Colonel Roger H.C. Donlon, USA (Ret)

On the night of July 5, 1964, then-Captain Roger Donlon and his twelve-member special forces Team A-726 were stationed at Camp Nam Dong, located a few miles from the Laotian border. Also stationed at Camp Nam Dong were 311 South Vietnamese irregulars and 60 ethnic Chinese fiercely opposed to the Communists.
Donlon had advised his men to “button-up tight” because he could feel that the Vietcong were coming. As he finished his patrol around 2:00 AM on the morning of the 6th, all was quiet, and he wondered if he had been wrong about the impending attack. But such was not the case, as a reinforced Vietcong battalion of nearly 900 men prepared to launch an attack on Camp Nam Dong.

As Captain Donlon entered the camp’s mess hall, a mortar exploded on the roof, knocking him down. Regaining his senses, he marshaled his forces and ordered much needed ammunition be evacuated from a burning building. Donlon then dashed through a hail of bullets and hand grenades to block a breach of the camp’s main gate. En route, he encountered a three-man enemy demolition team with dynamite strapped to their backs, and quickly eliminated them.

Learning that enemy fighters were near the ammunition bunker, Donlon ran there to assist its defense. As he neared the bunker, he was severely wounded in his arm and stomach by another mortar blast. Quickly tearing off a piece of his shirt, he stuffed it in his stomach wound to slow the bleeding.

Throughout the remainder of the five-hour battle, Captain Donlon moved from position to position throughout the battle space, bringing his men supplies and ammunition, treating their wounds, and encouraging them to fight on. Despite sustaining several more wounds, Donlon refused to quit, leading the defense of the camp until he was nearly completely exhausted.

At dawn, the defeated enemy forces retreated into the jungle. Though the enemy had been driven back, 55 men, including two Americans, from Captain Donlon’s vastly outnumbered force were killed, and another 65 were wounded. Donlon immediately reorganized his men and administered aid to the injured.

For his valor during this battle, Captain Roger Donlon was awarded the Medal of Honor at the White House on December 5, 1964, with all nine remaining men of Team A-726 in attendance. As President Johnson hung the Medal around his neck, he pointed to them and said, “This Medal belongs to them, too.”

238 men would be awarded the Medal of Honor for their heroism during the Vietnam War. Captain, now Colonel, Roger Donlon was the first. He is also the first member of the Special Forces ever to receive the award. In the years since, he has continued to selflessly give of himself, speaking to countless numbers of schools and veterans groups, making them aware of the sacrifices made by so many American service members to protect our freedoms.
For his extraordinary heroism and selflessness during combat, and the dedication to his country that he has displayed since, the American Veterans Center is proud to present Colonel Roger H. C. Donlon the 2009 Joe Ronnie Hooper Award.