Donovan, Leroy Melvin, SFC

This Soldier has an (IMO) In Memory Of Headstone in Cory Cemetery, Cory, or Colorado. 

Casualty Occurrence: POSTED ON 5.31.2014, POSTED BY WKILLIAN@SMJUHSD.ORG, FINAL MISSION OF SFC LEROY M. DONOVAN,The O-1 "Bird Dog" was used extensively in the early years of the war in Vietnam by forward air controllers and provided low, close visual reconnaissance and target marking which enabled armed aircraft or ground troops to close in on a target. The Bird Dog was feared by the enemy, because he knew that opening fire would expose his location and invite attack by fighter planes controlled by the slowly circling Bird Dog. The Vietnamese became bold, however, when they felt their position was compromised and attacked the little Bird Dog with a vengeance in order to lessen the accuracy of the impending air strike. On May 19, 1965, O-1 pilot CWO Rickard K. Harper was assigned an aerial reconnaissance mission over South Vietnam. His observer was SFC Leroy M. Donovan.

The aircraft, assigned to Headquarters, MACV, departed Holloway Airfield at about 1300 hours. At 1700 hours the aircraft was an hour overdue. A check was made with airfields where the plane could have landed along its flight path, with negative results. A search was initiated in and around Camp Holloway, and along the route the aircraft was to take. Searches continued until May 25, but no sign of the aircraft or crew was found. Loss location is estimated to be in Binh Dinh Province, near the border of Kontum Province. Radio Hanoi broadcast on May 28 that the Viet Cong had shot down an O-1F aircraft on May 18, which may or may not correlate to this aircraft because of the date discrepancy. Nothing was ever found of the crew or plane, and no further indication that the crew had been captured was ever found. [Narrative taken from pownetwork.org; image from wikipedia.org].

Leroy Melvin Donovan went MIA on May 19, 1965 and that was later ruled KIA when his plane, a O1 Bird Dog, was shot down over South Vietnam. He and another soldier, CWO Richard K. Harper, were aboard the Bird Dog when it was shot down. It was only a few years ago that the U.S. was allowed to go into the area that they presume the plane had landed. All they found were a few pieces of plane, and nothing else. Jeanie Donovan, wife of Leroy Donovan, raised their 5 children alone.

05 Feb 2007, I adopted SFC Donovan on 20 Aug 2005, with the intention of reminding people he is still there, and we have the responsibility of bringing him home. From a fellow veteran, Jack R. Phares Jr., 7811 Kenwood Street, Commerce City, Co 80022.

On 19 May 1965, two men departed Holloway Airfield, Pleiku, on a visual reconnaissance flight. Both men were assigned to Headquarters, MACV; the pilot was Chief Warrant Officer Richard K. Harper of Burlington, MA, and his observer was SFC Leroy M. Donovan of Cedaredge, CO.They simply disappeared. Searches along their planned route failed to locate the aircraft or its crew, and both men were classed as missing. A year later, an Army review board recommended they be reclassed as killed in action, body not recovered, a recommendation accepted by the Secretary of the Army. Their legal dates of death are 20 May 1966, a year and a day after they disappeared. Their remains have not been repatriated.