Thomas Anthony Dooley III (January 17, 1927 – January 18, 1961) was a physician,
author, and humanitarian. Best known for his philanthropic work in Indochina. Queer Places:
Calvary Cemetery and Mausoleum
Saint Louis, St. Louis City, Missouri, USA
Thomas Anthony Dooley III (January 17, 1927 – January 18, 1961) was a physician,
author, and humanitarian. Best known for his philanthropic work in Indochina.
Born in St. Louis, MO, Dooley served as a medical officer in the U.S. Navy after graduation from St. Louis University Medical School. In 1954, he was assigned to the USS Montague, which was traveling to Vietnam to evacuate refugees. While with the Navy, he organized refugee camps in Vietnam where he developed strong anti-communist sentiment. His experiences there are related in his first book, "Deliver Us from Evil: The Story of Vietnam's Flight to Freedom".
Dooley was on a promotional tour for this book when he was investigated for participating in homosexual activities. It seems that what the Navy discovered about his private life resulted in a negotiated agreement that he would announce he was leaving the Navy in order to serve the people of Vietnam.
In 1956 he left the navy to start a private, mobile medical unit in Loas. He helped found the Medical International Cooperative Organization (MEDICO), a non-profit organization dedicated to providing medical aid for developing countries. Dooley personally raised nearly $1 million for MEDICO through his television appearances, lecture tours and books, including "The Edge of Tomorrow" and "The Night They Burned the Mountain", both about his experiences in Laos. In 1959, Dooley returned to the U.S. for cancer treatment. He died in 1961 from malignant melanoma. Dooley was awarded the Legion of Merit, the National Order of Vietnam, and posthumously awarded a Congressional Gold Medal. After his death there were unsuccessful efforts to have him canonized as a Roman Catholic saint. Dooley's example was cited by President John F. Kennedy when he launched the Peace Corps.
References:
 Homosexuals in History, A Study of Ambivalence in Society, Literature and the Arts, 1977 by A.L. Rowse |
Other references:
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