Donald Walter Holleder
Major, U.S. Army

Donald Walter Holleder was born on 3 August 1934 in Buffalo, NY. He attended high school at the Aquinas Institute in nearby Rochester. He was heavily recruited by a number of top college football teams, including the U.S. Military Academy's Offensive Coach, Vince Lombardi.

Holleder elected to enroll at West Point. As a junior in 1954, he was named to the All-America team as an end. The following season, Army head coach Red Blaik asked him to move to quarterback. Holleder clearly lacked the skills to be a productive passer, but Blaik felt that his leadership skills were important and would help the struggling team improve. Blaik's move was ridiculed but it paid off. The team finished with a record of 6-3-0, including a rousing upset of Navy that lead to Holleder's appearance on the cover of Sports Illustrated. One of Holleder's classmates at West Point was Norman Schwarzkopf. They both graduated in 1956.

Military Career

The New York Giants selected Holleder in the 1956 NFL Draft college draft, but Holleder was not interested in a professional football career. After graduating West Point, he continued to serve in the Army. Over the next ten years he rose to the rank of Major, serving posts in Korea and Germany, and briefly returning to West Point as an Instructor and Assistant Football Coach.

Vietnam and the Battle of Ong Thanh

On 17 October 1967, Major Donald Walter Holleder was serving as Brigade Operations Officer with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division during Operation Shenandoah II,. MAJ Holleder was accompanying his Brigade Commander in the aerial supervision of ground elements when, at about 1100 hours, the 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, became heavily engaged with elements of two Viet Cong battalions. The fire of the well-positioned enemy caused a loss of key personnel, reducing the effectiveness of the friendly unit. The Brigade Commander elected to command the embattled battalion from the ground and landed his helicopter. They then moved forward to reestablish effective command and control of the unit. MAJ Holleder braved the enemy fire to move through the ranks of the fighting and wounded soldiers, offering them words of encouragement and helping establish orderly evacuation for the casualties. When intense sniper fire impeded the evacuation of the wounded, MAJ Holleder moved forward to reconnoiter the evacuation route. He refused to take seek cover from the volleys of insurgent sniper fire and continued to assess the enemy situation until he was mortally wounded. His courageous actions and calmness had a stabilizing effect on his men and was instrumental in saving many lives. MAJ Holleder's extraordinary heroism earned him the U.S. Army's second highest award for valor, the Distinguished Service Cross.

Medals, Awards and Badges

Distinguished Service Cross
Soldier's Medal
Bronze Star Medal with Valor Device
Purple Heart
Air Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Vietnam Service Medal
Vietnam Campaign Medal
Combat Infantryman Badge
Expert Infantryman Badge
Parachutist Badge

Distinguished Service Cross Citation

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to Major (Infantry) Donald Walter Holleder (ASN: 0-73723), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action. On 17 October 1967, during Operation Shenandoah II, Major Holleder was serving as Brigade Operations Officer while accompanying his Brigade Commander in the aerial supervision of ground elements. At approximately 1100 hours, the 2d Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, became heavily engaged with elements of two Viet Cong battalions. The fire of the well positioned enemy caused a loss of key personnel, thereby reducing the effectiveness of the friendly unit. The Brigade Commander elected to command the embattled battalion from the ground and landed his helicopter. They then moved forward to reestablish effective command and control of the unit. With complete disregard for his personal safety, Major Holleder braved the vicious enemy fire to move through the ranks of the fighting and wounded soldiers, offering them words of encouragement and helping to establish orderly evacuation for the casualties. When the intense sniper fire impeded the evacuation of the wounded, Major Holleder unhesitatingly moved forward to reconnoiter the evacuation route. He refused to take seek cover from the deadly volleys of insurgent sniper fire and continued to assess the enemy situation until he was mortally wounded by the heavy ground fire. His tremendous courage and poise in the face of overwhelming odds had a stabilizing effect on his men and was instrumental in saving many lives. Major Holleder's unquestionable valor in close combat against numerically superior hostile forces, was in keeping with the finest traditions of the Military Service and reflects great credit upon himself, the 1st Infantry Division, and the United States Army.

[Initially, the above action earned Holleder the Silver Star Medal. However, that was later upgraded to the DSC.]

Honors

● The name Donald W Holleder is located on Panel 28E Line 25 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.

● In 1974, the football stadium in his hometown was renamed Holleder Memorial Stadium in his honor. The stadium was home to his high school Alma Mater's (Aquinas Institutes) football team.

● In 1985, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, and that same year, West Point's indoor sports arena was renamed in his honor (The Donald W. Holleder Center).

● Each year, the Army football team recognizes one of their players with the Black Lion Award, given "to a player who best exemplifies the character of Don Holleder, leadership, courage, devotion to duty, self-sacrifice and, above all, an unselfish concern to put the team ahead of himself."

Burial

Major Donald Walter Holleder was killed in action on 17 October 1967 in Vietnam. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA, in Section 1, Lot 168-A.

Holleder was survived by a wife and four children.