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KATHY RAFTERY FIRST heard about Patrick ‘Bob’ Gallagher when looking at an old childhood photo of her mother.
It was an Irish Press image of a group of schoolchildren taken in 1956.
Her mother explained who everyone in the photo was. When she got to Patrick she said, ‘That boy died in the Vietnam War.’
Intrigued about a Mayo man fighting in one of the most high-profile wars of the 20th century, Kathy started to research his story.
Patrick was born in Co Mayo in 1944. He grew up near Ballyhaunis, before emigrating to Long Island in the US in the early 1960s.
He joined the US Marine Corps and was stationed in Vietnam during some of the most intense fighting of a controversial war that waged for almost 20 years.
Two of his sisters also lived in New York and were aware he was serving in Vietnam, but he swore them to secrecy as he didn’t want his family in Ireland to worry about his safety.
Kathy notes that all the letters he sent home went through a military training camp in California so had an American stamp, meaning his family never suspected he was living elsewhere.
Grenades
A fateful event in Vietnam forced his hand, making telling his parents inevitable – before they found out from someone else.
Patrick was hailed a hero after saving his comrades from incoming grenades, throwing himself on one of them to save his fellow marines in 1966.
A military citation states: “Without hesitation, in a valiant act of self-sacrifice, Lance Corporal Gallagher threw himself upon the deadly grenade in order to absorb the explosion and save the lives of his comrades.
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. His daring actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.
Luckily, the grenade had a delayed fuse which allowed him to roll over and throw it away before it exploded.
Patrick was awarded a Navy Cross, the second highest honour in the US military, for his actions.
He sent a letter home explaining he was serving in Vietnam. Soon afterwards a journalist from RTÉ arrived to interview the parents of the Mayo man hailed a war hero.
The news was a surprise, to say the least.
During the course of researching and recording the documentary, Kathy spoke to some of Patrick’s relatives and men who served with him in Vietnam.
His fellow soldiers said Patrick was proud of receiving the Navy Cross but “didn’t want a big fuss made of it” and “just wanted to move on” from a “traumatic” experience in which he could have died.
They remembered him as “very positive and very thorough … a nice guy”.
“When I starting researching it I didn’t realise what a big story it was,” Kathy notes, adding: “It has been an honour to speak to these marines.”
She says they were very sad about recalling Patrick’s death, but happy to help ensure his story was remembered.
Ambush
Patrick was killed in an ambush by Viet Cong soldiers on 30 March 1967, shortly before he was due to leave the country.
Kathy says the attack happened “out of nowhere” on a routine patrol.
Millions of people – both soldiers and civilians – died in the almost two-decade war. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC bears the names of almost 58,000 members of the US armed forces, including Patrick.
He was one of thousands of Irish people to have served with US Armed Forces in the Vietnam War. About 30 of them were killed in action.
There is an online petition calling for the US Navy to honor Patrick by naming a ship after him. It has over 5,700 signatures to date.
Mayo Boy, Vietnam Hero will be broadcast as RTÉ Radio’s Documentary on One at 2pm today, and repeated at 7pm tomorrow. You can also listen to it online after it has been aired.
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If there’s no suggestion that the new incinerator has anything to do with the infestation of flies why mention it…….
Also businesses have had to close? Seriously, dramatic much?
@Ian Breathnach: exactly! However The sewage treatment plant could be a possible source.
@Bob Lynch: How dare you suggest that something well established in the area be the cause of this when clearly there is a controversial ‘monstrosity’ in Poolbeg that can be blamed.
@Ian Breathnach:live in ringsend and no businesses have closed. Further no flies.
Because that’s a conclusion a lot of readers would come to .
@Ian Breathnach: You can’t serve food with so many flies, both were catering businesses that ad to close. I’ve gone through 3 cans of pest spray since Monday in our house , the sticky fly paper is covered with them and despite all the windows and doors being closed , more seem to be getting in.
@Sueann Moore: catering business in Ringsend? Theres 8 pubs, 1 spar, Lars shop. 1 butcher. Ladbrookes, tesco, pharmacy. 2 chinese take aways, a chipper, 2 barber, estate agent, hair dresser and a few places near the toll bridge. If there in your house its probably eggs hatching inside and living of fruit.
How did the flies know there was a bathing ban on Sandymount Beach.
Could it be all the dog poo the locals don’t bother cleaning up?
I was wondering why there were so few flies around this year and now I know why. They’re all in Dublin.
I’d love to be a fly on the wall at the next local residents meeting.
Sorry just acting the maggot.
@marcus connolly: buzz off with your puns
@Rónán O’Suilleabháin: no flies on you!
@marcus connolly: live there and theres no issue
Chris is talking shite
@Joseph Blocks: could be the ointment!!!
If had lots of flies in my house, the last person I would call would be the local counsellor.
I would just buy fly killer. Lots of snowflakes out there.
@Dave Sherman: Both Tescos ,both hardware shops and local shops all sold out in Ringsend & Sandymount all week. Finding the source of infestation is a rational step. Councillors have more access to info
@Dave Sherman: why use fly killer? Why not use your bare hands ye snowflake. I do it with my eyes closed. On a serious note though stop using that phrase, i see it in just about every online “debate” and its tiresome.
Bastarsd are everywhere
@Graham Bolton: All flies are love babies,they don’t marry. They won’t let me use bast***s.
I think there has been an increase everywhere I’m not in Dublin and never had flies coming into house or being everywhere in garden had a few bumblebees but not flies black and green ones everywhere can’t eat outside, BBQ, or have pool out for kids over them
@Heather White: that’s nature for ya
Global warming: every 0.25 % increase in average temperature encourages 5x more fly larvae to hatch.
By 2020 the whole place will be covered in them unless we can recruit more bats, birds and frogs with long sticky tongues to inhabit our suburbs.
Think the flies looking for the cheap tents in D4
Where is Rinsgend???
@Noel Madden:
It’s near where 3,000 homes are now planned for development…at The Irish Glass Blue Bottle site made infamous during Celtic Tiger era on amount borrowed for its acquisition!
@Rory J Leonard: No there just normal flies, not. Blue bottles
@Noel Madden: co perineum
@phil: You win.
Leo should declare a no Fly zone over ringsend.
Definitely Aliens
cavanta?
It’s probably to do with the waste incinerator
@Benny Dowling: sure the heat, being beside the liffey or the sewage treatment plant have nothing to do with it.
Something big is dead and the flies are coming from the corpse. Had about 500 flies in my parents house when there was a dead rat under the floor. So so many flies
@Veronica: is it Kay-Tee from Fair Citeeee? Did they find hur yeh’?
Those Flygrants might be just off the ferry, or a floater seeking a better way of life
No rent crisis in ringsend.
Dont live in ringsend so i couldnt give a flying fu(k. Thats it. I’ll grab my jacket!
I live in Dublin 3. There was loads of flies in our apartment. One day my wife said in jest “there’s so many, we’ll have to start charging them rent” I laughed initially but then I thought why don’t I. I put it to them, however, at Dublins current rent prices the flies up and left so problem solved.
It’s the incinerator….
Very poor journalism, the paragraph about the incinerator makes absolutely sweet F A sense, you might as well say the Aviva stadium is relatively close
It’s the dog shite on pathways!!
Don’t ever kill a spider
have your say