FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: Michael J Daly ~ 01 August 2022

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[Kathy in Alaska]

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~ Hall of Heroes ~

Michael J. Daly

Info and photos from this website.

           

Michael J. Daly (September 15, 1924 – July 25, 2008) was a United States Army officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II.

Although born in New York City, Daly resided his entire life in Fairfield, Connecticut, save for one year he and his wife lived in County Wicklow, Ireland.  His great-grandfather Thomas F. Gilroy was an Irish immigrant who was mayor of New York City in the 1890s. His father, Colonel Paul Daly, was a World War I and World War II veteran who had received the Distinguished Service Cross and twice been nominated for the Medal of Honor.  Michael Daly had three brothers, Gilroy, Daniel and Dermot and three sisters, Madeleine Potter, Bevin Patterson and Alison Gerard.

Daly joined the Army from Fairfield's Southport neighborhood in 1942 and attended the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, where he was a classmate of George Patton IV. After only one year, Daly resigned his appointment to the academy in order to fight in the war.  Sent to Europe as an eighteen-year-old infantry private, he trained in England and took part in the D-Day landings at Omaha Beach with the 1st Infantry Division.  His father also volunteered to serve in the war and was sent first to Guadalcanal, then as a regimental commander to France.

After participating in the drive through France, Michael Daly was wounded in Aachen, Germany, and sent to England to recover. He rejoined the front lines as a part of the 3rd Infantry Division and was given a battlefield commission to second lieutenant.  By April 18, 1945, he was a first lieutenant in command of Company A, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, 7th Army. On that day, he led his company in their advance through Nuremberg, Germany, and single-handedly engaged German forces several times.  As his unit passed a city square, a German machine gun opened fire, causing several casualties. Daly rushed the position and killed the three gunners. Advancing ahead of his men, he came across a German patrol preparing to use rocket launchers to ambush American tanks. He again attacked alone and, despite being outnumbered and outgunned, killed all six patrol members. When a machine gun opened fire at close range, he picked up a dead man's rifle and killed the two-man German crew. The next day, on April 19, Daly was shot through the head; a bullet entered at his ear and exited from the opposite cheek. He was sent to England and eventually the United States to recuperate.  At about the same time, his father, who had been wounded in France, was also being evacuated to the United States.

Daly was subsequently promoted to captain and, on August 23, 1945, awarded the Medal of Honor.  Although still recovering from his wounds, for which he would continue to receive treatment until mid-1946, Daly attended a ceremony at the White House where President Harry S. Truman formally presented him with the medal.  In addition to the Medal of Honor, Daly received three Silver Stars, two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star with valor device.  Commenting on his Medal of Honor citation in a speech at Fairfield High School sometime later, Daly said, "We all lose our courage at times. It is something we pray for in the morning, that God will give us the strength and courage to do what is right."

After the war, Daly returned to Fairfield and began a business career. He worked as a salesman for an oil company before starting his own manufacturer's representative business, Michael Daly & Associates, in the Southport neighborhood.  He was greatly involved in the operations of St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport. He served on the hospital's board of directors for more than thirty years, was a trustee, and helped obtain financial support for the hospital.  A Democrat, Daly supported the political careers of his brother, Judge T. F. Gilroy Daly, and friend, city politician John J. Sullivan, but dismissed suggestions to run for office himself.

Daly married Margaret Wallace in the 1950s. He had two children, Deirdre and Michael.  His wife's birthday is April 18, the date (though not the year) he battled so valiantly in Nuremberg.

Daly died of pancreatic cancer at his Fairfield home on July 25, 2008. His funeral was July 29 at St. Pius X Church in Fairfield with a burial at Oak Lawn Cemetery. During his funeral Daly's daughter Deirdre recited some of his reflections on visiting the cemetery at Omaha Beach, "You walk that hallowed ground alone with your memories – but not really alone – for if you listen, you can hear the clear notes of a distant trumpet -- the same trumpet you hear walking across the parade ground at West Point -- calling us – all of us – to a higher standard. Duty, Honor, Country – yes – but it is also an appeal to our central humanity – an appeal for a greater decency – an appeal for kindness, the discipline of kindness – a reminder that therein lies our only chance for a permanent victory.”

Also during the service, Rev. Samuel Scott, a long time friend of Daly's, spoke of their last meeting when Daly said, "'Father, we need peacemakers. Anyone can shoot a gun.'" He then saluted Rev. Scott from his death bed.

He was given full military honors, the 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) of Fort Drum and The United States Military Academy of West Point performed the ceremony. The tribute included a 21-gun salute and West Point's bugle sounding "Taps" as preludes to a military helicopter flying over the cemetery in tribute to Daly. St. Vincent's Medical Center plans to name its new emergency wing in his honor.

He is survived by his wife, Margaret Wallace Daly; his son, Michael, his daughter, Deirdre Daly, and her husband, Alfred Pavlis, all of Fairfield; his sisters Bevin Daly Patterson of Cold Spring, N.Y., and Alison Daly Gerard of New York City; a stepson, W. Sanford Miller of Chadds Ford, Pa.; a stepdaughter, Blair Miller of Asheville, N.C.; and three grandsons. His brother, T. F. Gilroy Daly, who died in 1996, was a federal judge in Connecticut who had gained prominence as a lawyer for helping win the exoneration of Peter Reilly, who had been convicted of killing his mother in a highly publicized case of the 1970s.

DALY, MICHAEL J.

Rank and organization: Captain (then Lieutenant), U.S. Army, Company A, 15th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division.

Place and date: Nuremberg, Germany, 18 April 1945.

Entered service at: Southport, Conn.

Born: 15 September 1924, New York, N.Y. G

.O. No.: 77, 10 September 1945.

Citation:
Early in the morning of 18 April 1945, he led his company through the shell-battered, sniper-infested wreckage of Nuremberg, Germany. When blistering machinegun fire caught his unit in an exposed position, he ordered his men to take cover, dashed forward alone, and, as bullets whined about him, shot the 3-man guncrew with his carbine. 

Continuing the advance at the head of his company, he located an enemy patrol armed with rocket launchers which threatened friendly armor. He again went forward alone, secured a vantage point and opened fire on the Germans. Immediately he became the target for concentrated machine pistol and rocket fire, which blasted the rubble about him. Calmly, he continued to shoot at the patrol until he had killed all 6 enemy infantrymen. 

Continuing boldly far in front of his company, he entered a park, where as his men advanced, a German machinegun opened up on them without warning. With his carbine, he killed the gunner; and then, from a completely exposed position, he directed machinegun fire on the remainder of the crew until all were dead.

In a final duel, he wiped out a third machinegun emplacement with rifle fire at a range of 10 yards. 

By fearlessly engaging in 4 single-handed fire fights with a desperate, powerfully armed enemy, Lt. Daly, voluntarily taking all major risks himself and protecting his men at every opportunity, killed 15 Germans, silenced 3 enemy machineguns and wiped out an entire enemy patrol.

His heroism during the lone bitter struggle with fanatical enemy forces was an inspiration to the valiant Americans who took Nuremberg.

Please remember the Canteen is here to honor, support and entertain our troops and their families.  This is a politics-free zone!  Thanks for helping us in our mission!

[radu]

Howdy, Kathy.

Michael Daly was one TOUGH soldier. Killed all those Germans single-handedly AND survived being shot in the head. Wow!

An active day in Anchorage today. A big fire this morning, then the second day of the Arctic Thunder Air Show. The Lake Hood cam ops had a heck of a time keeping up with the Thunderbirds as they put on their show.
I imagine they got your attention a time or two as they flew close by. LOL

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, mountainlion...hope you have been enjoying your summer, and are working on your firewood supply for the coming winter.

I think you are quite right about the coming battle. Prayers and prepping as best I can.

[radu]

Howdy, PRO.

Are you still pup-sitting or is their “momma” home now?

I see y’all are still baking out there. OOF! We had a little break in the heat but it’s coming back in a couple of days. :-(

[Kathy in Alaska]

In first....Pro grabs the gold!!

[Kathy in Alaska]

And in second....The Mayor snags the silver!!

[Kathy in Alaska]

And rounding out the top three....Eagle6 bags the bronze!!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, radu...thanks for helping honor our military men and women.

Did you get a good look at the Thunderbirds? Overcast at my house. Only able to get outside quick enough to see one jet, but, boy were they LOUD!! One had to be directly overhead...sounded like I needed to open the windows for him.

Love that sound of freedom!!

[luvie]

Michael J. Daly
September 15, 1924 – July 25, 2008
United States Army Officer
Medal of Honor Recipient
—for his actions in World War II.
God Rest His Hero Soul...

[PROCON]

Hey radu!

I visited Robin & the pups yesterday and finished an inside project we had been working on.

Yes it's been scorching weather here, thankfully a slight cooldown is forecasted for the coming week.

What's up your way? That was an interesting pic of that cardboard Jeep you posted, great craftmanship!

[TigerHawk]

Say Hey,

I saw where your part of the world finally got some rain. Sorry it wasn’t in time to save the corn. Also, saw that remarkable cardboard Jeep. WOW!

Caught the T-Birds out in Wyoming, back in ‘75. Fabulous show. Here’s another Air Show that you might find interesting. The Rhinebeck Aerodrome. Saw it first back in the late 60’s when Cole Palen was still alive. This was his baby. He supplied all the planes for the film “THOSE DARING YOUNG MEN IN THEIR FLYING MACHINES”, and other movies. He was a good guy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ4GSefwq-4

Here’s a link to Palen’s Wiki page , just for some background. As a museum person yourself, you might feel a connection.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cole_Palen

Enjoy it when you get a chance.

Take care.

[MoochPooch]

Mid-60s? Brrrr!

Heat wave broke here, but another one soon coming . . .

[TigerHawk]

RADU,

YOU HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE BEGINNING OF THE VDO TO SEE THE WHOLE THING. SOMEHOW IT STARTS HALFWAY THROUGH.

SORRY ABOUT THAT.

[radu]

Yes, I did get to see the Thunderbirds perform up there, both yesterday and today. They gave the cam ops a real workout trying to keep up with them. LOL It was hard for them to zoom in on them very close but I managed to get one screen shot that was decent.

There were a few times I figured they were rattling your windows. I'm so jealous. LOL

The pic at the bottom of the screen is one of the Lake Hood moderators/cam ops. We just found out yesterday that he passed away a week ago and StreamTimeLive put that pic up in his honor. He was a Vietnam vet and flew 98 combat missions. He'll be missed by those of us who have followed the Lake Hood cam for a while.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Oh no...another coming? Stay cool as best you can.

[radu]

Glad to hear you’re going to get a break soon. Man, it’s been awful up there!

WOOHOO! FINISHED one of her projects. That sounds good. She probably has others lined up, ready to go though. LOL

Not a lot going on. Lost another cat last week to a tumor and diabetes. We had him for 15 years and he had a good, long life.

Other than that, just fun times at the museum this weekend. Got to meet a WWII veteran who took part in D-Day and was one of Gen. Patton’s drivers in France.

And saw that the guys had brought in that wild cardboard Jeep during the week. The men who created it did a mighty fine job. Though I could see there was something a little “off” about it when I first saw it, I never would have guessed what it was made of.

[radu]

Howdy, luvie.

How was your day? Did you go to sleep early enough last night to give your alarm clock a good chance for survival this morning? :-)

[luvie]

Man I missed the Thunderbirds! How cool. And sorry one of the mods passed. They are good to let us see all the cool stuff that they can.

[Allegra]

Other than that, just fun times at the museum this weekend. Got to meet a WWII veteran who took part in D-Day and was one of Gen. Patton’s drivers in France.

Very cool! Did he tell any stories?

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, luvie...he was a man of action, that is for sure.

[luvie]

Hey there [again], radu!

I went to bed fairly early but didn’t sleep worth a darn so was just worn out this morning. I had a fantastic nap this afternoon, though, because we didn’t have an evening service because it was 5th Sunday.

Did you get more rain. I am so thrilled that you got so much!