RANGERS 2 Donahue, John Thomas

[John Robertson]

• SURNAME

Donahue ​

• FORENAME

John Thomas ​

• UNIT

Company L (Ranger),75th Infantry ​

• RANK

Sergeant ​

• NUMBER

474524105 ​

• DATE OF DEATH

22nd May 1970 ​

• AGE

21 ​

• GRAVESITE

Gethsemane Cemetery, New Hope, Hennepin County, Minnesota, USA ​

• ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

from Minneapolis,Minnesota​

born 11.4.1949​

single​

promoted Staff Sgt posthumously​

KIA Quang Tin Province,South Vietnam​

Vietnam Veterans Memorial,Washington,D.C. Panel 10W Line 79 ​

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The following information, stories and comments below were taken from the historic book “THE FACES BEHIND THE NAMES - The Vietnam War”.​

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John Thomas Donahue​

Army Staff Sergeant​

Born: April 11, 1949​

Died: May 22, 1970​

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John Thomas Donahue was born April 11, 1949 to John Bowe Donahue and Marie Evelyn Friendshuh Donahue in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was the fifth of eight children. John quickly learned to hold his own among this crew with his wit, smile and great sense of humor. Wherever he was, there were friends and laughter. John could exploit the humorous side of any situation. He had a serious, down-to-earth love for family, friends, state and country. Most of John’s training took place in the South but he spoke often of wanting to be in Minnesota where winters were cold and snowy for skiing, and summers glorious for exploring the northern wilderness.​

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We had a limited number of pets, but we always had a cat. John named his favorite cat “Wolfie,” and had many crazy moments training this cat to jump, each time a little higher, until it jumped from the floor to above his head, which was about 6’2”.​

Exploring the woods and banks of the Mississippi in North Minneapolis with brother Mike and friends Bruce Mozey, Greg Olson, Mike Ryan, Joe Kraska and Curtis Nyberg, prepared John for his Army training.​

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John attended St. Bridget Elementary School and De La Salle High school, and graduated from Patrick Henry High School in North Minneapolis in 1967. He enlisted that summer and went to Fort Leonard Wood for training, then advanced to training for Special Forces in April 1968. He went to Fort Benning, Georgia; Mt. McKinley, Alaska; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; and Fort Devens, Massachusetts. John specialized in engineering and demolition. He went to Vietnam in September, 1969.​

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SP5 John T. Donahue was killed in action in Vietnam on May 22, 1970. He was promoted posthumously to grade SSG E-6 AUS. Prior to death, John had been awarded the Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, Parachutist Badge, Expert Badge with automatic rifle bar, Sharpshooter Badge with pistol bar and the Marksmanship Badge with rifle bar. The Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Good Conduct Medal were awarded posthumously.​

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I quote from one of his awards, the Army Commendation Medal, “Through diligence and determination he invariably accomplished every task with dispatch and efficiency. His unrelenting loyalty, initiative and perseverance brought him wide acclaim and inspired others to strive for maximum achievement.” ​