thedrifter
08-09-07, 07:47 AM
Donahue soared to reach his dreams
From staff reports
The Daily News
Published August 9, 2007
TEXAS CITY — By all accounts, Archie Donahue just wanted to fly.
He started as a child in Wyoming, studying eagles. More than 80 years later, he was laid to rest as an aviation hero.
He was known as a triple ace, having shot down more than 15 Japanese warplanes. But he didn’t fly to fight.
When the retired Marine colonel was inducted into the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame in Galveston in 2003, he avoided talk of combat, instead focusing on the people he met and the knowledge he gained as a fighter pilot.
“I love flying,” he told the crowd. “I love it more than anything, except my wife.”
Donahue, 89, died July 30 in Harlingen.
Military career
According to the Lone Star Flight Museum in Galveston, Donahue joined a select group of aviators in 1943 when he shot down five enemy aircraft in a single mission. He repeated the feat in 1945 over Okinawa, Japan, while stationed on the USS Bunker Hill.
Donahue had studied engineering for three years at the University of Texas but didn’t finish his degree, his sister-in-law said. He joined the Naval Aviation Cadet program, graduating as an ensign on Dec. 4, 1941 — three days before the invasion at Pearl Harbor. He transferred to the Marines and his military course was set.
He returned to the United States in 1945 after 215 combat missions. He received the Navy Cross, three Distinguished Flying Crosses and five Air Medals.
After the war
In 1934, his family had moved from Wyoming to Texas City, where he graduated from high school. After the war, he developed Texas City Airport, north of Loop 197 near 21st Street, said Bill Chuoke, a local dentist and pilot who has researched Donahue’s accomplishments. He said the foundation of a hangar is still visible at the airport site.
One of the men who helped Donahue establish the airport died while flying an airplane over a French cargo ship that exploded at the Texas City docks in 1947, killing almost 600 people. Donahue lost at least one plane in the explosions.
The airport closed in the 1950s, Chuoke said. Donahue embarked on a career as a developer and real estate agent that lasted 50 years.
Meeting the enemy
In 1981, Donahue became director of operations for the Commemorative Air Force Flying Museum in Harlingen. The museum later moved to Midland.
Donahue’s biography includes a synopsis of the Kamikaze raid on the USS Bunker Hill and recounts his actions during the raids. It also mentions the ship’s voyage to port after the raid left it so badly damaged it was retired from combat.
Joanne Nessler, Donahue’s sister-in-law, said Japanese pilots who fought in World War II visited the Harlingen museum in the 1980s and specifically asked to meet with Donahue and others in his crew.
“It kind of explains what’s going on in war,” she said. “The young men didn’t get a choice. But they did have respect for each other.”
For more info
The Lone Star Flight Museum, 2002 Terminal Drive in Galveston, has information about Donahue’s role in aviation history. The museum is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Call 409-740-7722 or visit www.lsfm.org.
Ellie
From staff reports
The Daily News
Published August 9, 2007
TEXAS CITY — By all accounts, Archie Donahue just wanted to fly.
He started as a child in Wyoming, studying eagles. More than 80 years later, he was laid to rest as an aviation hero.
He was known as a triple ace, having shot down more than 15 Japanese warplanes. But he didn’t fly to fight.
When the retired Marine colonel was inducted into the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame in Galveston in 2003, he avoided talk of combat, instead focusing on the people he met and the knowledge he gained as a fighter pilot.
“I love flying,” he told the crowd. “I love it more than anything, except my wife.”
Donahue, 89, died July 30 in Harlingen.
Military career
According to the Lone Star Flight Museum in Galveston, Donahue joined a select group of aviators in 1943 when he shot down five enemy aircraft in a single mission. He repeated the feat in 1945 over Okinawa, Japan, while stationed on the USS Bunker Hill.
Donahue had studied engineering for three years at the University of Texas but didn’t finish his degree, his sister-in-law said. He joined the Naval Aviation Cadet program, graduating as an ensign on Dec. 4, 1941 — three days before the invasion at Pearl Harbor. He transferred to the Marines and his military course was set.
He returned to the United States in 1945 after 215 combat missions. He received the Navy Cross, three Distinguished Flying Crosses and five Air Medals.
After the war
In 1934, his family had moved from Wyoming to Texas City, where he graduated from high school. After the war, he developed Texas City Airport, north of Loop 197 near 21st Street, said Bill Chuoke, a local dentist and pilot who has researched Donahue’s accomplishments. He said the foundation of a hangar is still visible at the airport site.
One of the men who helped Donahue establish the airport died while flying an airplane over a French cargo ship that exploded at the Texas City docks in 1947, killing almost 600 people. Donahue lost at least one plane in the explosions.
The airport closed in the 1950s, Chuoke said. Donahue embarked on a career as a developer and real estate agent that lasted 50 years.
Meeting the enemy
In 1981, Donahue became director of operations for the Commemorative Air Force Flying Museum in Harlingen. The museum later moved to Midland.
Donahue’s biography includes a synopsis of the Kamikaze raid on the USS Bunker Hill and recounts his actions during the raids. It also mentions the ship’s voyage to port after the raid left it so badly damaged it was retired from combat.
Joanne Nessler, Donahue’s sister-in-law, said Japanese pilots who fought in World War II visited the Harlingen museum in the 1980s and specifically asked to meet with Donahue and others in his crew.
“It kind of explains what’s going on in war,” she said. “The young men didn’t get a choice. But they did have respect for each other.”
For more info
The Lone Star Flight Museum, 2002 Terminal Drive in Galveston, has information about Donahue’s role in aviation history. The museum is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Call 409-740-7722 or visit www.lsfm.org.
Ellie