June 30, 2005, South Windsor, CT
Biography
On Thursday, June 30, Major Michael William Donnelly, 46, died after a relentless ten-year battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. His loved ones were at his side at the time of his death.
Before retiring with military honors in 1996, Major Donnelly, a dedicated career fighter pilot, served his nation proudly. Over the course of his 15-year career, he flew first the A-10 Warthog and then the F-16 Falcon. During Operation Desert Storm he completed 44 F-16 combat missions over Iraq as a member of the 10th Tactical Fighter Squadron stationed at Hahn Air Base in Germany.
When he retired, he was serving as Chief of Standardization and Evaluation while assigned to the 80th Flying Training Wing at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas. Upon his retirement, Major Donnelly received the Meritorious Service Medal for outstanding service to the United States. In this role, Major Donnelly trained NATO fighter pilots from over 16 countries and developed entirely new flying operations for the largest flying training wing in the world.
His many other honors included the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Aerial Achievement Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal with four oak leaf clusters, the Air Force Achievement Medal and the Top Gun award.
Diagnosed with ALS in 1996, Major Donnelly spent the next nine and a half years in the service of his fellow gulf war veterans, thousands of whom are suffering from a host of debilitating and life-threatening illnesses brought about by exposure to nerve agents and other toxins, spent depleted uranium munitions and experimental vaccines. In 1998, Major Donnelly published a book, Falcon’s Cry: A Desert Storm Memoir, that chronicled his struggle. Untiring in his labors, he testified before Congress, appeared on numerous television and radio news and talk shows and granted interviews to countless newspapers and magazines for as long as his faculties allowed and even after they didn’t. Notably, he appeared on the Larry King Show, gained coverage for his cause in the Hartford Courant, the New York Times, the Washington Times, the Boston Globe, People, and many other news outlets large and small in the United States and Europe.
After six years of courageous and impassioned effort, and while suffering greatly from the progression of his own illness, Major Donnelly was the prime mover behind the government’s acknowledgement of the connection between service in Operation Desert Storm and the elevated incidence of ALS. As a result, scores of gulf war veterans suffering from ALS were immediately granted retroactive service-connection status, which resulted in the payment of the veterans’ benefits they earned when they served their country. In addition, his efforts led directly to the release of millions of dollars in federal research money to support the study of ALS incidence among gulf war veterans.
Major Donnelly received a BA in history from Fairfield University in 1981 and an MBA from Midwestern University in 1995. In 2003, Fairfield University bestowed an honorary Juris Doctor degree upon him for his selfless service to his nation and to others.
A warrior until the end, Major Donnelly never surrendered to the relentless progression of the degenerative disease that ended his life. Everyone who ever met him, whether hardened reporter or dear friend, fellow veteran, caretaker or politician, remarked upon his incredible grace and courage in the face of a terrible and invariably fatal illness. He had an infectious, crooked smile, a disarming wit and the dancing, mischievous blue eyes of an Irish charmer. Major Donnelly touched many, many hearts throughout his short life, but especially since his diagnosis with ALS. He will be greatly missed by all.
He leaves a wife, Susan Allen Donnelly, and two children, Erin, 18, and Sean, 13, and his parents, Rae and Thomas Donnelly, all of South Windsor, CT. He also leaves a sister and brother-in-law, Lisa and Michael Hayes, also of South Windsor, a brother and sister-in-law, Tim and Ana Donnelly, of Weston, CT, and a sister, Denise Donnelly, of Rockport, MA. He also leaves five nieces and nephews, Emily and Madeleine Hayes and Olivia, Grace and Colin Donnelly.
In lieu of flowers, his family kindly requests that donations be sent to the ALS Association of Connecticut, 4 Oxford Road, Milford, CT 06460.
Friends may pay their respects from 4 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, July 5 at Samsel and Carmon Funeral Home, 419 Buckland Road, South Windsor, CT. A funeral mass with full military honors will take place at 10 a.m. at St. Margaret Mary Church, 80 Hayes Road, South Windsor, CT.
The Mike Donnelly Memorial FUND - PLEASE DONATE
Dear Former Sabres, Oct. 25, 2005
As most of you know, Mike “Big D” Donnelly passed away in late June after a long battle with ALS (“Lou Gehrig’s Disease”). Throughout his lengthy illness Mike continued to place the welfare and interests of ailing veterans above his own as he led the effort to obtain medical benefits for Gulf War vets suffering from many debilitating diseases. Mike’s personal leadership, and the involvement of his entire family in this crusade, is chronicled in newspapers and magazines such as the USA Today and People’s Magazine as well as programs like Larry King Live and several network news broadcasts. Right up until his death Mike maintained an uplifting and positive attitude, while shining as an inspiration for everyone he met. Just ask Curt Schilling, pitcher for the Boston Red Sox who became a close friend of Mike’s, or Ross Perot, who supported Mike and flew in from Texas to attend his funeral.
Mike and Sue have two children, Erin and Sean. Erin is preparing to begin her college career and Sean isn’t far behind. Some of us, former members of the 10TFS, have been discussing a way that our group could continue to support Mike’s family. We’ve focused on establishing a college fund for Erin and Sean to help offset their college expenses.
To that end we’re establishing the Mike Donnelly Sabre Memorial Fund to provide both emotional and financial support to Mike’s family. The memorial fund will allocate all contributions (100% of funds contributed) to provide college financial support distributed equally between Erin and Sean (for tuition, books, fees, transportation and living expenses). Ed Houle, Terry Bull, JD Hay, and Mike Makatura will act as trustees for the fund to provide oversight and accountability for the program. The trustees will jointly make all decisions regarding the management and distribution of all contributions. The fund will make available a complete record of contributions and transactions to any contributor requesting this information. Unfortunately, we couldn’t make this a non-profit fund so contributions are not tax deductible.
Our goal is to raise a minimum of $10,000 between now and January 31, 2006. We’re asking everyone who served with Mike and/or shared his passion for the welfare of military veterans to consider a special gift to the memorial fund. Ideally, if we could get 100 people to donate $100 each, that would achieve our goal of $10,000. We realize that some may want to contribute more and others may feel that they can only afford something less. No matter how large or how small, every dollar contributed will be greatly appreciated and will honor Mike’s memory and everything he stood for in his life.
Sometime in February, we’ll present the funds to Sue for inclusion in Erin and Sean’s college accounts. We’ll also send out a final “after action report” to everyone who contributed.
You can make out a check to the Mike Donnelly Memorial Fund and mail it to:
C/O Terry Bull
2604 E 45th St
Tulsa, OK 74105-5105
E-mail: dabulls80@hotmail.com
Sincerely,
Ed Houle, Terry Bull, JD Hay, Mike Makatura