In 1972, the nation was introduced to the mystique of the ancient Eastern fighting style known as kung fu through the Western TV series of the same name.

That same year, half a world away in the Far East, a helicopter pilot who would one day call Waco his home found spiritual strength and mental stamina through his own practice of a venerable self-defense discipline.

A photo of Air Force Sgt. John E. McDonough, clad in his white karate gi and kicking at a punching bag, is part of a national educational tour of Vietnam veteran artifacts and testimonies sponsored by the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Educational Center.

McDonough, who left the Air Force in 1973, mined copper for a while in Utah before coming to Waco in 1977 to work for Mosley Machinery Co.
Photo courtesy of Stacia McDonough

The black-and-white image was chosen from hundreds of items collected by the “Traveling Trunks” program to go on the tour.

The hands-on project allows teachers to show their students original objects and documents that help tell the story of the Vietnam War.

The first trunk — “Life and Times: Soldiers, Families and Nations” — sets out to explore answers to the essential question: “How does war affect soldiers and their families?”

The kit contains artifacts such as dog tags, uniforms, personal letters and photographs.

Katie Henry, director of the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Educational Center, said she was attracted to the McDonough tae kwon do photo because it was a “unique image of a soldier engaging in an activity outside of traditional military duties.”

She said it will be an activity that students, particularly those interested in athletics, can relate to their own lives.

“We are excited to put meaning behind the memory,” Henry said.

Tae kwon do benefits

Unlike some soldiers, who fought their inner demons with self-destructive habits such as drinking and drug use, McDonough used tae kwon do to tame the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, according to his widow, Stacia McDonough.

The military aviator was with the 21st Tactical Air Support Squadron, serving from 1972-73 in three specific “hot zones” during the war — Saigon, Nha Trang and Anloc. He flew reconnaissance missions to rescue wounded soldiers.

This photo of the late U.S. Air Force Sgt. John E. McDonough, practicing tae kwon do in 1972 while on a military tour of Vietnam, is part of a national touring exhibit to educate youngsters about America’s second-longest overseas conflict.
Photo courtesy of Stacia McDonough

“He was pretty tight-lipped about these missions until I got a couple of beers into him,” Stacia McDonough said. “One time, he told me, he could hear a whole bunch of guys — over their radios — getting slaughtered because they didn’t get there in time. He was pretty tormented about it.”

After the war, John McDonough graduated from the Spartan School of Aeronautics in Tulsa, Okla., before coming to Texas.

He lived in Waco from 1977 until the turn of the century and owned a home in Woodway for many years.

While McDonough lived in Waco, his wife said, he worked for Mosley Machinery Co., a business at the time that was the second-largest maker of hydraulic scrap-metal processing equipment in the United States.

“He left Texas only reluctantly,” she said. “He always intended to retire there (in Waco.)”

But on Nov. 30, 2005, he succumbed to complications from diabetes that his wife attributes to his exposure to Agent Orange. He died at age 54 in their home in New Jersey.

Stacia McDonough, 46, a professional doll maker who lives in Bedminster, N.J., met her late husband a decade ago, when he moved to New Jersey to start his own industrial machinery company.

“He was my sister’s next-door neighbor, and she was having a barbecue. He had that big, big Texas personality that I fell for,” she said.

Despite the 13-year age difference, she said she was smitten by his gentleness, moral constitution and selfless care for others.

“He was really an angel, and I am so fortunate to have known him as long as I did,” Stacia McDonough said. “I got lucky.”

Sgt. John E. McDonough of the 21st Tactical Air Support Squadron served from 1972-73 in three especially designated “hot zones” during the Vietnam War: Saigon, Nha Trang and Anloc. He was a “spotter,” helping to rescue his fellow troops shot down over the jungles.
Photo courtesy of Stacia McDonough

John McDonough was a native of upstate New York, “but his heart was in Texas,” she said.

WWII veteran’s son

He was born on July 4, 1951, and was the only son of a (now 90-year-old) WWII veteran of the Pacific theater.

Having her husband’s photo travel the country to illuminate the minds of young people “is bittersweet,” Stacia McDonough said. “It makes me very sad that John never got the recognition and respect for his service and sacrifice during his life, that he now receives after his death.

“Unfortunately, this is the case with many of our Vietnam veterans. When he first got back, he realized that he had to take his military experience off his résumé. That’s because when people read ‘Vietnam veteran’ on it, they thought you were either a drunk, a druggy or crazy.”

tjryan@wacotrib.com

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