Donahue, Michael J.

Michael J. Donahue

Columbus, Ohio

Feather Location: Row F, #06

By Alice C. Elwell, Enterprise correspondent

…Nickerson said she and her brother had great fun tormenting his 18-year-old son about swimming and “Jaws.”  “He wouldn’t go in the water,” she said with a laugh remembering the fun with her brother.  She lovingly described her brother the paratrooper as 6 feet 5 inches of solid muscle who was the ultimate Red Sox fan. His talismans for three deployments included a tattered Red Sox hat and flag. Nickerson said the major was an avid runner who participated in ultimate marathons that went on for days with courses of more than 100 miles. He recently ran a Boston Marathon sanctioned event in Afghanistan. Underneath it all was a heart of gold, Nickerson said. “My brother would do anything for anybody. He was everyone’s best friend.” … Nickerson said her brother was born at Goddard Hospital in Stoughton. After graduating from Whitman-Hanson Regional High School, he attended DeVry Institute of Technology in Columbus, Ohio, where he met his wife.

Carver:  Jim Heilman has been carving since he was a child. Jim mostly  caves duck decoys and fishing lures which he shares with friends and family.  Family and church are first in Jim’s life.

Wood:  Soft Maple from near Johnstown Ohio. The Fallen Feather appears to bear the long, deep scars of battle.  You will see that the scars are actually stripes as on a flag, proudly waving in the wind, bearing winess to the highest expression of Duty, Honor, and Service to Country.