Saugerties native Roger H.C. Donlon, the first recipient of the Medal of Honor for the Vietnam War, passed away January 25, 2024, in Leavenworth, Kansas at the age of 89 after a 12-year battle with Agent Orange Parkinson’s disease. A celebration of his life and burial was held on April 10 in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.Members of the Saugerties American Legion and VFW traveled to Leavenworth for the event.
President Lyndon B. Johnson presented Donlon with the Medal of Honor at the White House in Washington, DC on December 5, 1964, for his actions near Nam Dong, the Republic of Vietnam, on July 6, 1964.
The Village of Saugerties named a recreation space in village hall on Partition Street the Donlon Auditorium on December 28, 1964. In 2013, the Town of Saugerties named its municipal complex on High Street the Col. Roger H.C. Donlon Saugerties Town Hall. A new sign was dedicated to him in 2016.
The celebration of life at the Frontier Conference Center in Leavenworth on April 10 included video tributes to Donlon, 15 guest speakers and songs by recording artist Steve Amerson. Over 300 guests attended the event including family, current and former Green Berets and other Medal of Honor recipients.
Following the celebration of life, Donlon’s remains were transferred to the Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery by a riderless horse-drawn caisson for a burial service that included a 21-gun salute.
There are now 64 Medal of Honor recipients alive today.
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