Meet Colonel Timothy H. Donovan
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On the afternoon of November 1st, 1969, 1st platoon of Charlie Troop, 10th Cavalry, 4th Infantry Division, was ambushed by North Vietnamese forces. Charlie Troop’s Commander, Captain Timothy H. Donovan (Norwich University class of 1962), instinctively ordered his remaining soldiers to counterattack and simultaneously maneuvered his headquarters element into the heart of the action. As the battle unfolded, a North Vietnamese sniper (waiting patiently in a “spider hole”) managed to squeeze off a round from his AK-47 that would forever change the face of the United States Military.
The bullet entered through the seam of Captain Donovan’s flack jacket, broke several ribs, burst his left lung, and pierced his pulmonary artery before riddling its way down his spinal column and lodging itself in his spleen. A few hours (and several heroes) later, an Army surgeon stood over a bloody M.A.S.H. operating table and declared that it was “too late for this one.” His plans changed when Donovan (with two collapsed lungs) reached up and grabbed him by the throat with his right hand. In that instance, the fate of countless service men and women changed forever.
Contribution
Colonel Timothy H. Donovan (born in Bristol, Connecticut, and thankfully rejected by the United States Coast Guard Academy) is a 1962 graduate of Norwich University. A member of the prestigious Mountain Cold Weather Rescue Team, the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity (back in the day when NU had fraternities), and Kilo Company (an affiliation that, after conducting this interview, I’m convinced he’s most proud of), Colonel Donovan is a mentor and source of inspiration to countless Norwich grads. In addition, he also taught at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, where he trained cadets with last names like Petraeus, McCrystal, and Odierno.
Straight to the chase – Colonel Donovan’s career (and life) should have ended on that table in Viet Nam. Instead, he left indelible marks on the entire military over the next twenty four years. Do you like the M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank? Colonel Donovan’s fingerprints are all over it. Do you have an appreciation for Special Operations Command (SOCOM)? Colonel Donovan, at the behest of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs (with the personal backing of President Ronald Reagan), took it from concept to reality in one year. As a warrior-scholar, he also contributed several chapters to a textbook on the U.S. Civil War (The American Civil War, Avery Press, Wayne, N.J., 1987 T.H. Donovan, et al). Not bad for a soldier with “permanent disabilities.”
Legacy
Colonel D’s father (Timothy H. Donovan, Sr.) served honorably in World War I with the 4th Infantry Division. When he returned, his wife (Mary Donovan), presented him with a hand-sewed replica of the 4th ID Unit Patch as a keepsake. Fifty years later, upon learning of his son’s assignment to the same unit, he blew the dust off of his padlocked foot locker, retrieved the patch (a modest piece of stitching on plain, olive drab cloth) and passed it along to his son (seen on the right, moments before donating it to the 4th Infantry Division Museum). Ironically, and unbeknownst to Colonel Donovan until the formal ceremony, the Norwich class of 1993 would eventually honor him by including the 4th Infantry Division unit patch (his patch) on its ring.
Interview Part I
What follows are the highlights from our recent hour-long phone conversation.
RHM: You once told me about a conversation you had with your South Vietnamese counterpart where he expressed optimism that the war would “be over soon.” But when you pressed him for more information, he replied that “soon” meant another 15 or 20 years. Clearly, many other cultures have more patience than Americans. Do you see any parallels to Viet Nam and the current conflicts in Iraq and especially Afghanistan?
Colonel Donovan: Actually I said to my counterpart, Capt Dung (pronounced Young) in the summer of 1966, “at this rate the war will be over soon.” He answered “yes, in maybe 20 or 30 years,” without a smile; dead serious.
We Americans seem to think that other countries are just like us with a central government elected by the people, etc. In Afghanistan especially, that is far from the reality. That part of the world is tribal and culturally quite different. The ruling framework hasn’t changed in centuries, if not eons. The Afghan tribes aren’t even similar, speaking several languages, and with different mores, customs, and religions. It is an extremely complex region.
Vietnam had many different sects and religions and cultures, but nothing like Afghanistan. For centuries, the Afghans have seen foreign armies come and go. For the US and NATO to prevail, we must recognize that this is going to be slow and deliberate work, one village, one province, one region at a time. It will be done by teaching native people how to have a better way of life; by teaching them how to have security in order to protect their families. It’s more teaching than fighting. I think that the common human denominator (security and pursuit of happiness) is the way to success in Afghanistan. Sounds like a job for lots of SOF (Special Operations Forces) types.
Instead of having lawyers assigned to planning staffs, we need cultural anthropologists.
RHM: Do you think we’re doing enough for our returning veterans when it comes to health care and educational benefits?
Colonel Donovan: I think the new GI Bill will help a great deal. Finding jobs for returning veterans should be a top priority for everyone. The injuries in Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghan) and Operation Iraqi Freedom are different than in other wars. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is more common because of the type of IED’s used. Health care for veterans must be in place and protected. Remember, that in World War II almost 20% of the country was in uniform fighting the enemy, and all at home were in support. If you were too young to join, you were a plane spotter or a bicycle messenger; too old you were an Air Raid Warden or a Civil Defense volunteer. Today, less than 1% of our country is in uniform. We owe them an awful lot.
In Part II of Meet Colonel Timothy H. Donovan, we discussed the fate of the North Vietnamese sniper who shot him, which aspects of national security keep him up at night, and Norwich’s role in the 21st Century. Sign up on the right-hand side if you’d like an email alert once it’s published.
About the Author: Randall H. Miller is an American college educator/blogger. He is also a former U.S. Army officer (82nd Airborne) with a M.A. in Diplomacy (focusing on International Terrorism) and a B.A. in Criminal Justice. Use the form on the right to sign up and receive notifications of new content. The words and ideas expressed here are 100% his own and not those of his employers or affiliated organizations.
dickmill | Nov 29, 2009 | Reply
Great article. Three issues/questions come to mind:
1. “Instead of having lawyers assigned to planning staffs, we need cultural anthropologists.”
Great comment. But…
General McCrystal stated recently that the military needs to practice “humility.” I disagree. A military should defend the country and, in time of war, kill the enemy. If you want be humble in a battle area, send the Peace Corps, or cultural anthropologists, or STATE DEPARTMENT workers (I know, first we’d have to find some with passports.) It’s unfair to our military to train soldiers to defend and kill and then tell them to be humble.
2. “Today, less than 1% of our country is in uniform.”
That’s the main problem with our current wars. There is no shared sacrifice in the country other than for the 1% and their families. The rest of the population goes about its daily business as if there is no war. Congress has recently discussed a tax to pay for the war. I think that would be good at this point. Either the tax payers should get behind the effort (more tax would at least constitute a sacrifice), or we should get out.
3. “at this rate the war will be over soon.” He answered “yes, in maybe 20 or 30 years,”
I give you Afghanistan. Does anyone want to suffer another 20 or 30 years of military obituaries in Afghanistan?
Daniel Williams | Nov 29, 2009 | Reply
The treatment of PTSD in soldiers, especially those involved in current conflicts, is woefully inadequate and borders on malpractice. The best treatment drug, MDMA, is a controlled substance and, therefore, denied to those most in need (whether civilian or military).
Rick Doblin, the founder of MAPS (and a friend of mine), is currently conducting clinical trials in Israel and Switzerland (and soon in Jordan) on the efficacy of MDMA in treating PTSD. The results have been more than encouraging, with a success rate of greater than 75 percent.
Denying such an effective medicine via ideological constructs is heartbreaking. We have a President that professes to favor science over ideology, yet seems to stand in lockstep with ideology regarding MDMA. Such a position by our Commander-in-Chief is not only a dereliction of duty but an insult to the men and women proudly serving our country.
If we can impeach a President over a blowjob, surely we can find cause here to impeach Obama. As an American and a veteran, I consider it my duty to support such an action.
Jon Allen | Nov 30, 2009 | Reply
Great article Randy… should be required reading by all NU cadets.
While serving as Norwich’s Professor of Military Science, Col Donovan started a small group bringing together 12 seniors—from the Marine and Army ROTC programs—to read and discuss a professional military book once a month. He, along with other senior military officers, challenged our thoughts, shared their experiences, and prepared us to become future officers and leaders.
Even today, I still receive articles from Colonel D, where we discuss via email and he still challenges my assertions and opinions. Many of those who have had the privilege of knowing and staying in contact with him will all agree that his mentorship has carried over throughout the years. He still regards us as “his kids/ his cadets”.
What’s important to remember is that he not only has affected the lives of our senior military officers leading the war in Afghanistan and Iraq—there are a number brigade and battalion commanders; countless leaders in government and business; teachers; doctors; nurses; lawyers; investment bankers; significant others; husbands; wives; and parents who can thank Colonel Donovan for making us perhaps better than we were when we arrived at Norwich one hot August morning.
BobIrving | Dec 1, 2009 | Reply
Great article, Randy. Colonel Donovan sounds like he ranks right up there with one of my own heroes. Colonel John Boyd, USAF, rewrote the manual on air-to-air combat and championed fly-by-wire control systems to enable development of the F-16.