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One holiday. Two stories.
Published: 5/28/2012 9:54 PM
Last Modified: 5/28/2012 9:54 PM

Dan Rooney, a former F-16 pilot who founded Patriot Golf Club and the Folds of Honor Foundation, said long before Monday’s Patriot Cup that Memorial Day is not about cookouts, hanging out at the lake or swimming in the pool.

Said Rooney, “It’s a day to remember those who gave it all.”

I’ll use that as excuse to tell stories about two men.

1, Larry Stone was a kid from Jay, Okla, who earned respect while playing football at Eastern State College and Northeastern State University in the 1960s.

He also earned the respect of Paul Ignatius, a former Secretary of the Navy.

In a 1967 letter, Ignatius wrote about Stone’s courage while serving his country in Vietnam.

An excerpt from the letter: “While moving in enemy territory south of Danang, Second Lieutenant Stone and his patrol came upon a suspected Viet Cong hut complex. Spotting enemy soldiers inside one of the huts, he immediately deployed his men for an attack....

“Realizing that (a) hut might still hold enemy troops, he ordered his point man to cover him while he made a daring one-man assault on the enemy position. Donning his gas mask and clutching a grenade in his hand, Stone leaped from behind his covered position in a valiant charge. With his first steps toward the enemy, he triggered a hidden booby trap and fell mortally wounded. An enemy rifleman fled from the hut and was cut down in the ambush Stone had deftly laid. By his courageous and selfless action, Stone reflected great credit upon himself and the Marine Corps and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.”

Stone was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star. And former Eastern State teammate Henry Migliore doesn’t want Stone to be forgotten.

Migliore approached Eastern State about naming an award for male and female athletes who exemplify Stone’s character on and off the field. Eastern State recently held its 44th annual Larry Stone All-Sports Banquet. Mission accomplished, Henry. Stone is not forgotten.

2, Brian “Ski” Donarski didn’t give all, thank goodness. But he gave a lot and he did it more than once.

Donarski enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1987. He said he was injured in training during the first Gulf War and was medically discharged.

After 9-11, Donarski said he felt compelled to “go back.” In 2004, after being examined by multiple doctors and passing six Army physical fitness tests, he waived his VA benefits and enlisted in the Army.

In 2005, Donarski was on the Syrian border transporting 7,200 gallons of jet fuel when an anti-tank mine sent him to a 13-month stay at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He sustained a traumatic brain injury, a neck fracture, bulged disks in his back, a damaged shoulder and he lost vision in his right eye for four months.

Donarski wasn’t done. He was reassigned to a Special Forces Unit and redeployed to Afghanistan. He volunteered for airborne training and helped plan and execute over 700 infiltration, ex-filtration and re-supply operations, resulting in the successful implementation of over 400 combat operations.

Donarski went to officer school and, in 2009, he was commissioned as a lieutenant and assigned to Military Intelligence Branch as an All-Source Intelligence Officer. During an off-duty bike ride, Donarski was struck by a vehicle, resulting in more injuries and further vision loss. He said he relies on his left eye to see.

Donarski was awarded a Purple Heart. Maybe he would have stole the hearts of Patriot Cup spectators if they had known his back story.

“This is amazing for how many people have come here and taken time out of their day to just come and say hi,” Donarski said between shots at the Patriot Cup.

“The celebrities and the pro golfers that are here, it really lets guys like us know (we are appreciated). And I wish the guys prior to me, and I hope the men and women after me, know that there are so many Americans out there that support us. Regardless of what is going on in our country, they are backing us 110 percent. They want nothing but the best for us and our families.”

Still think Memorial Day is about cookouts?


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Tulsa World sports writer Jimmie Tramel is a former class president at Locust Grove High School. He graduated magna cum laude from Northeastern State University with a journalism degree and, while attending college, was sports editor of the Pryor Daily Times. He joined the Tulsa World on Oct. 17, 1989, the same day an earthquake struck the World Series. He is the OSU basketball beat writer and a columnist and feature writer during football season. In 2007, he wrote a book about Oklahoma State football with former Cowboy coach Pat Jones.

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