William "Wild Bill" Donovan is a legend within the American intelligence community as the founder and head of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) which was the predecessor to both the CIA and U.S. Special Forces. But before his WWII exploits, Wild Bill earned his nickname in the trenches during World War I.
The Association of the United States Army (AUSA) continues its well-received Medal of Honor series of comic books done in collaboration with comic industry pros such as writer Chuck Dixon, illustrator Andrew Paquette, and colorist Peter Pantazis.
The just-released Wild Bill issue of the MOH series discusses his upbringing, joining the military, and service in World War I where his battalion charged across "no man's land" under blistering German machine gun fire.
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It was during the Meuse-Argonne offensive in 1918, and Donovan was losing men left and right.
Despite being shot through the leg, Donovan motivated his men and pressed the attack. Despite failed counter-attacks and reinforcements being blown up by German artillery, he continued to assault forward with his men until being forced to order a withdrawal after 24 hours of combat.
Years later, in 1923, Donovan was awarded the Medal of Honor, which he donated to his Regiment.
AUSA's comic book tells the entire story, and in a format that makes it accessible to readers old and young alike.
Of course, this was just the beginning of Donovan's adventures, but that as they say, is another story.
Free copies of the comic book are available from AUSA.
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Reach Jack Murphy: jack@connectingvets.com or @JackMurphyRGR.
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