Please add your support to naming the new federal courthouse currently under construction in Buffalo in honor of Major General William Donovan, one of America's greatest heroes.
With the demise of the Donovan State Office Building, there is no memorial to General Donovan in his hometown. This is a unique opportunity to pay tribute to him and to preserve his memory for future generations.
General Donovan dedicated his life to serving and protecting the United States of America. The list of his accomplishments is unparalleled in our nation's history. General Donovan received the Medal of Honor in World War I and is the only American to receive our nation's four highest military honors.
Naming the new federal courthouse in his honor is particularly appropriate given his service to the U.S. Department of Justice. He served as the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York, as an Assistant U.S. Attorney General, and as a special assistant to the chief prosecutor at the Nuremberg War Crimes Tribunal.
General Donovan founded and led the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), America'ss first organized effort to create a strategic intelligence service and the predecessor to the Central Intelligence Agency and U.S. Special Forces. Following World War II, he served as Ambassador to Thailand.
Upon receiving the William J. Donovan Award in 1966, Admiral Louis Mountbatten said that he doubted "whether any one person contributed more the ultimate victory of the Allies than Bill Donovan." Upon learning of General Donovan's death in 1959, President Eisenhower said: "We have lost the last hero."
Naming the new courthouse in his honor is a fitting and lasting tribute to one of America's and Buffalo's greatest patriots.
Sponsor
The Office of Strategic Services Society celebrates the historical accomplishments of the OSS during World War II—the first organized effort by this nation to implement a centralized system of strategic intelligence and the predecessor to the Central Intelligence Agency and US Special Forces—and educates the public regarding the continuing importance of strategic intelligence to the preservation of freedom in this country and around the world.
The OSS Society and its predecessor, the Veterans of OSS, have sponsored, organized and participated in educational events and programs such as presentations to the Society by Gen. Hugh Shelton, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and by Gen. Wayne Downing, former Commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command; presentations of the prestigious William J. Donovan Award to William Casey, William Colby, President George H. W. Bush, President Reagan, President Eisenhower, Admiral Lord Mountbatten, Ralph Bunche, Margaret Thatcher, Richard Helms, William Webster, and Major General John Singlaub; symposia recording the accomplishments of the OSS and the experiences of its veterans; and reunions of OSS veterans.
The OSS Society publishes a journal that is made available to members of the intelligence, foreign policy, and special forces communities. It offers research assistance in response to requests from historians, educators, students, US military and intelligence organizations, and descendants of OSS veterans. The OSS Society provides speakers to a wide array of groups and has established OSS memorials throughout the United States.
The OSS Society is a 501(c)3 public charity. All donations are tax deductible. Membership in The OSS Society is available to OSS veterans, their descendants, current and former members of the U.S. intelligence and U.S. special forces communities, and U.S. citizens who have a serious interest in the OSS.
Links
www.osssociety.org
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