John W. Donaldson (1924–2008) was a brigadier general in the United States Army. He served in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
John W. Donaldson | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 7, 1924 |
| Died | August 13, 2008 (aged 84) |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service | United States Army |
| Rank | Brigadier General |
| Commands | 11th Infantry Brigade, 23rd Infantry Division |
| Battles / wars | World War II Korean War Vietnam War |
| Relations | John Owen Donaldson (uncle) |
In the wake of the My Lai massacre conducted by units under the 11th Infantry Brigade that he commanded, Donaldson was criticized by several subordinates privately, including a letter sent by a Specialist Tom Glenn in November 1968 to William Westmoreland alleging that routine war crimes were standard operating procedures under Donaldson.[1]
On 2 June 1971, Donaldson was charged with the murder of six South Vietnamese civilians during operations in November 1968-January 1969 while conducting aerial reconnaissance in Quảng Ngãi Province. A colonel at the time of the alleged crimes, he was the first U.S. general charged with war crimes since General Jacob H. Smith in 1902 and the highest ranking American to be accused of war crimes during the Vietnam War.[2] Helicopter pilots had alleged that Donaldson routinely fired upon civilians. According to a senior Army investigator for the Donaldson case, "they [Colonel Donaldson] used to bet in the morning how many people they could kill – old people, civilians, it didn’t matter," the investigator said. "Some of the stuff would curl your hair."[3] The charges against Donaldson were dropped for lack of evidence.[4]
Donaldson later retired from the Army in good standing and died on August 13, 2008, at the age of 84.[5]
References
edit- ^ Barrett, Claire (2021-10-18). "Colin Powell: The Vietnam War Years". HistoryNet. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
- ^ "1971 Command History Volume II" (PDF). United States Military Assistance Command Vietnam. p. J-21. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 11, 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ^ "Colin Powell Skates Free on Torture". In These Times. 2009-05-26. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
- ^ Uhl, Michael (2007). Vietnam Awakening: My Journey from Combat to the Citizens' Commission of Inquiry on U.S. War Crimes in Vietnam. McFarland. p. 229. ISBN 9780786482924.
- ^ "Memorial". Archived from the original on 2015-08-13. Retrieved 2015-08-13.