John F. (Jack) Donahue enlisted in the then U.S. Army Air Corps in 1942. While serving in the Air Corps, he accepted an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point. Jack graduated in 1946 with his pilot's wings and commissioned as a 2nd LT. Stationed at Walker Air Force Base, he then qualified as a Weaponeer and Bomb Commander at Sandia Base to become nuclear weapons qualified. This led him to his assignment as a B-29 Airplane commander in the 509th Bomb group. He left the service in 1950.
Jack served on the Board of The Falcon Foundation at the U.S. Air Force Academy from October 1983 to December 2000.