|
Thomas Joseph Gerraghty
(Garrity) was a Sergeant in the United States Army
during WW1; he was in the 1st Engineers Div. Thomas was born in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania on April
6, 1897. His parents were John and Mary. Besides Thomas, their
children were Mary, Helen, Joe, John, and Katherine. He grew up in Philadelphia and Akron.
He went through fourth grade in Philadelphia. He was a genius
at crossword puzzles and was an artist at penmanship. In his youth, as a
young man he enjoyed swimming and ballroom dancing.
At barely 17, he enlisted because he hated
the regime that was trying to take over Europe. He signed up as
soon as it started and he felt it was his duty and was proud to do it. He
received his basic training at Washington Barracks. They were trying to train
him for the Cavalry, but he said, "He couldn't tell one end from
another" so they put him in the 1st Engineers. The Army doesn't ask you
what you want to do; they just put you where they need to. Thomas had no
particular skills. Thomas made many close friends and after the war the
engineers held yearly conventions. The food was Army issue, the rules were
very strict, and 24 hours a day you were considered on duty. The uniforms
were regular Army khaki and the type of dwellings that were provided was pup
tents. The type of weather was probably damp and cold some of the time.
Thomas traveled by troop ship to France. This was his
first experience in a foreign country. He was stationed in Soisson where they
fought the Battle of the Marne. The troop ship
was named USCT Finland. His job duties were building bridges where needed,
demolition, trenches, dugouts, camouflage, reconnaissance, and rifle
practice. Thomas was in the front lines. He was surrounded by the enemy.
Thomas' frightening experience was being shot in the leg while he was
carrying his wounded Commanding Officer off the battle field. The part of his
job that he was really good at was surviving. The Job he was not especially
good at was taking someone else's orders. Thomas remained very close to his
friends in the area of the VFW post. In the hospital of France he learned to
knit. By the time he returned to Washington Walter Reed Hospital the leg
was so infected they had to remove it. Thomas kept in touch with his family
by letters. He received the Purple
Heart, the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, the Medal of the Marne, and a medal from
General DeGaulle.
Thomas' tour of duty was ended with the
amputation. His most favorite place was Washington D.C. Thomas met Catherine
before the Army. He was a hatcheck employee at Professor Lynich's
dance studio where she taught ballroom dancing and played piano. He never got
to dance with her and he said, "She was so lovely and a beautiful
dancer." By the time he returned he could no longer dance, but they fell
in love and married. Thomas had one boy and three girls, Gerry, Rita Gene,
and Mary. His career was as a Dental Technician which he learned at Walter Reed Hospital. Thomas lived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Akron, Ohio. Thomas belonged
to the VFW, Thomas Welker Post. Thomas Joseph Gerraghty
was a great man, a brave soldier, fine husband, father, grandfather, and a
very good American.
This is Thomas
with his family.
A map of Europe where Thomas was
at.
|
