Hall-of-Fame Rodeo Clown, Bullfighter, and Vietnam Vet
Where have you been, Donny Green?
All I knew was that some teenage boy was camping out in our hayloft. Apparently a kid my oldest sister was dating. Donny Green came to live with us for a time under circumstances I was too young to understand, although his presence didn’t come as much of a surprise. My folks took in strays often enough—kids who needed a place to flop until they were ready to move on. So seeing a bedroll tucked behind a wall of alfalfa was just something to note in an otherwise normal day. How could any of us have anticipated the mark this guy would leave on our hearts?
Back then Donny was still learning the ropes of clowning and bullfighting, but to me—the ten-year-old me who idolized him—he was the hero in the arena who saved cowboy’s lives. Imagine a bull rider hanging by one arm off the side of a raging bull, his gloved hand caught up in a wrap of rope and rosin that isn’t letting go. Or another rider who’s on the ground and the bull is metering out its vengeance with hooves, horns, and snot. It is the bullfighter’s job to put himself in harm’s way, and Donny made it look effortless with his showmanship and athleticism. I think my entire family was heartbroken when he and my sister broke up. So long, Donny Green.
Now, time-travel ahead to the other day when my middle sister, Corinne, sent me a photo she’d found in a mix of rodeo memorabilia. It was Donny in costume circa 1980. I can’t tell you how much that photograph made me smile, and it was only natural to wonder what had become of him. A quick internet search returned his Facebook page, and I sent the link to Corinne to make sure this was our Donny Green.
It was, and we were both blown away by the life he had gone on to lead.
Shortly after he moved out of our barn, he was sent to Vietnam (Thank you for your service, Donny). He became a pilot and an airplane mechanic, although I’m sure most would say rodeoing was his calling. He was a professional rodeo clown and bullfighter for 48 years, working the majority of the PRCA rodeos west of the Mississippi and into Canada. The Calgary Stampede. The Pendleton Round-Up. You name it, he did it. During the off-season, he did ‘Secret Squirrel’ stuff in South Korea, Iraq, and the Philippines. After retiring from rodeo in 2008, he was contracted full time to serve as an engineer on surveillance planes over South Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan, Dubai, Qatar, Kuwait, Thailand, and the Philippines.
A shrapnel wound to his left leg sent him home, and it took four surgeries and a couple of years before he would walk again. Include with that the injuries sustained over five decades of keeping bull riders safe, and a certain gravity is added to that whole putting himself in harm’s way. His bio lists: “4 shoulder surgeries, knee surgeries, back surgery, broken jaws, legs, arms, and some think, losing all his marbles at times.”
From Vietnam veteran to professional rodeo clown to secret squirrel to skydiver and more, I cannot do justice to this man’s storied career. I urge anyone reading this post to check out Donny’s bio on the All Cowboy and Arena Champions website. This great organization will induct him into its hall of fame this November.
These days, Donny and his wife, Ketsiri, enjoy traveling and spending time with family and friends. They live in Ridgefield, Wa.
Photo of Donny in front of the RV is courtesy of the Jewish Museum and Archives of British Columbia (photographer: Ronnie Tessler). All other photos in this post are courtesy of Donny Green, who reserves all rights.
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