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KABUL, Afghanistan - He grew up with nine brothers and sisters in
a low-income neighborhood. His father was a machinist and was
dealing with the constraints of a family budget where there wasn't
much room for many family comforts. His parents were hard working
and passed that belief on the children.
As a teenager, Army
Maj. Mark F. Donahue felt there was no escape to a more stable life
and dropped out of school at age 18. At 50, he has not only escaped
the negative aspects of his past, but he looks forward to a future
of helping others also achieve success.
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U.S. Army Maj. Mark Donahue poses for a
photo in front of the flag plaza outside International Security
Assistance Force Joint Command headquarters at North Kabul
International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, April 6, 2013. Donahue
was assigned as the Army National Guard's lead joint force manager.
(U.S. Army courtesy photo)
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Since entering the military, Donahue has returned to high
school for his diploma, earned a Bachelor's degree from
Southern Illinois University and a Master degree from
Webster University.
“Dropping out of high school was
the biggest regret in my life, but it gave me a greater
since of value for higher education,” he said.
Donahue is serving a tour of duty at Kabul Afghanistan
International Airport with the International Security
Assistance Force (ISAF) Joint Command (IJC) and is serving
as the lead National Guard Joint Force Manager. Donahue, a
Worchester, Mass., native, arrived in theatre in December
2012.
However, in those teen years, he faced a
crisis of identity. He felt that the dysfunctional youth in
his neighborhood was pulling him in.
“I was a
trouble maker” said Donahue. “I was in the wrong crowd and
had to fight to gain respect”
Aspiring to do and be
more, Donahue reflected on his family's legacy of military
service and decided to make his own contributions. His
father, several uncles and all three brothers have served in
the military.
Donahue's military career started in
1981 in the Massachusetts Army National Guard. After basic
training, he found a new purpose and sense of belonging.
Donahue said it allowed him to be something greater than
what he could be alone.
“I came home from basic
training and knew I wanted to go back,” he said. “The
military gave me benefits, escape and education.”
Donahue spent four years in the Army National Guard before
transferring to the Navy, where he served for another eight.
Prior to his third deployment with the Navy, he met a woman
that would change his life. Her name was Heidi Moser Gwynn.
After approximately 10 months of dating, they decided to
secretly get married before that deployment. The wedding had
to be in secret, they felt, because of the time constraint.
They wanted family and friends to attend but there wasn't
time to do it, Donahue said.
It wasn't until he
returned from duty that they disclosed it to their family.
Until then, the only ones who knew of their wedding were the
judge who married them and their dog, Tissie, who served as
a witness to the event. After the mobilization, they had a
formal wedding with family and friends in July 1989.
“Heidi is awesome,” said Donahue. “ She has been there more
for me through my career and I have found I want more out of
life because of her. She takes care of me well.”
Heidi is the daughter of Col. (Ret.) John and his wife, Ruth
Gwynn. Col. Gwynn served in World War II, the Korean
Conflict and Vietnam, completing seven deployments. Donahue
has confided in him over the years and he has been a great
mentor during his career.
Donahue has served in many
capacities since his return to the Army National Guard in
1993. He chose to leave the Navy and return to the Guard
because he wanted to devote time towards his new family. It
also allowed him to work towards achieving a commission and
serve as an officer.
After the events of 9/11, he has
devoted his time to all three major theatres of operations -
Operation Noble Eagle, Operation Iraqi Freedom and now
Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
He has
also worked at the Army National Guard Readiness Center in
Arlington, Va. in the Offices of Force Management and
Mobilization Readiness. These experiences led him to his
current assignment of assisting International Security
Assistance Force Joint Command and national leadership
decrease the number of hardships facing the National Guard
and Reserve forces during force structure reductions.
Lt. Col Howard L. Schauer, a program manager at the
National Guard Readiness Center in Washington D.C., has
worked alongside Donahue since 2010. He said he admired
Donahue's dedication to serve abroad in the interests of the
United States.
“Maj. Donahue is a selfless patriot,”
said Schauer.
One of Donahue's biggest professional
concerns is the current fiscal crisis commonly referred to
as sequestration. He said he understands this is something
that the Army will have to work through carefully. However,
he is concerned about his future since he received notice he
may be released from active duty upon completion of his
mobilization. He is one of many left uncertain about their
future because of the effects of sequestration.
“My
short term goal is take the experience that I have gained
from my year-long deployment and bring that back to the
Guard like some of my predecessors have done so well,” he
said.
Donahue believes that the Army needs to insure
it maintains the relationships between the active component
and the reserves because it will be integral for the
progress of the Army. He says with the effects of
sequestration on the military, the degradation of
capabilities will directly affect the United States overall
readiness.
This comes as a big concern for his
family. His son, Alan, has applied and accepted to attend
seven different colleges, but has already expressed interest
in joining the Air Force and is waiting for the Air Force
Academy's decision for acceptance.
“Alan is going to
succeed no matter what he does,” said Donahue.
A
younger son, Brandon, Donahue describes as talented and
driven like his older brother. At age 15, he has not yet
determined what he wants to do in the future.
Donahue is happy that after a decade of devotion to the
Army's mission, he can return home and be more devoted to
his wife and his family. He is proud that he will see his
sons through college and watch them become “excellent
adults.”
“Everything is about family right now,” he
said. “They have committed so much time without me and now I
get the opportunity to spend time with them.”
By U.S. Army Maj. Brooks Little
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2013
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