Michael W. Donnelly (February 3, 1959 – June 30, 2005) was a
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
fighter pilot and activist. Medically retired in 1996 following a diagnosis of
Lou Gehrig's disease
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most com ...
, he became a leading activist for sufferers of
Gulf War syndrome
Gulf War syndrome or Gulf War illness is a chronic and multi-symptomatic disorder affecting military veterans of both sides of the 1990–1991 Persian Gulf War. A wide range of acute and chronic symptoms have been linked to it, including fatigue ...
.
Early life and career
A native of
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
, Donnelly attended
East Catholic High School
East Catholic High School is a private, college preparatory high school located in Manchester, Connecticut, United States, under the auspices of the Archdiocese of Hartford. The parochial school was founded in 1961 and is inspired by the charis ...
and graduated from
Fairfield University
Fairfield University is a private Jesuit university in Fairfield, Connecticut. It was founded by the Jesuits in 1942. In 2017, the university had about 4,100 full-time undergraduate students and 1,100 graduate students, including full-time ...
in 1981.
Donnelly joined the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
and became a fighter pilot, primarily flying the
A-10 "Warthog" and
F-16
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it ...
. He flew 44 combat missions during Operation Desert Storm as a member of the
10th Tactical Fighter Squadron. After the Gulf War he became Chief of Standardization and Evaluation with the
80th Flying Training Wing
The 80th Flying Training Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force based out of Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas.
The 80th FTW is home of the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training (ENJJPT) Program. ENJJPT, established in the spi ...
and trained
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
pilots.
Activism
Donnelly quickly gained national recognition as a veteran's advocate, including appearing in a feature article in ''
People Magazine
''People'' is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC (company), IAC. With a readership of 46.6 million adults in 2009, ''People ...
''. He led a six-year campaign to convince the federal government of the connection between Lou Gehrig's Disease and active service in the Gulf, and provided testimony to the
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
regarding this issue.
Donnelly died of his disease in 2005. The Major Michael Donnelly Land Preserve, in his hometown of
South Windsor, Connecticut
South Windsor is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 26,918 at the 2020 census.
History
In 1659, Thomas Burnham (1617–1688) purchased the tract of land now covered by the towns of South Windsor and East Har ...
, is named for him. His funeral was attended by
H. Ross Perot
Henry Ross Perot (; June 27, 1930 – July 9, 2019) was an American business magnate, billionaire, politician and philanthropist. He was the founder and chief executive officer of Electronic Data Systems and Perot Systems. He ran an inde ...
, whom Donnelly met while advocating for Gulf War veterans. Donnelly also wrote the book ''Falcon's Cry: A Desert Storm Memoir'' (1998, Praeger, ) with his sister Denise Donnelly.
References
External links
Maj. Michael Donnelly Land Preserve Information''Falcon's Cry'' InformationDonnelly Obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Donnelly, Michael
1959 births
2005 deaths
American health activists
American veterans' rights activists
United States Air Force personnel of the Gulf War
Neurological disease deaths in the United States
Deaths from motor neuron disease
Fairfield University alumni
People from South Windsor, Connecticut
United States Air Force officers