Heroic Cavan 'Nam Vet honoured locally

MEDIC Hubert's first cousin credits Scouting influence

A Cavan Vietnam veteran, whose remarkable bravery saved the lives of his comrades from almost certain death, thus earning the Distinguished Service Cross, has been honoured locally.

Servicemen gathered at Post 15 of the Irish United Nations Veterans Association yesterday (Tuesday, August 24), to receive a presentation in honour of Private First Class Hubert Farrelly, an armoured ambulance medic attached to Troop C, 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division.

The wall plaque was presented to IUNVA members by Pfc Farrelly's first cousins, Thomas Clarke and Kathleen Wall.

Also in attendance were relatives Felicity Smith and 'Bricker' Wall, the latter a former serving member with the Irish defence forces attached to 29th (Cavan) and 6th (Athlone) Infantry Battalions.

Thomas remembers growing up alongside Hubert before the latter's family emigrated west across the Atlantic.

He remembers too when word of Pfc Farrelly's war exploits first began filtering through the grapevine in short letters from America.

“[Hubert's] mother would send home newspaper articles from when the medal was presented,” explains Thomas. Disappointingly, Thomas is unsure where these clippings are now.

But he says recognition of Hubert's bravery on Irish soil, and particularly in his home town of Cavan, “means an awful lot” to his surviving family both locally and abroad.

He adds that Hubert was “some boy”, and a person of character who'd “never give in”- a mettle Thomas feels that hardened in the years both young men spent with the local scouting group, under the caring guidance of leader, John Donohoe.

Thomas says Mr Dohonoe encouraged Hubert by getting him to play drums in the local Boy Scout Band. He later played side drum in the Cavan Labour Band also.

He was a “God send” Thomas says of Mr Donohoe, for the many young men growing up in Cavan with otherwise little else to their name.

“In our time [John Donohoe] was nearly a saint,” says Thomas. “We hadn't the price of ice-cream as youngsters, but in the Scout Den down on Bridge Street and John would come back over with ice-cream from the Central Cafe for the whole lot of us. We didn't know it then, but he hadn't the money to pay for them until he got his wages, and he'd work in Brady's Shoe Store where the old Dunne Stores is now, and then he'd pay Seany [McManus]. He was a gentleman.”

Thomas recalls too: “When the big boy was putting the medal around [Pfc Farrelly's] neck he's to have said 'You learned great comradeship in the Army'. But Hubert said 'No, I learned my comradeship in a place called Cavan. In Ireland. From a man named John Donohoe, my boy scout leader'. John Donohoe cried when he seen the clippings.”

Valorous actions

According to US Military citation, Pfc Farrelly distinguished himself by 'exceptionally valorous actions' on July 9, 1966, whilst a medical aidman in an armoured ambulance supporting a unit conducting a reconnaissance-in-force operation east of present day Ho Chi Minh.

The Xa An Hoa province borders the meandering Dong Nai river, and while moving toward their objective, the armoured troop carriers were suddenly attacked by a large Viet Cong force. The US troops almost immediately had to radio for help, after the lead tank of the column received a direct hit from a Viet Cong recoilless rifle.

With complete disregard for his own personal safety, and with only thoughts of saving his own troops, Pfc Farrelly leapt into action.

Picking up his aid bag and, without a weapon, the Cavan man jumped from his carrier and ran approximately 200 metres through the bullet swept battlefield to the disabled tank.

While exposed to the intense Viet Cong fire, he mounted the tank, where he administered first aid to the seriously wounded crew before carrying them each back to a covered position.

As the hostile fire intensified, several US Army vehicles continued to suffer the relentless and deadly Viet Cong recoilless rifle fire.

Undeterred, Pfc Farrelly continued to brave the hostile fire as he moved among the disabled vehicles avoiding being shot, and administering first aid and evacuating his fallen comrades. He then returned to the carrier and, although near total exhaustion, supplied the entire crew cooped up there with necessary ammunition.

But Pfc Farrelly's fearlessness didn't just end there.

Shortly after, the vehicle directly to the front of his was hit and burst into flames.

Unhesitatingly, he mustered the courage to again rush to the aid of the stricken victims.

Climbing over the side of the now blazing carrier, which threatened to explode at any moment, Pfc Farrelly was seen to disappear into the flames only to emerge seconds later dragging the bodies of three more wounded comrades to safety.

Although his clothes were on fire, he returned into the carrier to ensure all the crew members had been extracted.

'After this, he attempted to climb out, but fell back into the flames. Struggling against exhaustion, fatigue and painful wounds, he managed to climb out,' witness statements record.

At the time Pfc Farrelly had only been serving with the US Army two-years-and-eight-months. It was the second time he had suffered injury during that short length of service.

Following the incident near Xa An Hoa, Pfc Farrelly returned to the US where he recovered from his injuries at an army hospital in Texas.

Arising from his heroic actions, Pfc Farrelly suffered first and second degree burns across almost two-thirds of his body.

Pfc Farrelly's name was put forward for a Distinguished Service Cross based on General's Orders issued from US Army HQ in Vietnam on October 3, 1966. The honour was then signed off by the President of the USA.

'Private First Class Farrelly's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army,' military citation recalls.

Shay Whelan, Chair of Post 15 IUNVA, said the local organisation were “proud” to receive the presentation, the framing of which was sponsored by Ray O'Reilly of Cavan One Hour Photo, and to recognise Pfc Farrelly's achievement.

“It's part of our heritage. Paul Coventry, a former member, was awarded a Distinguished Service like Pfc Farrelly, for his efforts in South Lebanon. We have recognised lads here too who served in Jadotville (Congo), so he's in good company. We feel it's important that this is here for [Pfc Farrelly's] to be able to come here and see him remembered in a military setting.”

Shay adds: “Any guy who puts on the uniform to serve any State takes on a certain responsibility to act in the course of duty. It doesn't happen to every soldier, either the opportunity never presents itself or they could be unlucky. But for the few it does happen to, you'd expect nothing else from a trained person, especially when it comes to protecting their fellow soldiers.”

The youngest son Paddy and Annie Farrelly, formerly St Phelim's Place and Lakeview Terrace in Cavan Town, the Farrelly family (three boys and one girl) emigrated to the US in the 1950s when Hubert was aged in his teens.

They lived in the Bronx area of New York, before later moving to live in the Rockaway Beach area of Queens.

Hubert later married Teresa and they had one son, Brian, living with his family in Long Island, New York. He died March 22, 2009, age 64, and was laid to rest at Calverton National Cemetery, Suffolk County, New York.

In 2010, soldiers and families from the 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Division Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion cut the ribbon on the Farrelly Health Clinic, a $26 million 52,000-square-foot facility, located at Custer Hill, Fort Riley, Kansas.