Veteran Salute: Evading enemy detection in the Gulf of Tonkin

TOPEKA (KSNT) - Originally growing up in Onaga Kansas, Navy Commander Denny Donahue would fly over 200 combat missions around the world, keeping pilots and fellow crew members safe from enemy detection.

Near the end of his time in college, Donahue was shown an opportunity he couldn't pass up.

“I was in my senior year at Washburn, and this friendly Navy recruiter named Fred Blakely told me that even four-eyed guys could fly in Navy jets," Donahue said. "Then he took me to Olathe, took me out for an awesome flight doing acrobatics, and I asked where do I sign.”

Stationed in Japan for three years of duty, Donahue would fly 263 combat missions in the Gulf of Tonkin.

“I served as a naval flight officer sitting in the right front seat," he said, "doing those duties that were not performed by the naval aviator pilot who was in the left seat who actually landed the airplane aboard the carrier.”

Flying all over the world, his assignment was to keep the plane from getting too close to enemy radar sites.

“Every other two months I was deployed to the Gulf of Tonkin flying electronic reconnaissance missions in that airplane," Donahue said, "and would spend two months down in that Vietnam environment.”

Those two months outside of that Vietnam environment were no vacation though.

“We would fly electronic reconnaissance missions along the coast of Russia, China, and North Korea," he said.

Nowadays, equipment on board military aircraft can detect when the plane is being picked up by enemy forces and shot at by missiles in a way that's understandable and safe for single pilots. That wasn't always the case though.

“At the beginning of our Vietnam conflict our attack airplane and fighter aircraft didn’t have those instruments," Donahue said, "they relied on verbal warnings from myself and what other aircraft were out there. I’ve actually had the experience of going back aboard the carrier and having A7 or A6 pilots say ‘who was that deep sea aircraft out there, you saved my bacon,’ so it was a very rewarding experience.”

Denny stays active in service to this day as part of the Veterans of Foreign Wars group in Onaga. The unit presents colors for service member burial ceremonies and on memorial day as a way to recognize the friends they've had, and give back to those who've served.