Donker, Leo Michael, Jr., MAJ

Casualty Occurrence:  This Soldier was killed by multiple fragmentation wounds during a mortar/rocket attack in Kein Tuong Province.

POSTED ON 6.12.2016. POSTED BY: RICHARD JAMES. CPT LEO M DONKER. in memory of Captain Leo M. Donker, 5th Special Forces Group, Vietnam. CPT Donker was killed at Special Forces (Green Beret) Camp Cai Cai (A-412) in IV Corps, South Vietnam. He was our team Commanding Officer; an excellent CO and very well liked by the whole team. He died so that SFC Noakes and I could live. Noakes and I were advising a patrol of Vietnamese soldiers out of Cai Cai. Our objective was near the Cambodian border northeast of camp. Upon reaching our objective, Noakes said he was going to do a short reconnaissance of the border area. Shortly after his departure, all hell broke loose! We were hit by rifle, machine gun and mortar fire from the vicinity of the border, from a Viet Cong (VC) unit. Our troops immediately ran, leaving me by myself to search for Noakes. I believe that our interpreter (camp chief interpreter, who I heard was later found to be a VC) told the troops that I ordered their retreat. I had the radio and immediately radioed Cai Cai for support. Captain Donker positioned himself on the camp observation tower to oversee the battle area and guide mortar fire support from the camp. After what seemed like forever, SFC Noakes and I hooked up and were able to break contact with the enemy, with help from camp supporting mortar fire. In the meantime, the Cambodian outpost had lent supporting fire to the VC (which they did numerous other times). They fired their British 25-pounder artillery at Camp Cai Cai. Upon returning to camp, I learned that CPT Donker had been killed by a direct hit from a British 25-pounder artillery shell. R.I.P. Captain Donker, you shall never be forgotten. Thank you from the bottom of my heart and soul! “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” John 15:13.