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Contact Info
Home Town Fairfield, CT
Last Address New York City (Lived in Fairfield Connecticut all his life)
Date of Passing Jul 25, 2008
Location of Interment Oak Lawn Cemetery - Fairfield, Connecticut
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
Daly Family Photo
In 1945, Michael Daly returned to Fairfield, Conn., a war hero.
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.
Early life
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.
Military service
After graduating from the prestigious Georgetown Preparatory School in 1941, 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."
Later life
After the war, Daly returned to Fairfield and began a business career. He worked very briefly 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.[8] His wife's birthday is April 18, the date (though not the year) he battled so valiantly in Nuremberg.
In May, 2006 Fairfield University awarded Michael Daly an honorary degree, for service to his country and his community.In part his citation read, "Most of us, at one time or another, have breathed a sigh of relief, when figuratively speaking, we realize we have "dodged a bullet." The man we honor this morning, Michael J. Daly, did so, literally and repeadtedly during service in World War II that earned him, in addition to three Silver Stars, a Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts, the nations's highest military award, the Medal of Honor. ...Mr. Daly vowed to live a life that would reflect honor on those in the Greatest Generation whom he felt truly deserved the medal, "the guys who didn't come home." After a year in the hospital recovering from his wounds, he brought forward into life a passion for competent, compassionate health care. For the past 34 years, he has served on the Board of Directors at St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport, bringing his gentle manner and due diligence to issues ranging from the appointment of qualified physicians to the creation of a palliative care program to help the dying close out their lives with dignity and maximum comfort. For those and other reasons, administrators at the hospital refer to Mr. Daly as the "Conscience of St. Vincent's." For a lifetime of generous service, to his country, his community and those in it who suffer, the President and Board of Trustees of Fairfield University hereby proclaim: Michael Joseph Daly, Doctor of Laws, honoris causa." Fairfield University, May 26, 2006.
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, MIke, Nick, and Will Pavlis. 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.
Medal of Honor citation
Captain Daly's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
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
The 3rd Infantry Division is a combined arms division of the United States Army at Fort Stewart, Georgia. It is a direct subordinate unit of the XVIII Airborne Corps and U.S. Army Forces Command. Its current organization includes a division headquarters and headquarters battalion, two armored brigade combat teams, one National Guard infantry brigade combat team, a task force unit, one aviationbrigade, a division artillery, a sustainment brigade and a combat sustainment support battalion along with a maneuver enhancement brigade. The division has a distinguished history, having seen active service in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam War, and the Global War on Terror. The Medal of Honor has been awarded to 56 members of the 3rd Infantry Division, making the division the most honored in the Army.
The division fought in France in World War I. In World War II, it landed with Gen. Patton's task force in a contested amphibious landing on the coast of Morocco, North Africa, overwhelming Vichy French defenders in November 1942. In 1943, the division invaded Sicily in July, and invaded Italy at Salerno in September, before fighting in France and finally Germany. Medal of honor recipient Audie Murphy, featured in the Hollywood movie, "To Hell and Back," was a member. The division also served in the Korean War. From 1957 until 1996, the division was a major part of the United States Army's presence in the NATO alliance in West Germany.
Nickname(s):
"The Rock of the Marne" (Special Designation), Rock of the Marne
Motto(s);Nous Resterons Là(We Shall Remain There)
NOTABLE PERSON (s):
Commander: Joseph Theodore Dickman (October 6, 1857 - October 23, 1927) was a United States Army officer who saw service in five wars, rising to the rank of major general.Dickman was given command of the 3rd Infantry Division in November 1917, at the onset of the United States' entrance into World War I. He deployed the 3rd Division to France aboard the Leviathan at noon, on March 4, 1918. He was the 3rd Division commander at Chateau-Thierry in May 1918 and was made famous at the Second Battle of the Marne in July 1918. While allied forces on both flanks retreated, the 3rd Division stood fast in the face of enemy offensives, which led to their moniker, "The Rock of the Marne."
Howze's last assignment was to preside over the court-martial of Colonel Billy Mitchell, who had made public comments in response to the Navy dirigible USS Shenandoah crashing in a storm
The crash killed 14 of the crew and Mitchell issued a statement accusing senior leaders in the Army and Navy of incompetence and "almost treasonable administration of the national defense." In November 1925 he was court-martialed at the direct order of PresidentCalvin Coolidge.
MOH Recipient : PFC John Lewis Barkley (August 28, 1895 - April 14, 1966) U.S. Army, Company K, 4th Infantry, 3rd Division.
Private First Class Barkley, who was stationed in an observation post half a kilometer from the German line, on his own initiative repaired a captured enemy machinegun and mounted it in a disabled French tank near his post. Shortly afterward, when the enemy launched a counterattack against our forces, Private First Class Barkley got into the tank, waited under the hostile barrage until the enemy line was abreast of him and then opened fire, completely breaking up the counterattack and killing and wounding a large number of the enemy. Five minutes later an enemy 77-millimeter gun opened fire on the tank pointblank. One shell struck the drive wheel of the tank, but this soldier nevertheless remained in the tank and after the barrage ceased broke up a second enemy counterattack, thereby enabling our forces to gain and hold Hill 25.
John Lewis Barkley
MOH Recipient: LT General George Price Hays (September 27, 1892 - August 7, 1978) was a United States Army general who served during World War1and World War11. He earned the Medal of Honor as a young artillery officer during the Second Battle of the Marne in World War I. During World War II, he commanded the 10th Mountain Division in the last few months of the Italian Campaign.
He was commissioned a second lieutenant in 1917, and by July 14, 1918, was a first lieutenant serving in France With the 10th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Division. On that day, during the Second Battle of the Marne near Greves Farm, his unit came under a heavy German artillery barrage and the communication lines were destroyed. Despite the intense fire, Hays rode on horseback between his unit, the command post, and two French batteries for the rest of that day and the next. Although he was severely wounded and had seven horses shot out from under him, his efforts contributed to the halt of the German advance. For these actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor the next year, in 1919.
George Price Hays
World War II:
MOH Recipient: PVT Herbert F. Christian (June 18, 1912 - June 3, 1944) For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. On 2-3 June 1944, at 1 a.m., Pvt. Christian elected to sacrifice his life in order that his comrades might extricate themselves from an ambush. Braving massed fire of about 60 riflemen, 3 machineguns, and 3 tanks from positions only 30 yards distant, he stood erect and signaled to the patrol to withdraw. The whole area was brightly illuminated by enemy flares. Although his right leg was severed above the knee by cannon fire, Pvt. Christian advanced on his left knee and the bloody stump of his right thigh, firing his submachine gun. Despite excruciating pain, Pvt. Christian continued on his self-assigned mission. He succeeded in distracting the enemy and enabled his 12 comrades to escape. He killed 3 enemy soldiers almost at once. Leaving a trail of blood behind him, he made his way forward 20 yards, halted at a point within 10 yards of the enemy, and despite intense fire killed a machine-pistol man. Reloading his weapon, he fired directly into the enemy position. The enemy appeared enraged at the success of his ruse, concentrated 20-mm. machinegun, machine-pistol and rifle fire on him, yet he refused to seek cover. Maintaining his erect position, Pvt. Christian fired his weapon to the very last. Just as he emptied his submachinegun, the enemy bullets found their mark and Pvt. Christian slumped forward dead. The courage and spirit of self-sacrifice displayed by this soldier were an inspiration to his comrades and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the armed forces.
Herbert F. Christian
MOH Recipient: Tech. 5th Grade Eric Gunnar Gibson (October 3, 1919 - January 28, 1944) For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. On January 28, 1944, near Isolabella, Italy, Tech. 5th Grade Gibson, company cook, led a squad of replacements through their initial baptism of fire, destroyed four enemy positions, killed 5 and captured 2 German soldiers, and secured the left flank of his company during an attack on a strongpoint. Placing himself 50 yards in front of his new men, Gibson advanced down the wide stream ditch known as the Fosso Femminamorta, keeping pace with the advance of his company. An enemy soldier allowed Tech. 5th Grade Gibson to come within 20 yards of his concealed position and then opened fire on him with a machine pistol. Despite the stream of automatic fire which barely missed him, Gibson charged the position, firing his submachine gun every few steps. Reaching the position, Gibson fired pointblank at his opponent, killing him. An artillery concentration fell in and around the ditch; the concussion from one shell knocked him flat. As he got to his feet Gibson was fired on by two soldiers armed with a machine pistol and a rifle from a position only 75 yards distant. Gibson immediately raced toward the foe. Halfway to the position a machinegun opened fire on him. Bullets came within inches of his body, yet Gibson never paused in his forward movement. He killed one and captured the other soldier. Shortly after, when he was fired upon by a heavy machinegun 200 yards down the ditch, Gibson crawled back to his squad and ordered it to lay down a base of fire while he flanked the emplacement. Despite all warning, Gibson crawled 125 yards through an artillery concentration and the cross fire of 2 machineguns which showered dirt over his body, threw 2 hand grenades into the emplacement and charged it with his submachine gun, killing 2 of the enemy and capturing a third. Before leading his men around a bend in the stream ditch, Gibson went forward alone to reconnoiter. Hearing an exchange of machine pistol and submachine gun fire, Gibson's squad went forward to find that its leader had run 35 yards toward an outpost, killed the machine pistol man, and had himself been killed while firing at the Germans.
