Donald Grigsby was born on April 17, 1947, in Bulan, Kentucky. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on June 20, 1967, and completed basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, in August 1967. Pvt Grigsby next attended Army Seaman training at Fort Eustis, Virginia, from August to November 1967, followed by service as a landing craft crewman with the 5th Transportation Company in South Vietnam from December 1967 until he was captured in Cambodia and taken as a Prisoner of War while serving aboard the landing craft LCU-1577 on July 17, 1968. After spending 156 days in captivity, SP4 Grigsby was released by his Cambodian captors on December 19, 1968. He was briefly hospitalized to recover from his injuries at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and then left active duty on January 20, 1969, receiving his honorable discharge from the Army Reserve on May 22, 1973. Donald Grigsby died on May 24, 2007, and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

The Soldier's Creed:

I am an American Soldier.

I am a warrior and a member of a team.

I serve the people of the United States, and live the Army Values.

I will always place the mission first.

I will never accept defeat.

I will never quit.

I will never leave a fallen comrade.

I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills.

I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself.

I am an expert and I am a professional.

I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy, the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.

I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.

I am an American Soldier.