 |
Essay: World War II heroes
|
James F. O’Malley (1917-1987)
Fran was a First Lieutenant in the 90th Infantry Division – not bad for a man with only a start at college and who had been an electric meter reader for Public Service. Before shipping off to Europe, in June 1943 he married his high school French teacher and longtime next door neighbor at 75 Prospect Street, Jessie Lanouette. In July 1944 in Beau Coundroy, Normandy, he was captured by the Germans on a day only 90 of 500 men survived. He escaped on the way to a POW camp, and was later hospitalized in England. I have his Purple Heart ribbon. His leadership showed, he later became Vice President of Marketing for Public Service. Leo P. Sheedy, MD (1908-1970)
Dr. Sheedy was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Medical Corps in the South Pacific. He was recruited to join the Army by the Mayo Clinic. He helped to set up hospitals and treated wounded servicemen. Among his memories was once performing his magic tricks for General McArther. His first grandchild, Paul Laughlin, collected his many letters home and put them on a cd. Dr. Sheedy was a leading Pittsburgh radiologist and one time president of the Allegheny County Medical Society.
This picture shows the brothers with their dad, Frank Page, Sr. in 1942 at the time of their mother, Elizabeth Louise Hogan’s death.
The commitment of this Pittsburgh Irish family to America showed strongly in their father’s obituary in February,1945 – all four sons were in the military: Cpt. Richard J. Page, AAF; Cpl. Edward F. Page, USMCR; Lt. John D. Page USNR; and Lt. Frank T. Page, Jr. ATC. Fortunately, all the brothers survived the war, married and had families. I don’t know if in this day of an all volunteer Army, we could find many such patriotic families. |
