AOH Veterans Report (February 2022) by Doug Morrison

National:

From Catholic War Veterans & Auxiliary National Headquarters Bellerose, New York:

The National Membership and Public Relations Committee created a one page letter which introduces the reader to the Catholic War Veterans and Auxiliary organization and mission. The letter may be used as recruiting material and it’s perfect as an ‘insert’ into a church’s Sunday bulletin. It also contains a “QR CODE” which can be scanned by the reader which links to the CWV website. It is the only Catholic Veterans Service Organization and is chartered by Congress. Its Motto is “For God, For Country, For Home.”

State

Governor Youngkin’s Commissioner Daniel Gade of the Virginia Department of Veterans Services as well as Beverly Van Tull, Virginia Women Veterans Program Manager met
with the General Assembly Military & Veterans Caucus Wednesday, February 9th, in Senate subcommittee room in the Pocahontas Building. They briefed along with Jessica Rudd regarding tax abatement of veterans’ retirement. We will have to see how that comes out in the months ahead, but it is moving forward.

History and Patriotism-Irish in the Military

Sergeant Major Daniel “Dan” Joseph Daly:

Daniel Joseph Daly (November 11, 1873 – April 27, 1937) was a United States Marine and one of nineteen men (including seven Marines) to have received the Medal of Honor twice. Only Daly and Major General Smedley Butler received both Medals of Honor for the different actions.

Daly is said to have yelled, “Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?” to the men in his company, 73rd Company, 6th Marines, before they charged the Germans during the Battle of Belleau Wood in World War I.

Major General Butler described Daly as “The fightin’est Marine I ever knew!” Daly was reportedly offered an officer’s commission twice to which he responded that he would rather be “an outstanding sergeant than just another officer.”

The Medals of Honor are on display at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, Virginia.

Both of Dan Daly’s parents (according to available genealogical evidence) were born in Ireland, as were all of his brothers and sisters. His father was John Daly from Cork, Ireland. Dan’s mother’s maiden name was Donovan; she was born in Cork too. They were married in Bandon, Murragh, Cork, Ireland in 1865. His siblings’ names were Timothy, David, Julia, Mary, and Frances — all Daly, from Cork. Dan was, however, born in Glen Cove, New York in 1873. His parents most likely lived through the Great Famine in Ireland (Potato Famine), 1845 to 1850. See wikitree for more information on Dan Daly’s ancestry. Dan grew up in the area of New York City — Oyster Bay, Queens, New York. He sold newspapers as a youth and tried his hand at boxing and sports.

Hoping to participate in the Spanish–American War, he enlisted in the Marine Corps on January 10, 1899, and received his initial training at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.] The war ended before he finished training. In 1900, during the Boxer Rebellion in China, he received his first Medal of Honor for single-handedly defending his position at the US Embasy against repeated attacks and inflicted casualties of around 200 on the attacking Boxers.

His second Medal of Honor came fifteen years later, when he was fighting with US forces supporting the government in Haiti against rebels. On the night of October 24, 1915, in the Battle of Fort Dipitie, he was part of a group of 35–41 Marines who were ambushed by a force of approximately 400 Cacos (Haitian insurgents). He led one of the three groups of men during the fight to reach a nearby fort and was awarded the medal for his conspicuous actions.

He was awarded the Navy Cross and the US Army Distinguished Service Cross for “repeated deeds of heroism and great service” during the Battle of Belleau Wood in World War I. He was wounded several times, receiving three Purple Hearts and a Citation Star, later renamed the Silver Star.

Daly retired from the US Marine Corps on February 6, 1929