Remembering Peters' Fallen Heroes

Memorial Day means a lot of different things to different people. For many, it’s a day off of work or school, or a day to have a barbecue, picnic or party. Some see it as just another day, only without garbage pick-up or mail. But, for our nation’s body of veterans and military families, it is something far more important.

For them, it’s a day of remembering those who have died in our nation’s service. Indeed, this is the true meaning of Memorial Day—and, it is our job to teach this meaning to our children.

There’s no need to turn off the grill or set down your frosty mug of lager. You should still enjoy your day off. After all, it’s an expression of your freedom, one of the many freedoms for which volumes of soldiers have died. Just don’t get so lost in wieners and potato salad that you forget to remember the fallen.

Local businessman and Vietnam War veteran Bob Donnan definitely won’t forget to remember.

In fact, Donnan, like many other veterans, remembers daily. He also strives to have others recognize and honor his fallen brethren, and to increase public awareness about the brave men of Peters Township who lost their lives in war.

Donnan owns and operates Donnan Landscape Services, a professional landscaping business that has served the South Hills region for over three decades. Before his business served the South Hills, Donnan served his country in Vietnam in 1971. He was part of the heavy artillery battalion, and was stationed at Central Highlands, Vietnam.  

Donnan’s family has a strong historical presence in Washington County, dating back 200 years. Members of his ancestry fought in the Revolutionary War, the Battle at Gettysburg and WWII.

Less than a decade ago, Donnan took on another mission. He sought to have Captain Paul Dean Urquhart and PFC Thomas Allebach Shipe memorialized in the area.

Captain Paul Dean Urquhart served as a Loach Helicopter pilot in Vietnam. His helicopter was shot down on May 28, 1971. Though the loss coordinates are known, his body was never recovered and Urquhart is considered a POW-MIA. Because of the rough terrain where his copter went down, even modern technology has been unable to identify any remains of his body.

At the time he fell, Urquhart was a Peters resident. He was a graduate of Washington and Jefferson College.

PFC Thomas Allebach Shipe was a Peters resident and alum killed in the line of duty as a rifleman in Vietnam in 1970. He posthumously received the Award of the Silver Star, and is considered a hero by many, including PTHS alum Brian Hottel, who shared his research on Shipe with Donnan.

Over the course of two years, Donnan reached out to several area institutions to get both of these brave men the local recognition they deserved.

First, Donnan and Hottel went to the school board to petition for Shipe’s memorialization. As a result, Shipe was honored with a plaque on the wall behind the librarians’ desk in the PTHS library.

Next, Donnan went to PT Council, to request the inclusion of both Urquhart and Shipe on the brown-brick memorial wall next to Council Chambers. Donnan then persuaded Council to fly the POW-MIA flag below the American flag on the flagpole next to the , in honor of Urquhart.

Donnan also swayed to memorialize Urquhart and Shipe on its Wall of Valor, which typically honors only decorated VFW Post 764 members. Thanks to Donnan, Shipe is also honored in Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall in Oakland.

Donnan reflects that his efforts proved incredibly rewarding. He was particularly touched when Urquhart’s father, now deceased, expressed his gratitude.

Just as Donnan has worked to honor departed soldiers, so too has he worked to honor the living. In addition to his prior membership with VFW Post 764 and continued presence with the VFW in general, Donnan has coordinated the rejoining of over 100 veterans.

His first involvement with the veterans was in 1991, when Donnan and his wife hosted the inaugural reunion of his battalion in Pittsburgh. Since that time, the group has continued to meet more frequently, with reunions as often as every two years.

To learn more about the men mentioned here, check out Donnan’s website, where you can also find information on Donnan Landscape Services and on other heroes and matters of local interest.