United States Army Lieutenant Colonel Sean Donohue was familiar with military service long before his own career began in 2002. Both of his grandfathers served their country, and Donohue grew up in Tacoma, WA near Joint Base Lewis-McChord. It may come as a surprise that one of his parents were not on board with the prospect of him putting on the nation’s cloth.
“I always thought the military was an intriguing opportunity,” Donohue said. “But it was nothing my mother ever wanted me associated with, nor did she ever articulate why she felt that way.”
What Donohue did take part in was sports. He played baseball and football at different points of his childhood, but he acknowledged that fitness was not his best quality growing up.
Donohue recalled, “I was an active kid, but weight was always problem for me.” He did find success in the pool and even swam competitively in college. However, he opted to focus more on music and got his degree in Music Business.
“I thought I was going to be working with rock bands,” he shared.
He Answered His Country’s Call
Like many current members of the Armed Forces, Donohue opted to consider service after the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. By 2002, Donohue officially shifted his focus from music to the Army. In spite of his athletic background, he was concerned about how he would hold up in basic training. Things turned out okay for him, though.
“It worked well enough and I remember being the oldest guy in my basic training company at 23 and one of only two of us who passed the old APFT on the first test.”
In the 23 years since, he worked in several capacities while traveling the world, including as a combat medic, legislative liaison, TRADOC-IMT Surgeon, and is currently a PA while living in Virginia. He is thankful for the leaders that have challenged and supported him throughout his two decades in service.
“I’ve been very fortunate to be surrounded by great leaders throughout my career and I’m grateful that some of them have encouraged me to do things that I wasn’t entirely convinced of at the time.”
He may be the one performing on a day-to-day basis, but the husband and father of three emphasizes that he did not make this commitment alone.
“I’m most proud of my family though, Lexey and I joined the Army- meaning we made the choice together to become an Army family.”
They have found fitness to be another common bond that holds them together and a great way to stay connected while continuing to be at their best for themselves and each other. Donohue got into cycling during the lockdowns, and his family joined him in pursuing the new passion.
Donohue explained, “For our family, it was a great way to connect and share nature and the outdoors together.”
He took it a step further and went on to coach the largest team in Virginia, and he proudly shared that his youngest son continued cycling and raced nationally for a few years. His son eventually shifted his focus back to academics, but he himself went on to start taking part in cyclocross, a hybrid of road and mountain biking.
“Lots of mud, sand, hills and running. Legend says it started as a way for French soldiers to train in winter. It’s a blast and I love the community.”
That is only one aspect of his personal commitment to being his best self. He has also been dedicated to the weights and running, which made his travels across the globe a little more enjoyable.
“My travels would never have been so rich if it wasn’t for making time to squeeze in a run.”
Donohue is currently involved with the Army’s Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) readiness system, which is designed to help soldiers improve in five different pillars (physical, mental, spiritual, nutrition, sleep). As a Clinical Integration lead, Donohue is helping lay the groundwork of this program and sees its potential for success now and later as they develop over 100 teams across the Army over the next few years.
“Not only will H2F serve soldiers now, but it will help make life easier for them after they become veterans.”
Donohue will be sharing his passion and knowledge with many attendees at an upcoming United States Air Force Honor Guard Symposium in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 13, 2025. Donohue will be bringing his knowledge and experience with H2F with him as he joins other well-respected members of the military community such as LTC Charjo Grant, USAF SSgt Chase Griffin, and others. Donohue is excited to be in a position to help many others learn how to be their best so they can continue giving their best to the nation. He sees the opportunity for what it is, a way to reach Americans that they normally may not.
“We’re really fortunate to have a national platform. Militarily speaking, we may only be one percent of the nation, yet we can have an outweighing effect on the greater environment. This is a great opportunity to have more of a national discourse.”
Donohue’s impact has been and will continue to be felt for the rest of his career and even after by many that he may never meet in person. He looks back at his career fondly and sees his future as bright with many more opportunities to come. He also hopes that the next generation of Americans that enter service will be aware of their own potential and invest into that with the same energy and commitment that he had into his own career.
“Take a chance on being truly great yourself.”
You can follow Donahue on LinkedIn.
M&F Senior Military Editor Rob Wilkins contributed to this article.
