Donald R. Brenner – Chief Warrant Officer, United States Army

From a contemporary press report

Donald R. Brenner, 51, a much-decorated US Army Chief Warrant Officer who served two tours of duty as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam, died Monday, February  22, 1988 at the West Los Angeles Veterans Administration Medical Center. Mr. Brenner, a native of the Midwood section of Brooklyn who recently lived in Buena Park, California, died of liver failure.

According to  his family, he had been suffering from liver disease caused by his exposure to the chemical Agent Orange in Vietnam. Brenner served one hitch in the Army before graduating from the University of Tampa. In 1966, according to a cousin, Michael Ryan of Stony Brook, New York, he re-enlisted and was trained as a helicopter pilot. He was shot down twice in combat, Ryan said.

After the war, Brenner was an ordnance officer for many years at West Point, responsible for maintaining inventories at National Guard armories in the metropolitan area.

Along with a Silver Star, he earned a Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts, and had received the Army’s Humanitarian Service for aiding in rescues of Guatemala earthquake victims.

Survivors include two sons, Donald, of Los Angeles, and Jerry, serving with the Army at Fort Ord, California; a daughter, Vickey Vasquez, of Los Angeles; a sister, Wendy Bishop in Maryland, and his parents, Albert and Ann Brenner of Walkill, New York. A military funeral with full honors will be held at Arlington National Cemetery.

Michael Robert Patterson

Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.

Reviewed by: Michael Howard