Donald Mahoney

Donald Mahoney was born in Revere, Massachusetts in January of 1931. He joined the Marines in 1948 and was sent to South Korea to fight in the war in September of 1950. Shortly after arriving they took Seoul, South Korea and that same night Donald was grazed by a bullet and earned his first Purple Heart. He earned his second Purple Heart when he was attacked by Chinese mortar fire and hit with shrapnel. After the war he was stationed as a data analyst in Boston, Quantico, Kansas City, Chicago, Santa Ana, Iwakuni Japan, and then back at Kansas City.  

On a side note, Don was the leader of a group of Korean War vets who visited schools in the West Michigan area, and several of the others in our collection also came from that group. Don himself died in an accident within a year or so of his interview, and I miss being able to work with him.