Posted by Michael Robert Patterson on April 19, 2000:

Born in 1934, Donald W. Holleder graduated from West Point and was a football All-American while attending the academy. He was Operations Officer under Lieutenant Colonel Terry de la Mesa Allen, Jr., in the 1st Infantry Division in Vietnam. When Allen was killed-in-action in a battle which took place 40 miles from Saigon on October 17, 1967, Holleder made his way to the front to take command of the Brigade and was also killed. The father of four children, he was the principal in a surprise switch by Colonel Red Blaik, Army's football coach at West Point, that was considered the main reason for Army's upset 14 to 6 win over Navy in 1955. He was regarded as one of the finest ends in collegiate football in 1954, but midway through the 1955 season he was shifted to quarterback. He lies buried in Section 1 of Arlington National Cemetery. "I was a combat medic with the 2/28th Inf. Black Lions when Major Holleder was killed. In fact, a good friend of mine, Tom Hinger was with him when he was killed by the sniper. "Attached, you will find a scan of a photo which was taken the morning of 17 October 1967. Included in the picture are, starting from the left: Colonel George Newman, 1st Bde. Commander; Lieutenant Colonel Terry Allen Jr., 2/28th Infantry Commander; Major Donald Holleder, brigade S-3; Brigadier General William Coleman, Assistant Division Commander; and First Lieutenant Albert Welch, Delta Company Commander. (See photo at: http://www.arlingtoncemetery.com/holleder.htm) "The photo was taken by SP5 Verland Gilbertson, who was a combat photographer, attached to the unit for Operation Shenandoah II. He was killed during the ambush and the film was recovered. The photo was included in an article about the operation in the 1st Infantry Division magazine "Danger Forward", published in June 1968. "Major Holleder had just gone from 2/28th to Brigade a short time before this operation. During the battle the command element had been overrun and there was chaos in the field. Two rifle companies had been caught in patrol formation and were unable to set up a defensive perimeter to defend themselves. Consequently, individual soldiers and small groups had to defend themselves against a much larger enemy force which included hard-core Viet Cong from the 271st VC Regiment, NVA Regulars, and at least one Chinese advisor (found dead after the battle). A perimeter was set up in a draw a few hundred meters from the ambush site and wounded were being brought there. "Major Holleder overflew the area and saw a whole lot of Viet Cong and many American soldiers, most wounded, trying to make their way out of the ambush area. He landed and headed straight into the jungle, gathering a few soldiers to help him go get the wounded. A sniper's shot killed him before he could get very far. He was a risk-taker who put the common good ahead of himself, whether it was in giving up a position in which he had excelled or putting himself in harm's way in an attempt to save the lives of his men. My contact with Major Holleder was very brief and occurred just before he was killed, but I have never forgotten him and the sacrifice he made. On a day when acts of heroism were the rule, rather than the exception, his stood out. "After getting out of the Army in '68, I worked for a few years and then got married and went back to college with a major in Nursing. I went back on Active Duty in 1976 as an Army Nurse Corps officer. I retired in 1995 as a Lieutenant Colonel and am currently the Director of Surgical Services in a Medical Center in California. Most of what Ilearned about leadership was learned by example (good and bad) when I was a 20 year old draftee medic in Vietnam. Major Holleder was definitely one of the good examples. "Last year a number of us got together at a 1st Infantry Division reunion in Alexandria. It was the first time I had seen anyone from my unit in almost 30 years. Three of us: Tom Hinger, Steve Goodman (Goody), and I went to Alexandria and visited the gravesites of Lieutenant Colonel Allen and Major Holleder. It was especially meaningful for them, because they were both with him when he was killed. In fact, Goody killed the sniper who shot Major Holleder. They are both great guys, brave soldiers, and true friends."

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