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Post by congojoemallon on Jul 23, 2010 19:40:01 GMT
Hi All. Congo Joe Mallon here. 32nd Bn. I was at 50th anniversary ceremonies today in Baldonnel. Brilliant day. Met a lot of old Congo veterans. There were some stories told and lots of reminisences.
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Post by Matt McNamara on Jul 24, 2010 11:39:27 GMT
Hi Joe
Great to hear that you and all the other Congo Veterans enjoyed the days events yesterday in Baldonnel. Don’t forget to give us here on the forum you memories of your time there with the 32nd Bn and what it was like.
All the best
Matt
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Post by Matt McNamara on Jul 24, 2010 13:13:15 GMT
'We were red raw but I'll never regret it until the day I die'
THEY were "red raw" young men who went on the Defence Forces' first-ever overseas peacekeeping mission exactly 50 years ago. They were ill-equipped in bull's wool uniforms for the tropical weather conditions in the Congo -- and 26 of them died in the service of their country.
But the 1,000 Congo veterans who turned up at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel, in Dublin, yesterday were told that they had begun a noble peacekeeping tradition which had continued to this day.
Accompanied by a further 1,500 relatives, they commemorated the moment when the first group of 6,100 Irish troops were airlifted from there 50 years ago yesterday using airplanes supplied by the US Air Force.
The cargo listing for the first planeload of troops to the Congo showed they brought along 220,000 Players cigarettes, 156,000 Sweet Afton cigarettes and pounds of Carroll's and Players tobacco. Also on board were 72 bottles of Gold Label whiskey, 72 bottles of gin and 10,000 Blue Gilette razor blades.
Back then, Paddy Cope was an 18-year-old Dubliner who was pictured in the national press saying goodbye to his worried mother. He remembered yesterday that she was telling everybody: "He's me only son". But he and his friend Tony Carroll returned home safely after serving as signalmen -- radio communications operators -- in the Congo.
Wheelchair
Another who made it back was James Walsh (now 91) from Midleton, in Cork -- although he had to borrow his wife's wheelchair for the day due to the amount of walking involved. "He was mad to come here," said his daughter Phil, who brought him over to shake hands with Taoiseach Brian Cowen.
Yesterday, the veterans heard Irish Air Corps chaplain Fr Gerry Carroll praise them for the way they had tried to bring peace to the Congo, which had just declared independence under its fiery Prime Minister Joseph Lumumba in 1960.
"Those were high standards you set and to which our present-day soldiers still aim for and adhere to," he said.
The peacekeeping mission was a proud moment for the fledgling Irish State, but its people were deeply shocked to find out that the Congo could be a hostile place. Nine out of 11 soldiers on patrol were killed in the Niemba ambush just three months after the mission began. The name of the tribe responsible -- the Balubas -- later began a term of abuse in Dublin. Tom Kenny, then a 22-year-old in the 33rd battalion, was one of just two men who escaped the ambush. Despite sustaining painful and lasting injuries, the Dubliner insisted he would return to the Congo.
"We were red raw. We weren't tutored enough to say what could or might happen -- unfortunately it did happen," he said.
"But I'll never regret it until the day I die, I would've loved to be able to go back over."
At Casement Aerodrome, Mr Kenny was reunited with old friends for a special commemoration. "It's exactly like yesterday to me, it hasn't changed," he said.
"We shared a cigarette, we shared a pint, we shared joys and we shared sorrows. You can't take that away from anybody."
The early peace-keeping tactics adopted by the Irish troops included having dinner with village chiefs in the Congo and presenting one of them with "eggs and biscuits and a dart board". They themselves had to eat American army rations, which contained biscuits so hard that they had to be soaked in water to make them edible.
"We called them dog's biscuits," said former Sergeant William O'Reilly (now 68), who served there with his younger brother John (now 66).
Mr Cowen said it must never be forgotten that the deployment of the "peace pathfinders" had come at a huge cost.
"It was to see Irish soldiers taking part in very serious fighting, suffering fatalities and injuries," he said.
During his speech, Mr Cowen singled out for praise the 156 troops of A Company who had once been unfairly criticised for surrendering after the Battle of Jadotville in the Congo in 1961. He said they had been attacked by more than 3,000 heavily armed mercenaries and police belonging to the breakaway Katangan province.
"A heroic and remarkable defence saw A Company inflict heavy casualties without suffering a single loss of life. Only severe shortages of ammunition, food and water brought about capture," he said.
Mr Cowen made it clear that a future peacekeeping mission was still possible despite the withdrawal of troops from Chad and the crisis in the public finances.
The remaining 13 Irish troops in Chad are due to return home shortly.
Irish Independent, Saturday 24th July 2010
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Post by Matt McNamara on Jul 24, 2010 13:20:44 GMT
IT FELT more like a giant, happy family reunion than a solemn commemoration ceremony.
Hundreds of Army veterans gathered at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel where, 50 years ago to the day, they had set off on Ireland’s first major overseas peacekeeping mission.
Yesterday, on the tarmac of the runway, they hugged each other and clasped hands, many seeing each other for the first time in half a century. Laughter echoed through the giant air hangar as old comrades shared war stories. Others posed for photographs beside some of the Air Corp’s modern planes and helicopters.
Most Congo veterans are now in their late 60s or early 70s, dressed impeccably in sharp blazers and blue berets. Their stories are a blend of humour, pathos and tragedy. Mostly they were lads in their teens or early 20s with limited education and no combat experience. Many had never left their own counties, not to mind the country.
Jim Carton from near Gorey in Wexford, now a gym instructor at the age of 70, remembers the fear and panic which swept through the aircraft when it lost one of its four engines on the flight over.
“The captain announced what had happened – and you’ve never seen so many rosary beads and scapulars appearing. The Irish mammies had given rosary beads to every young soldiers. They all appeared, by the dozen!”
Godfrey Ledger from Limerick, who served with the second wave of troops in the Congo, is still able to laugh about the uniforms.
“We had arrived in ‘bull’s wool’ uniforms, which were far too hot. We got the tropical gear, but the problem was it was never measured. My trousers were trailing on the ground and reached up to my chest. Then I had green, white and gold braces, which could barely reach over my shoulder. It might as well have been in a clown’s costume.”
An extract from the the cargo list of the first aircraft to depart for the Congo suggested there were plentiful supplies of at least some items. It read: “. . . 422 dozen bottles of Time ale; 98 dozen bottles of Phoenix ale; 220,000 Players cigarettes; 156,000 Sweet Afton cigarettes; 72 bottles of Gold Label whiskey; 72 bottles of gin; 10,000 Gilette blades . . .”
But there were also poignant moments yesterday as the veterans remembered the courage and sacrifice of the 26 soldiers who never made it home.
Msgr Eoin Thynne, head chaplain to the Defence Forces, recalled the sacrifice of those who served and died without the glare of public recognition or the trumpet-blast of acclamation. These were ordinary people who did extraordinary things.
“There are no famous names,” he said. “We honour those who fought and died. For many, their achievements are known only to their family, friends and comrades.” One of those lucky to survive the Congo mission was Joe Fitzpatrick (70), from Cabra in Dublin. He and Tom Kenny were the only two men to survive the infamous Niemba massacre, in which nine Irish troops died.
“We left from this aerodrome as boys, but we returned as men,” said Fitzpatrick, proudly displaying a commemorative medallion he received belatedly from the Defence Forces in recent years.
“For many of us, it was just a big adventure, heading off to a foreign country.”
Taoiseach Brian Cowen said the involvement of the Defence Forces in the Congo represented a new departure both for our armed forces and for the country, and set the standard for future missions.
“Poised as we are now, with over 50 years of Irish troop participation in peacekeeping involvement around the world, I would like to salute you. Be in no doubt that you have left the State with a significant legacy. We are all hugely proud of you,” he said.
As part of Ireland’s foreign policy, the Taoiseach said the Government would continue to support the European Union in responding to the challenges of a more globalised world and in supporting the UN.
It was a sentiment appreciated by Richard Kelly from Athy, who served in the Congo while still a teenager.
“Our trip was worthwhile,” he said. “It did a lot. We helped to protect the people, feed the refugees. Many more people might have been killed if we weren’t there. I’ll always be proud of that.”
Irish Times, Saturday 24th July 2010
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Post by congojoemallon on Jul 25, 2010 15:26:38 GMT
Hi all. Matt asked me for some memories of the Congo. I was stationed in McDonagh barracks, General Training Depot in 1960. Tom Hetherington who I served with there might be too young a soldier to remember this bit. We went on what was probably the first time McDonagh barracks went on summer camp. The whole barracks moved by truck to Duncannon Fort in Co. Wexford. We were there a few days when Sgt Major Jim Dillon called a muster parade. We fell in and were told by the adjutant that the UN wanted a battalion of Irish soldiers to go the Congo and he asked for volunteers. To volunteer you took a pace forward. Others who volunteered with me were Derek Noonan, the late Mick Costello, the late Shammer O'Rourke, Cluskey, Hamilton, the late Tony Breen (Pisa). Within a day or two we were on trucks back for the Curragh, preparing to head to the Congo on our great adventure. I was very young and just off the Children's Allowance.
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Post by andybrennan on Jul 25, 2010 16:34:06 GMT
Hi Joe,
Nice memory that thanks for sharing it
Andy
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Post by Matt McNamara on Jul 25, 2010 16:34:37 GMT
Hi Joe A great start to a great adventure!! Looking forward to your next installment.
Regards
Matt
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Post by Brendan on Jul 25, 2010 23:10:49 GMT
Hi Joe:
There are some things in life one wishes to forget, while there are others things that you learn that carries you through life’s’ obstacles. Encountering instructors like you and Tom Hetherington not only moulded me, it helped me transcend the crap that I had to endure, and continue to endure along life’s path.
As a young lad, you not only trained me but you inspired me. Getting a bollocking for minor things and being run around for reasons that, at times, were never clear, didn’t mean much. What you did for us was to instil in us a way to think and act smarter than we did 16 weeks prior to our arrival at the training depot.
I soon learned that a common synergy and team dynamic was, and is, is the end product. Civilians from diverse backgrounds, family circumstances; maturity and immaturity; age and youth; married and single; educated and not so educated; country bumpkin and city slicker were fused by a common bond of trust and dependence on each other. A new set of conditions evolved over time. The kinks and weaknesses were ironed out for the good of the team. Collective endeavour replaced individual expectations. Troublemakers were dealt with internally in the confines of the billet, in the trenches, in the field, in the mountains. Ship up or ship out was the common mantra among the platoon.
The true meaning of a fighting unit began to surface, where respect was not a given, it was a new phenomenon for me that was earned the hard way. It is a two-way configuration, where individuals had to earn their part on the team, with an even bigger onus on the instructors. The platoon leaders had to earn respect. I had no qualms in going into battle with the likes of you and Tom leading the way.
Thank you for making a difference.
Brendan
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Post by andybrennan on Jul 25, 2010 23:54:36 GMT
A nice piece Brendan,
yes sometimes we are slow to acknowledge the positive effect of people we have had contact with in our lives
Andy
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Post by congojoemallon on Jul 26, 2010 21:00:39 GMT
Thanks for that, Brendan. Another little snippet from my Congo adventures. When we arrived back at barracks from Duncannon, over a short period of time, we got vaccinations, innoculations, teeth pulled. We were lined up from the ball alley right up to the hospital. As everyone knows we flew out from Baldonnel. When we arrived there, Archbishop McQuaid, Sean McKeown and Kevin Boland attended the leaving ceremony. We got an order to remove our caps, an order to kneel and we were blessed. My mother (RIP) and sister came to the airport to see me off. As I was saying goodbye to both of them I noticed a tear in my mother's eye. I can tell you as I turned to board the aircraft there was a tear in my eye too. It was only then I realised I was leaving for the Congo
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Post by Barbara Mullins on Jul 28, 2010 21:18:52 GMT
I was in Baldonnel on Friday for the 50th Anniversary. It was a great day, wonderful to see all the veterans there in their blazers and Blue berets. You could feel the excitement in the air as they met friends and comrades that they hadn’t met for years. For me personally it was an emotional day as I remember being there in 1960 with my mother Barbara, when my father, Tom Mullins, was going to the Congo. I can still see the line of soldiers with their bags of fruit going into the Globe Master!
We lived in McDonagh and my father was in the Depot.
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Post by congojoemallon on Jul 29, 2010 10:41:41 GMT
Hello Barbara. Congo Joe Mallon here. I served for a long time in the General Training Depot, McDonagh Barracks with your father, Tom. He was the quartermaster at the time. I have seen a photograph lately but I can't remember where of your father and I think it was you as a young girl lifting you up on to the back of a truck. I'd say as he was departing from the Congo. I hope you have the photograph
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Post by maurakearney on Jul 29, 2010 15:47:25 GMT
Hi Barbara Iwas delighted to see your namewhen Iturned on my Laptop, Ihope you are keeping well look forward to reading more post from you. Maura Kearney.
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Post by Barbara Mullins on Jul 29, 2010 23:19:13 GMT
Hi Joe, I remember you in McDonagh. Sorry I didn't see you in Baldonnell. I have the photograph! It was taken in McDonagh Square just before they left for Baldonnel in 1960. You probably saw it in the lovely book published by the Defence Forces Printing Press for last Friday. It tells the story of the Congo by the photographs. Congratulations to all concerned.
Hi to you too Maura! It has been great reading the posts and remembering all the great times we had on the Camp.
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Post by rose5mcdonaghtce on Jul 30, 2010 0:21:05 GMT
Hi Barbara,
Welcome to the forum, another McDonagh resident to fill the ranks. Mam kept a scrapbook, nothing too fancy, just a big OES hard backed copy, that photograph from the paper is in it, also the one of yourself and your Mam boarding the plane for Cyprus when your Dad was ill.
Rose.
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