Don Holleder was born on August 3, 1934, in Buffalo, New York. He entered the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1952 and was commissioned a 2Lt of Infantry in the U.S. Army on June 1, 1956. After completing advanced infantry training and airborne school, Holleder served with 2nd Battalion of the 21st Infantry Regiment in Hawaii from June 1957 to June 1959. He then served a tour as an instructor at West Point from July 1959 to July 1962. From August 1962 to July 1963, Holleder was stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia, where he completed additional training, including graduating from Ranger School. He served with 1st Battalion of the 31st Infantry Regiment in South Korea from August 1963 to August 1964. Holleder next served as Aide de Camp to the Commanding General of U.S. Continental Army Command at Fort Monroe, Virginia, from August 1964 to July 1966. He attending Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, from July 1966 to June 1967, and was then sent to Southeast Asia. Maj Holleder served with the 1st Infantry Division in the Republic of Vietnam and was killed in action on October 17, 1967. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

His Distinguished Service Cross Citation reads:

For extraordinary heroism in action. On 17 October 1967, during Operation Shenandoah II, Major Holleder was serving as Brigade Operations Officer while accompanying his Brigade Commander in the aerial supervision of ground elements. At approximately 1100 hours, the 2d Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, became heavily engaged with elements of two Viet Cong battalions. The fire of the well positioned enemy caused a loss of key personnel, thereby reducing the effectiveness of the friendly unit. The Brigade Commander elected to command the embattled battalion from the ground and landed his helicopter. They then moved forward to reestablish effective command and control of the unit. With complete disregard for his personal safety, Major Holleder braved the vicious enemy fire to move through the ranks of the fighting and wounded soldiers, offering them words of encouragement and helping to establish orderly evacuation for the casualties. When the intense sniper fire impeded the evacuation of the wounded, Major Holleder unhesitatingly moved forward to reconnoiter the evacuation route. He refused to take or seek cover from the deadly volleys of insurgent sniper fire and continued to assess the enemy situation until he was mortally wounded by the heavy ground fire. His tremendous courage and poise in the face of overwhelming odds had a stabilizing effect on his men and was instrumental in saving many lives. Major Holleder's unquestionable valor in close combat against numerically superior hostile forces, was in keeping with the finest traditions of the Military Service and reflects great credit upon himself, the 1st Infantry Division, and the United States Army.