New York Times article
https://www.nytimes.com/1998/05/14/us/donald-conroy-77-model-for-the-great-santini-dies.html

Distinguished Flying Cross citation:  https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/200730

Military Times article:  https://www.military.com/undertheradar/2018/01/11/how-great-santini-brought-marines-father-and-son-together.html.



Donald Conroy "The Great Santini" is listed as a Notable burial at https://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/beaufort.asp.

Full bio: https://militaryhallofhonor.com/honoree-record.php?id=2366.

Donald Conroy was born on 4 April 1921 in Chicago, IL. He left Saint Ambrose College in Davenport, IA, to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II.

Conroy was later commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and designated as a Naval Aviator. He was a pilot with VMF-214 when the Korean War began in June 1950. The Squadron became the first Marine squadron to see action during the War providing close air support and aerial interdiction during the Battle of Pusan Perimeter, Battle of Inchon, and the Battle of Chosin Reservoir while flying from the USS Sicily (CVE-118).

During the Cuban Missile Crisis, Conroy was part of an A-4 Skyhawk squadron at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort. They were alerted and quickly deployed to Roosevelt Roads Naval Station where they remained for the duration of the crisis. He also served two tours in Vietnam during the Vietnam War.

*The preceding content is not intended as a comprehensive biography, but it highlights their significance as a result of military or civilian distinction, lasting achievements, or association with impactful national events.

Robert Duvall as Donald Conroy in "The Great Santini."

DONALD CONROY

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