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'A Monument of Their Own'
Sandwiched between World War II and the Vietnam War, less exalted than the former and less controversial than the latter, the so-called Korean Conflict gained a reputation in the West as "The Forgotten War." And those who fought it have had to scrap to gain the recognition that their sacrifices deserved, including American citizenship for the foreign born. Hundreds of Irish-born immigrants filled the ranks of the 500,000 U.S. military personnel serving in Korea, fighting under the United Nations flag with forces of 16 other nations. Upon their return, just like all other immigrants then, they had to wait a mandated five years before becoming eligible for U.S. citizenship. 1953's Public Law 86, though, cut a break for those immigrants who would serve in the regular U.S. military. Going forward, they wouldn't need to serve in a declared war nor have to wait the statutory five years, only between 90 and 180 days.
However, the new law did not include a grandfather clause, nor include reservists, so the war's Irish GIs had to wait for the old requirements to be met, and the dead had to wait for John Leahy. On Oct. 14, a resplendent and warm day, a monument was unveiled in honor of the 28, and Korean War veteran Leahy had a chance to consider anew his accomplishment and that of his allies, the granting in 2003 of U.S. citizenship to the 28. Many of those who helped were among the 250 people gathered under a powder blue sky at Green-Wood Cemetery, in New York City's borough of Brooklyn, founded in 1838 and among the most beautiful and historic cemeteries in the world. Leahy, a native of Lixnaw, County Kerry, was one of several speakers at the unveiling of the two-ton, gray granite slab that bears the names of the 28, along with a Celtic cross and epigraph.
Leahy, a sergeant with the 82nd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion during the war, pushed for 27 years to gain citizenship for his fallen comrades. He had received a citation for capturing a spy in Korea, and chuckled dryly when reflecting on the impact of his immigrant status then: "I got a citation for catching a spy and couldn't get (work in) the Post Office upon coming back!" Mayo native John T. Jennings, a medic with the 32nd Infantry Division in Korea, said, "We had to be three years in the service and five years in the country before we qualified (for citizenship). You couldn't even sweep the street with a broom without being an American citizen." He called the monument "long overdue" and was visibly pleased that his fallen comrades had finally received this recognition. Irish Consul General Tim O'Connor, the Korean Consulate's Mr. Kim Wan-joong, and Breandan O'Caollai, deputy consul general of Ireland, were only a few of the dignitaries who addressed the throng, flanked by U.S. Army soldiers bearing flags and rifles. Kim thanked the Irish-Americans for their services and sacrifice, then went on to say, "In particular, we owe the current economically prosperous and politically democratic Korea so much to the 28 Irish-Americans who gave their lives in the war."
O'Hanlon congratulated Leahy, along with the late Vietnam War veteran Brian McGinn, and the committee that had worked for posthumous citizenship and, subsequently, the memorial. "There's something about stone," O'Hanlon said, "and today we have stone, we have permanence, enshrined memory and legacy." The local Mayo, Leitrim, and Cork societies helped raise money and awareness of the need for a memorial, and representatives were present to celebrate the occasion. "We have to commend those 28 that died - our hearts go out to them, I'm glad they're finally at rest and properly remembered. God bless America and God bless Ireland," said Mike Regan, past president of the Mayo Society. Members of the County Leitrim Society of New York, more than a century in existence, turned out to support their Vice President Helen Lavin. She is the niece of Patrick J. Lavin, a private from Leitrim whose name is etched in the first column of the memorial stone.
Murphy said that the memorial had been shopped around to various venues, including Arlington National Cemetery, whose officials indicated "they needed the space to bury soldiers." For a while the Committee was so desperate that "we were seeing who was putting up a flagpole, so we could put their names on it." Eventually, Green-Wood approached the committee, Murphy said. Green-Wood President Richard J. Moylan said in a written statement: "America has been made strong by the contributions of both our military and hard-working immigrants. Throughout the cemetery's history, we have always honored our war dead, dating back to men who lost their lives in the American Revolution and the Civil War. So it was fitting that Green-Wood Cemetery honor these brave Irish-born soldiers who died so that generations to come might enjoy the freedoms of this great country." WGT
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This feature was produced by Joe Gannon and edited by Gerry Regan.
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