An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir November 2015 www.dfmagazine.ie 26 | by DEREK WARFIELD AND LIAM MURPHy T he death of Staff Sergeant Liam Flynn, US Marine Corps, in a helicopter accident during a training exercise off the Florida coast in early March is a sad reminder of the long association between Irish volunteers and the US Marines. The 34-year-old native of Clane, Co Kildare, had served in the Ma- rines Corps since 2006. he had completed four tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, and had received the bronze Star and the Purple heart. (The badge of Military Merit, which was estab- lished by General George Washington during the American War of Independence, was revived as the Purple heart in 1932, and subsequently became exclusively awarded to those killed or wounded in action.) There has been no shortage of Irish names in the pantheon of US Marine heroes, including Capt John Welsh of the Continental Marines, killed-in-action leading an assault on British fortifica- tions along the Penobscot River in Massachusetts (now Maine); Lt Presley N O'Bannon who led the Marines 'to the shores of Tripoli', as referenced in the Marine's Hymn; aviator Pat Mulcahy, who fought in two World Wars; Ed Murphy on Iwo Jima; Ray Davis in World War II and Korea; Robert Emmett O'Malley and Paddy Collins in Vietnam; John Kelly in Iraq; Robert Kelly in Afghanistan; Marine Corps Commandants Charles McCawley, PX Kelly, Al Gray and James Conway; and Sgt Maj Dan Daly (double Medal of Hon- our recipient for his exploits in China in 1900 and Haiti in 1915) who, when leading an assault at Belleau Wood in the First World War, is reported to have shouted at his men: "Come on, you sons of bitches! Do you want to live forever?" The Corps traces its history to 10th November 1775 when the Second Continental Congress approved a resolution to raise two battalions of marines to fight "to advantage by sea" and on shore, thereby establishing the Continental Marines. When Samuel Nicholas became commanding officer of the newly formed unit he began recruiting around the city of Philadelphia. One of his first recruits was popular patriot Robert Mullan, the owner of the Tun Tavern, which subsequently became part of military lore as the birthplace of the Marine Corps. In ad- dition to becoming the chief recruiting officer and serving at sea, Captain Mullan commanded a company of marines in Washing- ton's Trenton/Princeton campaign in 1776-'7. But the main source of Irish recruits for the Continental Ma- rines comes on 13th May 1779, the day 137 men of the Regiment of Walsh (Infantrier Irlandaise Regiment de Walsh-Serrant), who were serving with the French army, joined the Marines en masse on board John Paul Jones's ship the Bonhomme Richard, which had been bought by Benjamin Franklin's purchasing agent, Cork- born James Moylan, brother of General Stephen Moylan, Chief of Cavalry in Washington's Continental Army. (This event was recognised in 1992 when the US Congress passed a resolution designating May 13th as Irish Brigade Day.) These 137 marines were members of a 'Wild Geese' brigade that had existed in the French army for almost a century at that point, made up of Irish exiles, some recent and some the descendants of men who had gone to France over the preceding hundred years, dur- ing which the Irish Brigade had compiled a proud and valiant history. On 23rd September these Irish Brigade marines got their chance to confront their ancient enemy off the English coast when the Bonhomme Richard engaged the Royal Navy ships Serapis and Countess of Scarborough in one of the bloodiest, and most memo- The US's Irish Brigade Marines Irish born Staff Sergeant Liam Flynn, US Marine Corps Painting of the Bonhomme Richard in 1779. Painting 'The action between His Majesties ship Serapis, and The Bonhomme Richard, 23rd September 1779', by William Elliott, © US Naval Academy Museum Collection.

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