A U.S. Army captain who was the first Vietnam War veteran to receive the military's highest honor died Thursday at the age of 89 in northeastern Kansas, The Washington Post reported.
Capt. Roger Donlon, who died in Leavenworth, had Parkinson's disease related to exposure to the toxic military herbicide Agent Orange, Donlon's second wife, Norma Shinno Donlon, said. report.
Captain Dong Long reportedly became the first Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipient for his role in defending Camp Nam Dong, a South Vietnamese military outpost on the Vietnam-Laos border, from rampaging communist Viet Cong forces in 1964. It is being
The report stated that in the early morning hours of July 6, 1964, a force of over 800 Viet Cong guerrillas attacked Nam Dong with a barrage of mortars, grenades, and machine guns. Captain Donlon was the commander of the 12-man U.S. Special Forces Team A-726 at the time. Special forces defended the base with 300 South Vietnamese troops and Australian military advisors.
As the attack intensified and the Viet Cong demanded that the base be surrendered or taken over, Captain Donlon rendered emergency aid to a wounded fellow soldier, using the edge of his shirt and one of his socks as a bandage or tourniquet, and at the same time Eliminated enemy fighters. . Heavy fire forced a U.S. military helicopter attempting to bring in reinforcements to retreat. Supporters broke through at dawn with airstrikes that destroyed Viet Cong positions. At least 57 South Vietnamese soldiers, two American soldiers, an Australian military advisor, and more than 60 Viet Cong guerrillas were killed in the fighting. Captain Donlon was wounded three times, but survived a direct mortar hit. (Related: McCain recalls everything from Arizona freeway overpass to fateful crash site in Vietnam)
Captain Roger Donlon, who has died at the age of 89, was wounded four times and became the first Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipient for his defense of Nam Dong. “The casualties of war are not limited to the battlefield,” he said in a 2022 interview. https://t.co/j8evi4hsle
— Washington Post (@washingtonpost) January 27, 2024
His retina was severely injured in combat during his second tour of duty in Vietnam in 1972. With the rise of the anti-war movement, he returned to the United States and served as a training officer and advisor before retiring as a colonel in 1988.
Captain Donlon recalled the Battle of Nam Don in his 1965 book. outpost of freedomand his 1998 memoir, Beyond Namdong.
Captain Donlon was born on January 30, 1934 in Saugerties, New York, and initially trained to become an Air Force pilot, but retired after failing a vision test. He then joined the Army in 1958.
With Captain Donlon's death, there are now 63 living Medal of Honor recipients.
