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Vietnam Veteran Harold J. McDonald
Harold McDonald can be seen seated in the front row, first on the right
Episode 3241 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about the remembrance of Vietnam Veterans Harold J. McDonald at Ashland, Ohio. The featured story is titled: “Once a Black Lion, Always a Black Lion”: Vietnam Veteran Doug Miller Remembers Fallen Comrade Harold McDonald. It appeared on the ACP News website and was submitted by Joe Lyons.
Lyons reported that Vietnam War veteran Doug Miller offers a deeply personal tribute to fallen comrade Harold McDonald as part of his ongoing “This Day in History” reflections. Marking April 2, 1970, Miller recalls the day McDonald, just 22 years old, was killed in action during a search-and-destroy mission in Tay Ninh Province near the Cambodian border—an area known for heavy combat during the war.
McDonald was serving with Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry, 1st Air Cavalry Division at the time of his death, having been reassigned after the 1st Infantry Division redeployed to the United States. Before that transition, he had spent eight months alongside Miller in the 1st Platoon, Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Regiment—the famed “Black Lions.” In Miller’s memory, McDonald was far more than a fellow soldier; he was a trusted M-60 machine gunner and a dependable friend whose presence brought strength and confidence to those around him.
Miller reflects on a platoon photograph taken shortly before the unit’s departure from Vietnam, where McDonald sits in the front row—a lasting image of a young man whose life was cut tragically short. His reassignment in late February 1970 ultimately led him back into active combat, where he would lose his life just over a month later.
Through heartfelt words and vivid remembrance, Miller honors McDonald not only for his service, but for his character and camaraderie. His message is clear and enduring: those who served together are forever bound—“Once a Black Lion, always a Black Lion.”
Listen to Episode 3241 and discover more about the remembrance of Vietnam Veterans Harold J. McDonald at Ashland, Ohio.
