Honoring Veterans: Army Veteran Pamela Dorothy Donovan

Pamela Dorothy Donovan was born in March 1942 in Merseyside, England, as the daughter of Irish parents. Donovan and her family immigrated to the United States in 1956, settling in Brighton, Massachusetts.

Donovan was educated as a nurse and nun in Canada, Ireland, England and the United States, graduating from St. Elizabeth’s Hospital School of Nursing in 1965. Her strong sense of mission and distress over the brutal circumstances faced by U.S. soldiers in Vietnam fueled her desire to join the war effort. In 1967, she became a U.S. citizen in order to join the Army Nurse Corps. 

After completing intensive jungle training in 1968, she was assigned to the 85th Evacuation Hospital in Qui Nhon at the rank of second lieutenant. Four months later, Donovan contracted a rare strain of pneumonia while on duty. She died in July 1968 in Gia Dinh province at the age of 26. 

Donovan was one of eight women nurses who died during the Vietnam War. She was buried in Mount Hope Cemetery, Boston, and her name can be found on Panel 53W, Line 45 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. 

We honor her service.

TogetherWeServed

This ‘Honoring Veterans’ story was prepared with the assistance of Togetherweserved.com, an online community. At TWS, Veterans can reconnect with those they served with and preserve the memories and photographs of their military service so that this may live on for their family and future generations. Find out more at https://togetherweserved.com.

Nominate a Veteran for Honoring Veterans

Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? VA’s Honoring Veterans social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.

It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. All it takes is an email to newmedia@va.gov with as much information as you can put together, along with some good photos. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.

Writer: William Beterbide

Editors: Ethan Oleson, Kinsey Spratt

Researcher: Raphael Romea

Graphic Designer: William Vega