by Rose Cruz Churma
The Hawaii Filipino Chronicle, through its publisher, Chona Montesino Sonido, recently endorsed Anthony Donahue to be the next U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines.
In the letter of endorsement to the White House, she notes:
“His leadership background in military special operations, finance, and non-profit industries is essential to advance and protect American interests in the Philippines.”
Donahue is the leading contender for this critical position, which is not surprising. His resume is impressive.
A recent graduate of Harvard Medical School studying global health delivery (graduating with a 4.0 GPA), he is currently the CFO of a $55-million eCommerce conglomerate, Wylde, Inc., based in Ramona, California.
He also received a postgraduate diploma in Diplomatic Studies from the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, where he took courses in international law, trade & finance, and politics, and completed a study on the evolving strategic posture of military diplomacy.
Since May 2023, he has been a reservist Pararescueman (TSgt E-6) with the U.S Air Force while taking his postgraduate courses.
“I’ve always been very curious, exploring the fringes so that I may calibrate my internal compass and better navigate the world. Being a PJ reservist while conducting my 5-year academic journey to the University of Oxford and Harvard Medical School allowed me to test academic theory against military “working class” pragmatism–a true education,” Donahue reflected.
He also volunteers as the U.S. military liaison for the Massachusetts General Hospital’s Center for the Neuroscience of Psychedelics.
Through this position, he’s been able to reach out to over 30,000 veterans for the purpose of prioritizing quality care through medical research.
Donahue credits his interest in medical research and healthcare to his experience as a U.S. Navy SEAL and as a pararescueman with the U.S. Air Force. He believes that combat medicine and the ensuing logistical protocols that determine definitive care were integral to his leadership development.
He cites the time when he served as Deputy Commander of Naval Special Warfare Forces in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) when he witnessed a correlation between morale and health security for both the local populace and Philippine Security Forces.
In 2011, the Task Force that Donahue led partnered with its Philippine counterpart and rescued dozens of injured troops. This joint venture was lauded as a moral victory and the evolution of the Task Force’s mission that altered his comprehension of foreign policy success.
He considers his deployment to ARMM as a watershed experience. “My great-grandfather was a Philippine Scout for the U.S. Army in 1901 and fought in the area I would eventually deploy to,” he explained.
Donahue’s 145-person team was tasked to foster local support for the Philippine government while ostracizing violent extremist organizations in the region. As Deputy Commander, he participated in over 200 engagements with local stakeholders, national NGOs, and political leaders.
These engagements would guide his $15 million per quarter allocation to complete 110 humanitarian operations, as well as the building of roadways and medical clinics in the area.
He had many memorable incidents that occurred during his deployment to the ARMM.
“We repatriated two Filipino-Americans who were being held hostage for months on Basilan,” Donahue shared.
“During one operation, I was able to rendezvous with the Mark V SOC on my stand-up paddleboard. Then there was the daily mission of working with the locals, speaking Tagalog, and “politicking,” all while exploring my roots. It was a special deployment for me.”
Growing up, he heard stories of his great-grandfather involved in combat in Muslim Mindanao in the early 20th century.
“It was surreal to think that perhaps I was operating on territory that my great-grandfather was operating on 100 years earlier,” he said.
Donahue believes that this holistic investment in multi-generational and sustainable projects created economic stability as well as provided the needed healthcare.
“This served as a catalyst to how I would approach national defense for the rest of my career,” he reflected.
While Donahue’s knowledge of the culture and language of the Philippines influenced his deployment to the ARMM, his fluency in colloquial Arabic led to multiple Middle East deployments since his graduation from Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, where he majored in International Studies with a minor in Arabic.
His more than 20 years of technical and leadership experience in the U.S. military’s special operations provided him with the experience that honed his skills in critical thinking and in building high-performance teams.
A third-generation military brat, Donahue was born in a military hospital on Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska in the dead of winter.
“We lived in an unheated trailer outside the base. My father was an enlisted recruit at E-1, so we made do in keeping me warm by wrapping me up in blankets and using a box for a crib,” he said.
His Irish-American dad and his Filipina mom were “penpals” initially, introduced by his mom’s sister, who had married an American serviceman. Eventually, after his dad made several visits to Manila, his parents tied the knot in the Philippines.
“My lolo, Dominador Jaymalin, assisted my mom, Rebecca (Jaymalin) Donahue, in raising me from the age of four until I was nine. My dad was in the US Air Force at the time and traveled often for work, so my lolo lived with us and was a formidable male role model for me,” Donahue recalled.
“My lolo was a very proud man. He raised me on the tenets of utility and pragmatism. My mom, who moved to the US at the age of 28, and my lolo spoke Tagalog in the house. And both encouraged me to be “astig” and respectful in manners and dress.”
His grandparents moved to the US specifically to help their two daughters with their young families. His lola stayed with his aunt’s family while his lolo stayed with them.
“My mother also instilled a veneration of the Filipino culture in me during my upbringing. She enrolled me in Filipino martial arts and was a Filipino folkdance instructor at multiple Fil-Am organizations. I performed Filipino folk dances such as the maglalatik and itik-itik from grade school until I joined the military,” he shared.
Donahue added that when he goes home, his mom still makes him champurado for breakfast with a side of tuyo.
As a US Navy SEAL, he was stationed in Hawaii. “I could surf at the North Shore then, but I won’t do that now,” he chuckled.
He confessed that he tried to surf at all the islands he visited, and wondered if there were good surfing spots in the Philippines close to Manila.
“I’ve been to the Philippines multiple times as a young boy, accompanying my mom on visits to her home in the Binondo-Tondo area, or relatives in Novaliches and Batangas. My lolo even let me handle firecrackers at a young age,” Donahue recalled, smiling at the memory.
“But what I worry about is how my young daughter, Amaya, would fare in a rarefied environment, where a yaya would tie her shoes,” he paused.
“But I guess, my wife Candy will make sure she stays grounded, and maybe absorb the culture and learn Tagalog, if I’m given this opportunity to serve.”
It was mid-afternoon when we finished the interview.
“I kept a surfboard in my rental car—one last surfing session before we return home tomorrow,” he confessed.
The idea of hitting the warm waters of the Pacific, this body of water that links Hawaii with the Philippines, seemed to energize him.
It would seem like the position of U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines was tailor-made to fit him.
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