Counterparts Distinguished Member Colonel (retired) Roger H.C. Donlon (CMOH) passed away on 25 January 2024, five days before his 90th birthday, after a 12-year battle with Agent Orange and Parkinson's Disease. Commissioned from OCS, he served 33 years on active duty as an Infantry officer, Special Forces officer, Advisor, and Foreign Area Officer.
On July 6th, 1964, then-Captain Donlon and his Special Forces Team A-726, along with 60 Chinese Nungs, defended Camp Nam Dong, southwest of Hue, Vietnam, when they were attacked by a force of 900 enemy troops. It was the first battle of the Vietnam War in which regular NVA forces joined with the Viet Cong to try to overrun a remote outpost For his actions at Nam Dong Roger became the first American to be awarded the Medal of Honor in Vietnam.
As a holder of the Medal of Honor, Roger was "protected" by the U.S. Army for a few years, but he insisted that as a soldier his place was with other soldiers fighting in Vietnam. At his insistence he was given a second assignment to Vietnam and in 1972 he was assigned as District Senior Advisor, Binh Dai District, Kien Hoa Province, Advisory Team 88. My district was the first he visited during his incoming orientation swing around the province. We became very close life-long friends. He was injured diving into a bunker during a mortar attack and suffered a detached retina, for which he was medically evacuated, and reassigned to duty in Thailand. Later he was Class Director, U.S. Army Command & General Staff College, and became my boss as well as my friend.
Roger achieved many awards, honors, and accolades during his lifetime, but he was most proud of his two reconciliation projects in Vietnam as his contribution to "heal the wounds of war." I was honored that he asked me to accompany him on his second reconciliation visit, in October 1995, during which we returned to the site of his Nam Dong Special Forces Camp. Our Vietnamese escort officer was about our age, but it took a while for us to work out that he had been the Political Officer for all of northern South Vietnam, a 2-star general, and had commanded the attack on Nam Dong from a nearby mountain. Watching those two old soldiers reminisce about that experience was one of the most memorable times of my life. After clearing the grass around the small tombs of his former soldiers, we were hosted for lunch with about 25 Vietnamese men, all of whom had been Viet Cong and many of whom had fought in the battle. During that lunch, over many beers and many tears, we all realized that we had been professional soldiers and had each done our best, even though we fought on opposite sides during the war.
In retirement Roger Donlon traveled constantly to fulfill invitations to speak to soldiers of all ranks, ROTC students, civic groups, and congressional leaders. In his talks to every audience he spoke of leadership, patriotism, and citizenship, in the process leaving to all memories of a truly great American.
A Celebration of Life for Roger Donlon will be held on 10 April 2024, beginning at 1300 hours at Frontier Conference Center, 350 Biddle Avenue, Fort Leavenworth. Roger will be laid to rest next to the grave of his youngest son Justin at Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery, after an "Arlington-style" funeral.
Roger's family has asked that, in lieu of cards or flowers, please consider a memorial donation to the Gary Sinise Foundation.