John W. Donaldson Explained

John W. Donaldson
Birth Date:7 February 1924
Allegiance:United States of America
Branch:United States Army
Rank:Brigadier General
Commands:11th Infantry Brigade, 23rd Infantry Division
Battles:World War II
Korean War
Vietnam War
Relations:John Owen Donaldson (uncle)

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.

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.[1] The charges against Donaldson were dropped for lack of evidence.[2]

Donaldson later retired from the Army in good standing and died on August 13, 2008, at the age of 84.[3]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 1971 Command History Volume II. https://web.archive.org/web/20190711170223/https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a955421.pdf. live. July 11, 2019. United States Military Assistance Command Vietnam. J-21. 18 January 2015.
  2. Book: Uhl, Michael. Vietnam Awakening: My Journey from Combat to the Citizens' Commission of Inquiry on U.S. War Crimes in Vietnam. McFarland. 2007. 9780786482924. 229.
  3. Web site: Memorial . 2015-08-13 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150813205017/https://apps.westpointaog.org/Memorials/Article/14128/ . 2015-08-13 .