John W. Donaldson
John W. Donaldson | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 7, 1924 |
| Died | August 13, 2008 (aged 84) |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/ |  United States Army |
| Rank |  Brigadier General |
| Commands | 11th Infantry Brigade, 23rd Infantry Division |
| Battles/wars | World War II Korean War Vietnam War |
| Relations | John Owen Donaldson (uncle) |
John W. Donaldson 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 Vietnamese civilians during operations in November 1968-January 1969 while flying in his helicopter over 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. Army CID Special Agent Barone, a seasoned investigator of the 11th Infantry Brigade was head of the investigation. [1] The charges against Donaldson were dropped for lack of evidence.[2] War photographer Tony Swindell has stated to have documented shootings from the 11th Infantry brigade commander. [3] These include visual images of shooting civilians including a teenage girl from a helicopter, which was according to Swindell standard operating procedure to shoot fleeing civilians and attribute them as Viet Cong. [4]
Donaldson died on August 13, 2008 at the age of 84.[5]
References
- ^ "1971 Command History Volume II" (PDF). United States Military Assistance Command Vietnam. p. J-21. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ Uhl, Michael (2007). Vietnam Awakening: My Journey from Combat to the Citizens' Commission of Inquiry on U.S. War Crimes in Vietnam. McFarland. p. 229. ISBN 9780786482924.
- ^ Swindell, Tony. ""Our Descent Into Hell Has Begun"". Counterpunch.
- ^ White, Debbie (July 9th, 2019). [New collection of Vietnam War images that pressured politicians to end the brutal conflict "BATTLE FATIGUE New collection of Vietnam War images that pressured politicians to end the brutal conflict"]. The Sun.
{{cite news}}: Check|url=value (help); Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-08-13. Retrieved 2015-08-13.
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