Richard Earle Donahue

Centerville native Richard Earle Donahue graduated from the University of Iowa’s School of Medicine in the class of 1954. He joined the Navy and trained as a flight surgeon in September 1955. Donahue served at the Marine Corps base in El Toro, CA from 1956 to 1958 and then at the Naval Air Station in Moffitt Field, CA from 1958 to 1960. He completed two brief tours aboard the USS <i>Lexington</i> and the USS <i>Yorktown</i> before returning to Iowa in 1963. Commander Donahue was recalled by the Navy in 1965 and was assigned to the USS <i>Oriskany</i>. On the morning of October 26, 1966 a flare was inadvertently ignited aboard the <i>Oriskany</i>. The flare was in a locker full of other ammunition. The fire that ensued resulted in the death of 44 sailors, including Commander Donahue. The aircraft carrier was stationed in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of North Vietnam. Donahue was 37 years old at the time of his death. He left behind a wife, a daughter, and two sons. His body was recovered and returned to Iowa where it was buried at the Oakland Cemetery in Centerville.