Donn's Last Mission

A Navy commander came to school recently to talk to the students about Memorial Day. He honored Donn and another soldier who was a Medal of Honor recipient. This Navy commander had looked in DOD files and learned much about Donn’s last mission. Here is what he found: Donn volunteered to lead a four-man team to help the South Vietnamese army who had gone into enemy territory and had walked into NVA fire. The SV were being slaughtered. They called the Americans to try to get help. They needed air support. Donn and his team volunteered. They were dropped by helicopter into enemy territory, taking heavy fire as soon as the helicopter was spotted, because the NVA knew exactly what it was and who would be on it. The four were dropped to the ground, still under massive fire, and Donn began calling in air strikes. This was difficult and precise work that had to be carefully done because the air strikes had to hit the NVA, not the South Vietnamese or the Americans. At least one air strike made it in, and Donn stayed to adjust air fire. That is when he was hit. Scores of SVA were saved as the air strike had driven the NVA back a bit.

The Navy commander said they could have been in North Vietnam, Laos, or Cambodia. We weren’t supposed to be in any of those places, of course, so the Army lists his death in a South VN province.

So, some things are cleared up now as to his genuine heroism and the real reason for the Silver Star.

The Navy commander volunteers at the Wall at least once a month and always on Memorial Day. He laid letters from some of our students and a copy of the book at the Wall. Those materials will go into the warehouse where all Wall things wait for the completion of the Vietnam education center, which is being built next to the Wall.