Strong Irish Presence Among Medal of Honor Recipients

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The Medal of Honor

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Out of the 19 men to receive a second Medal of Honor, 5 were born in Ireland. They are, according to Concannon, "Henry Hogan from Clare, John Laverty from Tyrone, Dublin’s John Cooper, whose name at birth was John Laver Mather, John King and Patrick Mullen. Three double recipients were Irish-Americans: U.S. Marines Daniel Daly and John Joseph Kelly, and the U.S. Navy’s John McCloy."

Some modern day recipients are: John King, U.S. Navy, from Ballinrobe, County Mayo, double recipient in 1901 & 1909; Pvt. John Joseph Kelly, Chicago, Ill., received both the Army & Navy Medal of Honor in WWI; Col. William J.(Wild Bill) Donovan, member of New York’s Fighting 69th in WWI;  Audie Murphy, who was turned down by the Marines and the Navy as he was only 5’5 and weighed 112 lbs. The Army accepted him in June,1942, and he became WW II”s most decorated hero; Fr. Timothy O’Callahan, who was not only the first Catholic Chaplain to receive the Medal of Honor, but the first of any faith to be so recognized.

For his gallant leadership and fighting spirit, O’Hare Airport in Chicago was named for Lt. Commander Edward H. “Butch” O’Hare, U.S. Navy fighter pilot. Another well-known facility, McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey is named after Medal of Honor recipient, Thomas B. McGuire, a WWII ace pilot who shot down 38 enemy planes. One of Vietnam’s first recipients was Captain Roger Hugh Donlon, U.S. Special Forces, from Saugerties, N.Y. Another Vietnam recipient was New York Irish-American Robert Emmet O’Malley.

In all, 245 men were awarded the Medal of Honor in the Vietnam War. Among them were: Major Patrick Brady, Major Kern Dunagan, Captain Robert F. Foley, Lt. Cmdr. Thomas G. Kelley, Spc. Thomas McMahon, Lance Corp. Thomas Noonan, Pvt. Daniel Shea and Petty  Officer Michael Thornton.

There have been millions of Irish and Irish-Americans who have served in our military with distinction. The latest being Col. James Hickey, son of Irish immigrants, a native of Chicago, Ill., who commanded the 1st Brigade of the 4th Infantry Division, which captured Saddam Hussein in Iraq.

It would be impossible to calculate an exact number of Irish-Americans on the Medal of Honor list. However, Irish surnames are plentiful. There are 21 Murphys, 20 Kellys(or Kelley), and 8 Sullivans. Names beginning with the Irish prefix “Mc” spill onto multiple pages.

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