Reflections of WWI

1
Reflections of WWI WWII

• A collection of images and stories from the
  private collection of
• Thomas E. Leahey

2
Reflections of WWI

• A collection of images and stories from the
  private collection of
• Thomas E. Leahey

3
John Heenan Darke Co. Ohio

• The photos in this collection belong to Thomas E.
  Leahey.
• Leahey acquired this collection because John was
  a cousin of Leaheys father.
• John was born in 1893 the son of immigrants,
  Patrick Heenan and Catharine Armstrong Heenan who
  came to the United States from Ireland. The
  youngest of four, he was born here in the United
  States on a farm in Darke County, Ohio.
• The following photo shows John standing in front
  of the log cabin where the family lived until the
  siblings and their mother moved to Young Road
  where the siblings lived out their lives. John
  died in 1971. When the homestead was sold,
  Leahey received the uniform and photos.

4
The Heenan Homestead

• From humble
• beginnings.

5
In uniform, John Heenan
6
The uniform today
The uniform is currently located in the Old
Hotel Museum in Union City Indiana.
7
Photos from the field

• Photo of John Heenan and a buddy

8
The Christmas Dinner 1918
9
The Menu
10
The Decorated Hall
11
Reflections of WWII

• A collection of images and stories from the
  private collection of
• Thomas E. Leahey

12
Thomas Edward Leahey

• Enlistment Notification Card

13
Involvement in the War Effort

• Thomas Edward Leahey
• Husband of Marjorie H. McManigell
• Father of Kathleen A. Leahey Thomas E. Leahey
  Jr
• Union City IN-OH
• Served in the United States Army July 1, 1942 to
  October 5, 1945.
• Edward Leahey reported to Camp Aterbury July 1,
  1941 for basic training and became active July
  15, 1941. He was Honorably Discharged receiving
  a Medal of Honor for service to his country from
  Fort Lewis Washington October 5, 1945 when he
  returned to Union City, Indiana, his home town.
• Leaheys role in World War II was as a Sergeant
  in the 140th Calvary RCN TRP. He served as a
  Reconnaissance Specialist, and his military
  career began when he reported to Fort Lewis,
  Washington where he and his company first were
  trained to recognize foreign air planes and naval
  vessels from both Germany and Japan.

14
Service

• Secondly, he and his company were charged with
  sighting incoming incendiary bombs and other
  devices that arrived on the West Coast shorelines
  beginning in state of Washington and extending to
  the lower tip of California. His and his mens
  role was to spot balloons that traveled on the
  air currents delivering the bombs and other
  devices on the shore lines along the West Coast.
• Japanese high school chemistry students made the
  balloons from tinfoil saved from gum wrappers and
  cigarette packs. It was the military companys
  role to mark the locations of the night time
  landings of the balloons during night watches,
  and in the morning the company diffused the bombs
  before the beaches were opened to the public.

15
Service

• At that time, these wartime acts of aggression on
  the United States soil were never made known to
  the citizens in the U.S. The civilians trained by
  Leaheys company were never involved in the
  process of diffusing the bombs their role was to
  observe the sky and coast for foreign military
  advances. As his company trained civilians and
  servicemen for their duty, Leahey moved with the
  original 140th along the coastline spending time
  training civilians to protect the shores from
  foreign air and sea vessels. Once their initial
  training was complete, Ed and his men moved from
  site to site down the coastline reinforcing and
  retraining civilians and stationed men as their
  knowledge of these devices and vessels changed
  and increased.
• Eds four years were spent protecting U.S.
  citizens unaware of the imminent dangers that
  lurked while they slept at night. It was not
  until the 90s that information about these
  events of World War II was made known to the
  general public. To this day, there is little
  actual account of their mission.

16
Thomas Edward Leahey
Edward Leahey home on furlough in the blizzard
of 1942
17
Thomas Edward Leahey

• In uniform

18
The uniform today
The uniform is currently located in the Old
Hotel Museum in Union City Indiana.
19
On the Home Front

• War Ration Books

20
On the Home Front

• the ration stamps

21
The Murphy Story
Cousins of the Leahey family

• There were five brothers and sisters all of whom
• served in World War II. The first to enter
  the military was Richard who enlisted in the
  United States Naval Reserve and reported for duty
  on September 18, 1941. Ultimately Dick served as
  a ship commander in the Pacific. The sisters
  Regina, Josephine and Sarah were registered
  nurses and reported January 4, 1942 for active
  duty in the Nurses Corps. Having received
  training at St. Vincents Hospital in
  Indianapolis, they signed up as the General
  Hospital Unit 32, which was under the sponsorship
  of Indiana University. The all-Indiana unit
  consisted of 70 doctors, 120 nurses, and 500
  support personnel for a 1,000 bed medical
  detachment.

22
The Murphy Family

• As second lieutenants, the sisters shipped out
  from New York harbor only to find the ship was
  sabotaged and they limped to a Canadian harbor
  where they boarded another ship for England.
  Ultimately, the sisters made the beach landing at
  Normandy and were pinned down for three days.
  They followed the troops through to the Battle of
  the Bulge to the end of the war.
• Sarah was promoted to Captain being awarded five
  battle stars, and all three sisters received
  purple hearts for their injuries in the line of
  duty.
• The sisters were with Patton on the Rhine waiting
  for the Russians, and all three were injured in
  Cologne.

23
The Murphy Family

• They were with Patton as he crossed France, and
  following the Battle of the Bulge, Patton
  selected the three sisters for their courage and
  bravery in battle to accompany him in his motor
  car as he moved with the troops.
• The three sisters were also hand picked by Patton
  to accompany General Wainwrights troops who were
  the survivors of the Bataan Death March when they
  came back to Brooks General Hospital in the
  United States.
• The three sisters, their brother Dick and their
  baby brother Jack who enlisted in the Marines and
  was stationed in the South Pacific all returned
  home from their war experiences.
• Their stories like so many others are colored
  with bravery and courage in the history of World
  War II.

24
The Murphy Family

• Regina, Josephine, and Sarah Murphy

25
Duty Honor and Country
General MacArthur Thayer Award Speech
A tribute to those who served