Chief Warrant Officer 2nd Class Donaldson of Effingham, Ill, was a 1995 graduate of Effingham High School where he played football and baseball, and joined the Army in 1997 and liked it so much he planned to be a career soldier. He earned a bachelor's degree during his military career despite overseas deployments to Germany and South Korea. Donaldson had trained to be a helicopter crewman but after initial exposure to the aircraft and becoming a crew chief, he decided he wanted to become a pilot. To be accepted as a pilot, he had to make a five-year commitment, and by the time that commitment ended, he had nearly 10 years in and was going to stay at least 20 years. He received his wings in 2004. Chris was born the son of Bill and Lynn Donaldson and showed leadership ability at a young age. Grandmother, Thelma Laue. He was killed when his CH-47 helicopter crashed in a ravine during combat operations at age 28.
Army
Company B
CH-47 Chinook helicopter pilot
3rd Battalion
10th Aviation Regiment
10th Mountain Division (LI)
Fort Drum, N.Y.
Army
Company B
CH-47 Chinook helicopter pilot
3rd Battalion
10th Aviation Regiment
10th Mountain Division (LI)
Fort Drum, N.Y.
Chief Warrant Officer 2nd Class Donaldson of Effingham, Ill, was a 1995 graduate of Effingham High School where he played football and baseball, and joined the Army in 1997 and liked it so much he planned to be a career soldier. He earned a bachelor's degree during his military career despite overseas deployments to Germany and South Korea. Donaldson had trained to be a helicopter crewman but after initial exposure to the aircraft and becoming a crew chief, he decided he wanted to become a pilot. To be accepted as a pilot, he had to make a five-year commitment, and by the time that commitment ended, he had nearly 10 years in and was going to stay at least 20 years. He received his wings in 2004. Chris was born the son of Bill and Lynn Donaldson and showed leadership ability at a young age. Grandmother, Thelma Laue. He was killed when his CH-47 helicopter crashed in a ravine during combat operations at age 28.
Army
Company B
CH-47 Chinook helicopter pilot
3rd Battalion
10th Aviation Regiment
10th Mountain Division (LI)
Fort Drum, N.Y.
Army
Company B
CH-47 Chinook helicopter pilot
3rd Battalion
10th Aviation Regiment
10th Mountain Division (LI)
Fort Drum, N.Y.
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Records on Ancestry
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U.S., Newspapers.com™ Obituary Index, 1800s-current
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U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
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U.S., Casualties From Iraq and Afghanistan Conflicts, 2001-2012
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U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current
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U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010
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