The Irish standard., 1919-04-05
Paper Read at Historical Society Meet
ing Gives Partial Survey Of
Men and Deeds.

New York City, DR.. John G. Coyle read
a paper entitled American Irish in
the Great War;" from which the fol-
lowing extract is taken:
Because of the vast forces engaged,
numbering something over 100000
men, and the brief time which has
elapsed since hostilities ceased, as
we'll as the fact that complete cas-
ualty lists are not yet available, it is,
of course, impossible to present a COM
plete statement of the work of the
American-Irish in the Great War.
Eventually, from the studies of the
questionnaires filled out by regis
trants from the reports of the various
bureaus of the army and the navy,
and from other government depart
ment records, accurate statistics will
be obtainable and the history of the
American-Irish participation may be
adequately presented 1t will be the
Joyous duty of the American-Irish His
torical Society to prepare and to pub
lish that history.
But certain features of the war, al
ready known to us, present the SER
vices of American men of Irish blood
in such striking and memorable ways
as to require a brief outline at this
time. Priority of service and distinc-
tion of service and sacrifice conspicu-
ously mark the history of the Amer.
ican-Irish in this stupendous war.
BY vote of the Congress of the
United States. supporting the opinion
Of President Woodrow Wilson, a state
Of war against us by Germany was
declared to exist on April s. 1917.
The very next day, April Z, 1917,
the first American soldier lost his life
in the service of his country, John
McNamara, private in the First
Pennsylvania Regiment, was shot from
ambush while guarding bridge at
Reading, Pa The first American Off
Ger killed in the war was likewise a
young man of Irish blood, DR.. William
T. F1tzsimmons of Kansas City, Mo
He was killed by German aviator
who bombed the hospital where DR.
Fitzsimmons, lieutenant in the Medical
Corps, was in service. p
The first shot fired against the Ger
man forces was discharged by John
Howard Pitman, red-haired gunner
from South Bend, Indiana, son of an
Alsation father and an Irish mother
The first hand-to-hand conflict on
foreign soil took place in Lorraine on
the night of November 2 and the morn.
ing of November 8. 1917. 1t is singu.
lar that at the time of the war all
the soldiers of the Allied forces were
on French or Belgian soil on the West
ern Front. But the only nOn-French
soldiers then serving on German ter
ritory were the soldiers from the
off one American trench section from
all support or reinforcements, and
when the Germans were sure that the
trench was isolated they attacked, be
lieving that the Americans, outnum
bered forty to one, would surrender
But the American soldiers had not
gone three thousand miles to surren
der. They had gone to fight-to wir
or die. And they fought, and died
Three paid the last penalty that
night Their names are Gresham, Hay
and Enright. The last of these three
was a native of Pittsburgh, Thomas
F. Enright, and of Irish blood. In honor
of Enright the city of Pittsburgh has
changed the name of the street on
which he lived to Enright street.
| Among the first French War Crossei
awarded to American soldiers, two
were given to Corporal Frank Hurley
and Sergeant George F. Dever, bott
Of Irish blood. s
il The first Congressional Medal o.
Honor given in the Navy was awarded
to Patrick McGonigal, son Of William
and Mary McGonigal, of Youngstown
Ohio, for his heroic work In savinl
a naval aeronaut caught in the net
work of the balloon In the sea.
4, The first volunteer regiment to LIANT
in France was the famous Irish Nintl
Of Massachusetts, now known as tn,
101st United States Infantry.
; The first engineer regiment to reacl
France was the Eighteenth, composed
to the extent Of forty per cent of mel
of Irish blood. IL
Two regiments known for more thai
fifty years as Irish regiments are th,
Ninth Massachusetts and the Sixty
ninth Of New York. Again and agail
!, during this war these regiments hav'
/ been commended. They have beel
!, sent to Champagne, to Toul, to Vel
dun. to the Marne. the Ourcq, tn,
Meuse and the Farm, wherever th
| Q-t>xlr.. ~,,oc ~ ~ao,S h6u