Customer Reviews

Falcon's Cry: A Desert Storm Memoir

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If you want to know what life is really like for an American who serves his country, then read this book. Unfortunately too many men and women who serve our country as heroes every day and put their lives on the line get tossed aside by the bureaucracy after they are needed. The pain and suffering that our own government puts these families through is unexcusable at best and evil otherwise. Michael and Denise should be commended for their courage in telling this all too real story. It made me laugh and cry throughout, much like life does. All of us can feel this story, it could be any of us. A must read.

I first came across the book in the fall of '99. It was at a critical time in my air force career. Soon, the mandate to submit to the anthrax vaccine would require a decision that would obviously affect the rest of my life. Take a vaccine that has been proven to cause terrible reactions and has been whispered to be a root cause of Gulf War Illness or refuse and be subject to military justice and the end of my career.

In my squadron, the most asked question to management was "If we become ill following the vaccine, will the Air Force take care of us?" As I saw in this book, the answer to the question is NO.

As pilots, our most treasured asset is our health. Without it, we can no longer perform the mission that we love. The manner in which Michael and Denise describe the physical and mental anguish he endured was truly overwhelming. I could imagine myself in his position and the way I would react; how I would feel.

In my months of research, this book proved to be one of the many determining factors in my decsion. When I talked to former commanders who reminded me of their experiences with Agent Orange or when I spoke with members at my own base that had testified to Congress about their illnesses following the anthrax vaccine, in the back of my mind was Michael Donnelly.

I ultimately made my decision to resign in lieu of taking the vaccine which has led to the end of my aviation career. The only salvation I have is the knowledge that I will never need to worry about unexplained illness in the future.

My most heartfelt sympathy and gratitude go out to Michael and Denise's families. Michael's story is one that I will never forget. Thank you for helping me make my decision.

I obtained a tape of this book from the library of the blind , on tape.
I was fascinated with the whole process of his student days as well as the way they worked in the present time illness.
My heart goes out to him and his family and ALL other Soldiers who became ill with no apparent cause after the war.
I would like to know what his present status is, and would like to help in any way that is possible.
In thinking that our present war situation probably is as tentative, to hold this VITAL information back from those who serve makes a mockery of the Ideals our Country was founded on.
I used to participate in Living History, and the good thing about that is that we seem to LEARN from the past.
War does NOT change minds or hearts.
I would hope and pray that this present generation does not have to pay the price of this brave Soldier, Officer, and Gentleman.

Around the time that Generals Powell and Schwarkopf were being feted in the United States as the most conspicuous heroes of the Persian Gulf War, Major Donnelly returned home to an equally jubilant but more modest reception. He had flown more than forty bombing missions during the conflict and emerged unscathed. But coiled tightly within him on his return home was a war related affliction -- amyotropic later sclerosis or ALS, better known as Lou Gherig's disease -- that gradually stripped him of his mobility, leaving his body immobilized, while his mind and senses remained unimpaired and sharp as a tack. Falcon's Cry: A Desert Storm Memoir is an action packed memoir of the gulf war told from an F16 pilot's point of view, a record of Major Donnelly's tragic deterioration, and a partial account of his valient and ultimately successful effort to persuade men without chests in the Pentagon that there is indeeed a well founded connection between the illnesses suffered by more than 160,000 returning troops and their service in the gulf. Only recently, under much pressure brought by gulf war veterans, Major Donnelly among them, has congress passed a law that would presume gulf war illnesses are related to hazardous wartime exposures, thus ending the agonizing battle fought by sick vets to obtain medical relief for illnesses they suffered in the service of their country. When the subject is flying, Major Donnelly prose takes wing and ascends to poetry. At its best, some passages remind me of St. Exupery's writings on flight. The narrative includes sharp profiles of his comrades in arms, and his story is told with the kind of mildly exaggerated humor that flowed so effortlessly from the pen of Mark Twain. In the last few pages of his book, Major Donnelly aims his sights at officials who towed the Pentagon's line on Gulf War Syndrome. The assault will be particualrly gratifying to true patriots. Unfortunately for Major Donnelly and his courageous family, there can be no happy ending to his story. But his book is itself a record of a man fully alive who has battled valiantly for others and, as such, it represents a great victory of love and the human spirit over fear and death.

I just found out about Michael's death through the Gulflink website. My sympathy goes out to his family. His story, with the help of his sister Denise, will be with us all always. He could have chose to sit back and just kept his disease and facts to himself, but he chose to share it with all in the hopes it might make a difference to someone. What a legacy to leave. And thanks Michael, for helping my family live through our anger we had at my brother's death, and dealing with Gulf War illness. My prayers are with your family....

Kelly Seibert

Hillsborough, NC

In this story there is a message for millions of Americans. In this story the reader will learn about the "wheels of justice."

It becomes increasingly clear as one reads this book, that the author represents the millions of men and women in our armed forces who risk everything as part of their duty to country. Major Donnelly is an inspiration to us all, and now inspires us to the reality of our system.

As a former military officer, I feel the same sense of loss that Major Donnely describes so tactfully in this book. This loss comes at a time when our president, the Commander in Chief, no longer maintains the same standards of conduct which is expected from any member of the military. This loss of integrity and honor among military leaders, government bureacrats, and politicians is unacceptable. The events which led to the writing of this excellent book were avoidable, as is the eventual fate of this country if we don't address this problem now.

Thankfully, I served with the Marine Corps. Our Commandant is the only member of the joint Chiefs of Staff to have taken on this issue squarely. Semper Fidelis General and thank you Major Donnelly for your leadership during truly dark times for this country!

An all-American boy realizes his life's dream to fly jets as an Air Force Officer. When he is called to action in the Gulf War, he leaves a wife and child and steps up to do his duty. From exposure to chemicals sprayed on his stateside base, then during the War, he develops Lou Gehrig's disease. Expecting support as a soldier and as an American, Donnelly is stunned to encounter government denials, even as mounting evidence grows about his and others' service-connected illness. Beautifully written with great dignity and courage, Falcon's Cry should be the call to righting the wrongs of government denial, before we lose even more good men and women. A must read!

I bought and read the book when it first came out, and I bought a second so I can loan it to others to read and not worry about my first book getting lost. Besides the Donnellys, some of the people and events in the book were apart of our life as well. Very well written!

Not too many books grab my heart as this one did. I felt like I was participating in the book myself! Both Denise and Michael did an excellent job bringing his story to life. I read the book when it first came out and I still continue to think about it often (two years later). Personally, I could see it made into a movie. At any rate, this is one book that is a must read in my opinion and well worth my money spent!