.S. Army on March 19, 1969. After finishing basic training at Fort Polk, Louisiana, he shipped out to South Vietnam in September, 1969. By then, he was a machine gunner in the 3rd Platoon, Company D, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 196th Light Infantry Brigade, 23rd Infantry Division (Americal Division).[3]
Sloat earned the following awards and decorations:[1]
| Combat Infantry Badge | |||
| Medal of Honor | Bronze Star Medal w/ V device | Purple Heart | |
| Army Commendation Medal w/ V device | Army Good Conduct Medal | National Defense Service Medal | |
| Vietnam Service Medal w/2 campaign stars | Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm Device | Vietnam Campaign Medal | |
From 2002, the U.S. Army reviewed all 6,500 recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross to see if any recipients had been short-changed; this led to two dozen medal upgrades in March 2014.[4] In 2013, as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014, the Senate Armed Service Committee passed a provision removing the time limit for Donald P. Sloat and Bennie G. Adkins.[5] On September 15, 2014, President Obama awarded the Medal of Honor to Adkins as an upgrade of his 1967 Distinguished Service Cross. During that ceremony, the Medal of Honor was awarded posthumously to Sloat and American Civil War army officer Alonzo Cushing.[6] President Barack Obama presented the medal to Donald's brother, Bill Sloat (now deceased), in a ceremony at the East Room of the White House.
Rank and organization: Specialist Four, United States Army, 3rd Platoon, Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 196th Light Infantry Brigade, Americal Division.
Place and date: Que Son Valley, Quảng Nam Province, Republic of Vietnam, January 17, 1970
Entered service at: Coweta, Oklahoma
February 6, 2017, was declared as Specialist Donald P. Sloat Medal of Honor Day in Coweta. The remainder of Sloat's family had decided to donate the Medal of Honor, along with many other military decorations, to Robert Morton, mayor of the city of Coweta, for display. The medals will be permanently displayed at Coweta City Hall.[7]