Over half a century since his passing during a patrol operation in Vietnam, US Navy has named a destroyer after Patrick Gallagher, an Irishman who was a Lance Corporal. The ceremonial launch of the USS Patrick Gallagher took place in Maine at the General Dynamics Bath Iron Works (BIW), attracting a crowd of 2,500 spectators on Saturday afternoon.
Gallagher’s distinction lies in being among the very few non-U.S. citizens who’ve had the privilege of a ship named in their honour. An acknowledgment not only of Gallagher’s valour but also of the incessant efforts by his kins and acquaintances to immortalise his name.
Patrick Gallagher came into the world on February 1st, 1944 as the second child amongst nine of Peter and Mary Gallagher’s brood, in Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo. In 1962, he journeyed to the United States at the age of 18 to reside with his aunt in Long Island, harbouring aspirations of a legal career.
His enlistment with the US Marine Corps occurred in 1965 during the Vietnam War. A mere three months into his Vietnam tour, Gallagher received the U.S. Navy’s most prestigious accolade, the Navy Cross, along with the Congressional Medal of Honor for an astounding display of bravery in the July of 1966. His heroic act involved a daring dive onto a grenade to shield his comrades from the impending blast. Thankfully, the grenade failed to detonate, and he was able to throw it away into a lake.
His life, however, tragically ended on March 30th, 1967, during a patrol in Da Nang at the tender age of 23. Word of his demise reached his family in Ballyhaunis through the local parish priest. After being brought back to his homeland, his burial was attended by a massive gathering.
Towards the late part of 2013, a conversation started amongst a gathering of Irish gentlemen in Donnelly’s Trinity Hall pub, located in Dallas, Texas. The topic of the discourse was Corporal Gallagher and the group, including pilot Martin Durkan from Ballyhaunis, elected to initiate an online petition requesting that a US Navy ship bear his name. This was facilitated by the website dubbed “Help Us Honor A Marine Corps Hero” at www.patrickgallagherusmc.info, which was backed by originally Malahide-dwelling Marius Donnelly.
Upon reaching a total of 10,000 signatures, the group spurred a political campaign in the US, where Senator Chuck Schumer became a vital ally. Six years after the US Navy approved of the petition in 2018, construction of the ship has been completed.
Present at the naming ceremony were the surviving siblings of Corporal Gallagher – Peter, Teresa, Rosemarie and Pauline, and 18 of his nieces and nephews. Pauline, the youngest of the siblings, recalled it as a day of immense pride for the Gallagher lineage, although the sorrow associated with the loss of Corporal Gallagher lingered. She felt it was a significant honour for her non-American brother, and by extension, for all the Irishmen who perished in Vietnam.
Commenting at the christening of the ship, Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora, Sean Fleming, expressed his gratitude for being selected to pay homage to the remarkable life journey of Patrick Gallagher. Fleming conveyed that Corporal Gallagher personified courage, resilience and hardiness in the face of hardship, traits distinctive of Ireland’s diaspora. The ship being named after him is a testament to his influential story, marking the end of an extensive campaign led by his family. Fleming concluded by extending his heartfelt congratulations and good wishes to the entire Gallagher family on this significant acknowledgment of Patrick’s accomplishments and life.