A follower of this blog supplied a photo of this electronic display in the hallway of the departure gates for American flights at Dublin Airport. Passengers are requested to sign an online petition at http://www.patrickgallagherusmc.info/ to honor the heroic Irish immigrant from Ballyhaunis, Co. Mayo. The petition requests the Secretary of Navy to have a United States Navy ship named for Cpl Patrick "Bob" Gallagher on the 50th Anniversary of his death.
In July 1966, while other members of his unit slept, enemy fighters infiltrated the area, and on approaching his unit's position they threw grenades in on top of his squad. "Four of them had been manning a defense post at Cam Lo near the border with North Vietnam, when it was attacked by Communist forces. Patrick kicked a grenade out of their position before it exploded and, as the citation for the Navy Cross he was later awarded read, "another enemy grenade followed and landed in the position between two of his comrades. Without hesitation, in a valiant act of self-sacrifice, Corporal Gallagher threw himself upon the deadly grenade in order to absorb the explosion and save the lives of his comrades.
"As
the three other marines ran to safety two further grenades landed in
the position and exploded, "miraculously injuring nobody". Patrick's
squad leader ordered him to throw the grenade he was lying on into a
nearby river. It exploded on hitting the water. "Through
his extraordinary heroism and inspiring valor in the face of almost
certain death, he saved his comrades from probable injury and possible
loss of life," the citation continued.
"It is a
pleasure to pin this on your breast," said Gen Westmoreland, commander
of all US forces in Vietnam, at the awards ceremony there. It is said
that Patrick was told at the time that the only reason the military
authorities decided to award Patrick the Navy Cross, and not the US
forces' highest honor the Congressional Medal of Honor, was only that
“the grenade had not exploded and killed him… if it had, he would have
certainly been a shoe-in”.
Only months after receiving this prestigious Award, Patrick was killed in action in Vietnam.
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