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Victoria Cross for Australia

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{{short description|Recipient of the Victoria Cross}}
{{about|the Australian Victoria Cross recipient|the New Zealand All Black rugby union player|Mark Donaldson (rugby union)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox military person
|name= Mark Donaldson
|image= Mark Donaldson VC 2014 (cropped).jpg
|image_size=
|alt=
|caption= Corporal Mark Donaldson in 2014
|birth_name= Mark Gregor Strang Donaldson
|birth_date= {{Birth date and age|1979|4|2|df=yes}}
|death_date=
|birth_place= [[Waratah, New South Wales]]
|death_place=
|placeofburial=
|nickname=
|allegiance= Australia
|branch= [[Australian Army]]
|serviceyears= 2002–present
|rank= [[Corporal]]
|servicenumber=
|unit= [[1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment]]<br/>[[Special Air Service Regiment]]
|commands=
|battles=
{{tree list}}
* [[East Timor]]
* [[Iraq War]]
** [[Operation Falconer]]
* [[War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)|War in Afghanistan]]
** [[Operation Slipper]]
** [[Battle of Khaz Oruzgan]]
{{tree list/end}}
|awards= [[Victoria Cross for Australia]]
|relations=
|laterwork=
}}
'''Mark Gregor Strang Donaldson''', {{post-nominals|size=100%|country=AUS|VC}} (born 2 April 1979) is an Australian soldier and a recipient of the [[Victoria Cross for Australia]], the highest award in the [[Australian honours system]]. Then [[Trooper (rank)|Trooper]] Donaldson was a member of the [[Special Air Service Regiment]] (SASR) when he exposed himself to enemy fire to protect injured troops and then rescued an interpreter under heavy enemy fire in the [[Battle of Khaz Oruzgan]] during [[Operation Slipper]], the Australian contribution to the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|War in Afghanistan]]. He was presented with the decoration by the [[Governor-General of Australia]], [[Quentin Bryce]], in a ceremony in [[Canberra]] on 16 January 2009. On 25 January 2010, Donaldson was named the [[List of Young Australian of the Year Award recipients|2010 Young Australian of the Year]].<ref name="YAOTY">{{cite web|title=Young Australian of the Year 2010|url=https://www.australianoftheyear.org.au/recipients/mark-donaldson/216/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209063304/https://www.australianoftheyear.org.au/recipients/mark-donaldson/216/|url-status=dead|archive-date=9 February 2022|publisher=[[National Australia Day Council]]|accessdate=9 February 2022}}</ref> He was promoted to [[corporal]] in June 2010.

==Early life==
Donaldson was born on 2 April 1979 in [[Waratah, New South Wales]], the younger son of Greg, a [[Vietnam War]] veteran, and Bernadette Donaldson. He grew up in the small northern New South Wales township of [[Dorrigo, New South Wales|Dorrigo]], attending Dorrigo High School, a small [[New South Wales Department of Education and Training|state]] [[Public school (government funded)#Australia|public school]],<ref name="DHS_plan">{{cite book |title=School Plan 2008 |publisher=Dorrigo High School |year=2008 |location=Dorrigo, NSW |last=Smith |first=Anne |author2=Roby Hunt |pages=2 }}</ref> until 1996.<ref name="coffscoast">{{cite news |title=VC for former Dorrigo pupil |work=The Coffs Coast Advocate |publisher=APN News & Media Ltd |date=17 January 2009 |url=http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/story/2009/01/17/vc-for-former-dorrigo-pupil-vc-for-former-dorrigo-/ |accessdate = 12 November 2009 }}</ref> In 1995, his father died suddenly of a heart attack, and Mark and his brother became wards of [[Legacy Australia|Legacy]], one of their legatees being a former member of the same Army unit their father had served in.<ref name="SMH_hero">{{cite web |title=The private pain of a national hero |last=Buchanan |first=Matt |work = [[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|date=24 January 2009 |url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/the-private-pain-of-a-national-hero/2009/01/23/1232471590756.html |accessdate=12 November 2009}}</ref>

In 1998, when Donaldson was 19 and attending art college in [[Sydney]], his mother disappeared. She is presumed murdered and an investigation into the disappearance is ongoing.<ref name="SMH_hero"/> Donaldson left full-time education and took a variety of physically demanding jobs in Australia and overseas.<ref name="SMH_hero"/>

==Military career==
===2002–2008===
Donaldson enlisted in the [[Australian Army]] on 18 June 2002. He trained at [[Army Recruit Training Centre (Australia)|Army Recruit Training Centre]], [[Kapooka, New South Wales|Kapooka]], winning prizes as the best shot and best at physical training in his platoon. Detailed to the [[Royal Australian Infantry Corps]], he then underwent further training at [[Singleton, New South Wales|Singleton]], where he won prizes again for shooting and physical training, and also as most outstanding soldier in his platoon. He was then posted to the [[1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment]], based in [[Townsville, Queensland]].<ref name=DoD>{{cite web |title=Trooper Mark Gregor Strang Donaldson, VC |url=http://www.defence.gov.au/special_events/tpr_markdonaldson.htm |archive-url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20120319214053/http://www.defence.gov.au/special_events/tpr_markdonaldson.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=19 March 2012 |publisher=Department of Defence|date=16 January 2009}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

From February to April 2004, Donaldson completed the SASR selection course, and was posted to 3 Squadron in May 2004. He has since seen service in [[East Timor]], [[Iraq War|Iraq]] ([[Operation Falconer]]) and Afghanistan ([[Operation Slipper]]).<ref name=DoD /> During his deployment to Afghanistan, he was slightly wounded on 12 August 2008 when the [[Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle|Bushmaster protected mobility vehicle]] he was travelling in struck an [[improvised explosive device]].<ref name=DoD /><ref name="VC hero tires of PR">{{cite news|last=Dodd|first=Mark|title=VC hero tires of PR and goes back to Afghan action|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/defence/vc-hero-tires-of-pr-and-goes-back-to-afghan-action/story-e6frg8yo-1225895821167|accessdate=30 July 2010|newspaper=The Australian|date=23 July 2010}}</ref>

===Victoria Cross for Australia===
[[File:Investiture of the Victoria Cross for Australia to Trooper Mark Donaldson.ogv|thumb|Video of the investiture ceremony at [[Government House, Canberra]], on 16 January 2009]]
The actions for which Donaldson's Victoria Cross for Australia were awarded took place on 2 September 2008. Patrolling with Afghan and US forces, they were ambushed by a well-prepared and larger [[Taliban]] force. The ambush began with sustained machine gun and rocket-propelled grenade fire, causing several casualties. Donaldson deliberately exposed himself to fire from the Taliban fighters in order to draw their attention away from the casualties, allowing them to be moved to cover. When the patrol attempted to withdraw, the number of casualties was such that the unwounded personnel (including Donaldson) had to make their way on foot, beside their vehicles, as the casualties filled the vehicles. As they set off, it was realised that an Afghan interpreter attached to the patrol was wounded and had not been loaded into the vehicles. Donaldson immediately crossed the {{convert|80|m|yd}} or so of open ground between the convoy and the interpreter, under heavy fire, and then carried him back to the vehicles where Donaldson administered first aid. The patrol eventually broke free of the ambush after two hours.<ref name=DoD />

When asked about the incident, Donaldson commented: "I'm a soldier, I'm trained to fight ... it's instinct and it's natural. I just saw him there, I went over and got him, that was it."<ref name="coffscoast"/> The events were first reported by the Australian press on 12 December 2008 following a briefing by Major General [[Tim McOwan]] on 11 December.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.defence.gov.au/media/SpeechTpl.cfm?CurrentId=8602|archive-url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20130908170740/http://www.defence.gov.au/media/SpeechTpl.cfm?CurrentId=8602|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 September 2013|title=Update on Special Operations in Afghanistan (MECC 81211/08)|author=Special Operations Commander, Major General Tim McOwan|publisher=Department of Defence|date=11 December 2008}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Aussie special forces crush Taliban leaders in Afghanistan |url=http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,,24788091-25837,00.html |last=Dodd |first=Mark |work=[[The Australian]] |date=12 December 2008 |accessdate=12 November 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090221091102/http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0%2C%2C24788091-25837%2C00.html |archive-date=21 February 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> At this stage, Donaldson was identified only as "Trooper F".<ref name=TheAustralian20090116>{{cite news |title=Australian SAS soldier Mark Donaldson awarded Victoria Cross |url=http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24920340-601,00.html |last=Kerr |first=Christian |author2=staff reporters |work=[[The Australian]] |publisher=News Limited |date=16 January 2009 |accessdate=12 November 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090305102926/http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0%2C25197%2C24920340-601%2C00.html |archive-date=5 March 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Donaldson then became the first recipient of the [[Victoria Cross for Australia]] on 16 January 2009; he was presented with the medal by the Governor-General at a ceremony in [[Government House, Canberra]].<ref name=DoD /><ref name=TheAustralian20090116 />

The official citation was published in a special edition of the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette of 20 January 2009 and states (in part) that the award was made for " ... most conspicuous acts of gallantry in action in a circumstance of great peril in Afghanistan, as part of the Special Operations Task Group during Operations SLIPPER, Oruzgan province, Afghanistan."<ref>{{cite news|title=Special Gazette No. S 10 |url=http://www.ag.gov.au/portal/govgazonline.nsf/7F6A2B42E671C05ECA2575430082A8C8/$file/S%2010%20SPDF.pdf |work=Commonwealth of Australia Gazette |pages=1–2 |date=20 January 2009 |accessdate=12 November 2009 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090206012727/http://ag.gov.au/portal/govgazonline.nsf/7F6A2B42E671C05ECA2575430082A8C8/%24file/S%2010%20SPDF.pdf |archivedate=6 February 2009 }}</ref><ref name=VC>{{cite web |title=DONALDSON, Mark Gregor, Victoria Cross for Australia |url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1140398 |accessdate=12 November 2009 |date=16 January 2009|work=It's An Honour |publisher = Australian Government |quote=For most conspicuous acts of gallantry in action in a circumstance of great peril in Afghanistan, as part of the Special Operations Task Group during Operations SLIPPER, Oruzgan province, Afghanistan. }}</ref> Seven days after the medal presentation, Donaldson lent his VC and other medals to the [[Australian War Memorial]] in an official ceremony. The medals were placed on display at the end of February 2009.<ref>{{cite web |title = Trooper Mark Donaldson loans his Victoria Cross to the Australian War Memorial |url = http://blog.awm.gov.au/awm/2009/01/22/trooper-donaldson-vc/ |date = 22 January 2009 |accessdate = 12 November 2009 |work = Blog Archive |last = Fletcher |first = Nick |publisher = Australian War Memorial |url-status = dead |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20090329090521/http://blog.awm.gov.au/awm/2009/01/22/trooper-donaldson-vc |archivedate = 29 March 2009}}</ref> Donaldson was subsequently received in audience by the [[Monarchy of Australia|Queen]], [[Elizabeth II]], at [[Windsor Castle]] on 10 November 2009.<ref>{{cite web |title=Trooper Mark Donaldson VC Meets Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II |url=http://www.defence.gov.au/media/DepartmentalTpl.cfm?CurrentId=9693 |accessdate=12 November 2009 |date=10 November 2009 |publisher=Australian Department of Defence}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Britain's Queen Elizabeth greets Australian trooper Mark Donaldson VC |url=http://www.daylife.com/photo/06VF9Ejby03yS |accessdate=12 November 2009 |date=10 November 2009 |publisher=Dailylife}}</ref>

===Subsequent career===
After being presented with his VC, Donaldson requested permission to remain a member of the SASR and participate in operational postings. This was approved by Chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal [[Angus Houston]], and Chief of Army, Lieutenant General [[Ken Gillespie]]. Donaldson subsequently served in Afghanistan for a four-month period in 2009, made a brief deployment to the country in early 2010 and deployed again in 2013. He was also promoted to the rank of [[corporal]] in 2010 after completing a junior leaders course.<ref name="Promoted_to_corporal">
{{cite news |title=Victoria Cross winner Mark Donaldson promoted to corporal |url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/victoria-cross-winner-mark-donaldson-promoted-to-corporal/story-e6frg8yo-1225885752704 |accessdate=29 June 2010 |newspaper=The Australian |date=29 June 2010 |agency=Australian Associated Press}}</ref>
[[File:M4 carbine used by Mark Donaldson at the AWM March 2018.jpg|thumb|left|The [[M4 carbine]] used by Donaldson during the action for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross for Australia on display at the Australian War Memorial]]

On 11 November 2009, Donaldson and British VC recipient [[Johnson Beharry]] handed a wreath to the Queen during a service in [[Westminster Abbey]] which marked the deaths in 2009 of the last three veterans of the First World War resident in the United Kingdom, [[Bill Stone (Royal Navy sailor)|Bill Stone]], [[Henry Allingham]] and [[Harry Patch]]. The wreath was then laid on the [[Tomb of the Unknown Warrior]].<ref>
{{cite news |title=Millions mark lost WWI generation |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8353405.stm |publisher=BBC |date=11 November 2009 |accessdate=12 November 2009}}</ref><ref>
{{cite news |title=Armistice Day services pay tribute to lost generation |last=Meikle |first=James |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/nov/11/armistice-day-first-world-war |work=The guardian|date=11 November 2009 |accessdate=12 November 2009}}</ref> While Donaldson was in London, news emerged in Afghanistan that [[Sarbi]], an [[explosive material|explosives]] [[detection dog]] that was declared [[missing in action]] after the 2 September ambush, had been found alive and well by an American soldier.<ref name=ADDRelease12Nov09>
{{cite press release|url=http://www.defence.gov.au/media/DepartmentalTpl.cfm?CurrentId=9698|archive-url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20140214160201/http://www.defence.gov.au/media/DepartmentalTpl.cfm?CurrentId=9698|url-status=dead|archive-date=14 February 2014|title=Australian Dog Returns Home After A Year in the Wilderness (MECC 386/09)|publisher=Australian Department of Defence|date=12 November 2009}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref name=ABCNews12Nov09>
{{cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/11/12/2741352.htm |title=Handler never gave up on lost army dog |publisher=ABC News |date=12 November 2009 |access-date=14 November 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091115020852/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/11/12/2741352.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=15 November 2009}}</ref> Donaldson said of the news that it "closed a chapter in their shared history" and "She's the last piece of the puzzle ... Having Sarbi back gives some closure for the handler and the rest of us that served with her in 2008. It's a fantastic morale booster for the guys."<ref name=ADDRelease12Nov09/><ref name=SydneyMorningHerald13Nov09>
{{cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/national/paws-in-the-wars-how-sabi-the-bomb-dogs-on-the-ball-20091113-ie8u.html?autostart=1 |title=Paws in the wars: how Sabi the bomb dog's on the ball |work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=13 November 2009 |accessdate=14 November 2009 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091115235955/http://www.smh.com.au/national/paws-in-the-wars-how-sabi-the-bomb-dogs-on-the-ball-20091113-ie8u.html?autostart=1 |archivedate=15 November 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Donaldson was announced as the Patron-in-Chief of the military charity Soldier on Australia on 4 October 2014.<ref>{{cite web |title=VC Recipient Mark Donaldson announced as Patron in Chief for Soldier On |date=4 October 2012 |work=Media release |publisher=Soldier On |url=http://soldieron.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/20121004_MR_Soldier-On-Launch-of-Patron-in-Chief.pdf |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130428041254/http://soldieron.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/20121004_MR_Soldier-On-Launch-of-Patron-in-Chief.pdf |archivedate=28 April 2013}}</ref>

In a May 2014 interview with the ''Australian Financial Review'''s Christopher Joye, Donaldson disclosed that he had been shot in the leg during a contact in Afghanistan: "This 35-year-old 'shooter' has also been clipped through his left hamstring, where a slug remains to remind him of why he should never have traversed a track while a Taliban carrying night-vision goggles zeroed in with an AK-47." He also spoke about killing terrorists: "Pressed on the burden of taking another life, he says that rubbing out bad guys in "gun fights" – a notably "more personal experience than dropping bombs from jets" – is just a "part of the job". Donaldson is at peace with a profession that few have the mental or physical equipment to pursue: "I don’t get nightmares, mate. Sure you remember stuff; I just don’t dwell on it."<ref>{{cite news|last=Joye |first=Christopher|date=31 May 2014|title=Mark Donaldson VC winner – from zero to hero|url=http://www.afr.com/p/national/arts_saleroom/mark_donaldson_vc_winner_from_zero_5IXo2TU2gvM56WA0PPKPXI|work=The Australian Financial Review|publisher=Fairfax Media|location=Sydney|issn=1444-9900|accessdate=31 May 2014}}</ref>

==Personal life==
[[File:Investiture of the Victoria Cross for Australia to Trooper Mark Donaldson 2.jpg|thumb|Donaldson with family (centre) and other dignitaries after the investiture ceremony.]]
Donaldson is married to Emma, and has a daughter<ref name=DoD /> and a son. He has written a memoir called ''The Crossroad'', which was published by Macmillan in 2013. Emma had described him as being "married to the army".<ref name=Age>{{cite news |title=I'm no hero says Aussie soldier with VC |url=http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-national/im-no-hero-says-aussie-soldier-with-vc-20090116-7imy.html |last=Drape |first=Julian |author2=Cathy Alexander |work=[[The Age]] |date=16 January 2009 |accessdate=12 November 2009}}</ref> Donaldson says of himself: "I don't see myself as a hero, honestly. I still see myself as a soldier first and foremost."<ref name=Age />

==Honours and awards==
[[File:Donaldson VC medals AWM March09.jpg|thumb|Donaldson's medals on display at the Australian War Memorial in March 2009|alt=Five medals with their ribbons and clasps, including the Victoria Cross for Australia]]

<div class="center">
[[File:UK Victoria Cross ribbon bar.svg|100px]]
[[File:Australian Active Service Medal ribbon.png|100px]]

[[File:Afghanistan Medal (Australia) ribbon.png|100px]]
[[File:Australian Service Medal ribbon.png|100px]]
[[File:QEII Diamond Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg|100px]]
[[File:UK Queen EII Platinum Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg|100px]]

[[File:Coronation of Charles III Medal ribbon.png|100px]]
[[File:Defence Long Service Medal (Australia) ribbon.png|100px]]
[[File:Australian Defence Medal (Australia) ribbon.png|100px]]
[[File:NATO Medal ISAF ribbon bar v2.svg|100px]]

[[File:AUS Unit Citation for Gallantry with Federation Star.png|100px]]
[[File:AUS Meritorious Unit Citation with Federation Star.png|100px]]
</div>

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:silver;" align="center"
|Ribbon || Description || Notes
|-
|[[File:UK Victoria Cross ribbon bar.svg|50px|Ribbon of the Victoria Cross for Australia]] || [[Victoria Cross for Australia]] (VC) || 2009<ref name=VC/>
|-
|[[File:Australian Active Service Medal ribbon.png|50px|Ribbon of the AASM]] || [[Australian Active Service Medal]] || with [[Australian Active Service Medal#ICAT|ICAT]] clasp<ref name="Official Portrait">[http://www.defence.gov.au/media/download/2009/jan/20090116/20090119adf8054893_033.jpg Department of Defence Official Portrait Trooper Mark Donaldson, VC]. Retrieved 3 June 2010</ref>
|-
|[[File:Afghanistan Medal (Australia) ribbon.png|50px|Ribbon of the Afghanistan Medal for Australia]] || [[Afghanistan Medal (Australia)|Afghanistan Medal]] || <ref name="Official Portrait"/>
|-
|[[File:Australian Service Medal ribbon.png|50px|Ribbon of the ASM]] || [[Australian Service Medal]] ||
|-
|[[File:QEII Diamond Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg|50px|Ribbon of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal]] || [[Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal]] || 2012
|-
|[[File:UK Queen EII Platinum Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg|50px|Ribbon of the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal]] || [[Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal]] || 2022
|-
|[[File:Coronation of Charles III Medal ribbon.png|50px|Ribbon of the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal]] || [[King Charles III Coronation Medal]] || 2023<ref>{{cite web |title=21st May Investiture Ceremony 2024 |url=https://livestream.com/blive/investitureceremonymay2024/videos/245493367 |publisher=Governor of New South Wales |access-date=27 May 2024}}</ref>
|-
|[[File:Defence Long Service Medal (Australia) ribbon.png|50px|Ribbon of the Defence Long Service Medal]] || [[Defence Long Service Medal]] || for 15–19 years service
|-
|[[File:Australian Defence Medal (Australia) ribbon.png|50px|Ribbon of the ADM]] || [[Australian Defence Medal]] || <ref name="Official Portrait"/>
|-
|[[File:NATO Medal ISAF ribbon bar v2.svg|50px]] || [[NATO Medal#Non-Article 5 Medal|NATO Medal for the Non-Article 5 ISAF Operation in Afghanistan]] || with clasp ''ISAF''<ref name="Official Portrait"/>
|-
|[[File:AUS Unit Citation for Gallantry with Federation Star.png|50px|Ribbon of the Unit Citation for Gallantry]] || [[Unit Citation for Gallantry]] with [[Federation Star]] || Awarded to [[Special Air Service Regiment]] for extraordinary acts of gallantry in Afghanistan, from 25 August 2005 to 2 September 2006, in support of the security and stabilisation operations in Afghanistan and the International Coalition against Terrorism.<ref>{{cite web|title=Citations of Valour|url=http://www.australiansas.com/citations.html|website=Special Air Service Historical Foundation|publisher=SAS Historical Foundation|accessdate=16 February 2015|date=2013}}</ref>
|-
|[[File:AUS Meritorious Unit Citation with Federation Star.png|50px|Meritorious Unit Citation]] || [[Meritorious Unit Citation]] with [[Federation Star]] || Awarded to [[Task Force 66]] in the [[2015 Australia Day Honours]]
|-
| || [[Infantry combat badge|Infantry Combat Badge]] || <ref name="Official Portrait"/>
|-
|}

On 25 January 2010, Donaldson was named the [[List of Young Australian of the Year Award recipients|Young Australian of the Year 2010]]. That evening, at a public event on the lawns of [[Parliament House, Canberra|Parliament House]] in Canberra, the Prime Minister ([[Kevin Rudd]]) and the [[National Australia Day Council]] Chair ([[Adam Gilchrist]]) presented Donaldson with a handmade glass award and praised his achievements.<ref name="YAOTY"/>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|last=Donaldson|first=Mark|date=2013|title=The Crossroads|location=Sydney|publisher=Macmillan|isbn=9781742612287}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Mark Donaldson}}
*[http://www.defence.gov.au/media/download/2009/jan/20090116/index.htm Official portraits] ([http://www.defence.gov.au/footer/copyright.htm copyright])
*[http://www.defence.gov.au/media/download/2009/jan/20090116b/index.htm Images] from the Award Ceremony.
*[http://www.defence.gov.au/opEx/global/opslipper/images/gallery/2008/1211/index.htm Images] of Special Operations Task Group activity in Oruzgan Province, Afghanistan.
*[http://www.defence.gov.au/media/download/audio/2009/jan/20090116/index.htm Audio downloads] of interviews with Donaldson.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110930171048/http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/06VF9Ejby03yS/610x.jpg Donaldson meeting the Queen], 11 November 2009.
*[https://www.flickr.com/photos/boardroomphotography/4303480102/sizes/l/ Young Australian of the Year 2010], award presentation, 25 January 2010.

{{s-start}}
{{s-ach|aw}}
{{succession box|title=[[List of Young Australian of the Year Award recipients|Young Australian of the Year]]|before=[[Jonty Bush]]|after=[[Jessica Watson]]|years=2010}}
{{s-end}}

{{Young Australians of the Year}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Donaldson, Mark Gregor Strang}}
[[Category:1979 births]]
[[Category:Australian Army soldiers]]
[[Category:Australian military personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)]]
[[Category:Australian military personnel of the Iraq War]]
[[Category:Australian recipients of the Victoria Cross]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Military personnel from New South Wales]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Unit Citation for Gallantry]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]

Mark Donaldson - Revision history

imported>Electricmaster: /* Victoria Cross for Australia */