Michael Davis O'Donnell

Vietnam War
Unit170th Aviation Company
RankCaptain U.S. Army
Entered Service FromSpringfield Illinois
Date of DeathMarch 24 1970
StatusRecovered
Memorialized
Courts of the Missing
Court
B
Notes
Captain O'Donnell was a member of the 170th Helicopter Assault Company, 52nd Aviation Battalion, 17th Aviation Group, 1st Aviation Brigade. On March 24, 1970, he was the aircraft commander of a Bell Iroquois Utility Helicopter (UH-1H) with a mission of extracting a long-range reconnaissance patrol from Ratanokiri Province about 14 miles inside Cambodia. The aircraft picked up the team of eight and was ascending when it was hit by enemy fire, exploded and crashed in the jungle. His remains were recovered on April 12, 1995 and identified on June 20, 2001. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
rosetta medal
When an individual’s remains have been accounted for by the U.S. Department of Defense, a rosette is placed next to the name on the Wall/Tablet/Court of the Missing to mark that the person now rests in a known gravesite.