Shortly after publishing The Sanctity Of Love And War, I received a phone call from Frank Gilroy's daughter, Fran. Readers of the novel will recognize that the character of Mark Linton is based on Frank and his accomplishments during WWII. Fran then told her cousin Peter about the book. Peter first contacted me via this blog site and then, shortly after that, through e-mails and phone calls. My paternal grandmother and his maternal grandmother were sisters. Through the years, my grandmother's branch of the family tree lost touch with Peter's part of the family. Peter's family stems from his grandmother's move to Brooklyn from Pennsylvania shortly before the war. Therefore, it's been a real joy to become acquainted with his part of the family.
I grew-up hearing stories from my father about his two cousins who fought in the Pacific during WWII. Both were in the Navy. Of course, one was Anthony Francis "Frank" Gilroy, a Navy Dive Bomber stationed on the USS Hancock. He would go on to be awarded the Navy Cross & Distinguished Flying Cross for his efforts during the Battle of Leyte Gulf in late October of 1944. Because I was looking to write about a pilot from WWII, I chose Frank as a model for the character of Mark Linton. I have never met Frank Gilroy, so connecting with his family as a result of the book has been one of the highlights of the whole experience. As I have written at the end of the novel in the Author's Notes, Frank still lives on Long Island and remains the humble hero that he's always been.
After learning about the book, Frank's nephew, Peter, made an effort to reach out to me with a gracious willingness to connect with relatives from his grandmother's hometown. This past weekend, my family and I had the great pleasure to spend time with Peter as he made the trip from Atlanta. It was wonderful hearing stories from him as he traded memories with my father and uncle. Peter remembered meeting his Uncle Frank's cousin, Jack McGraw, when he was a child spending time in Dunmore (the town where our mutual relatives came and settled from Ireland in the late 19th century). While he was in town, my father and uncle thought it would be nice to bring Peter to Jack's house for a visit. While there, my father asked Jack to share some of his own memories of the war.
Jack had been the other of my dad's cousins to fight in the Pacific theatre of the war. I grew-up knowing Jack thanks to his close connection to my father (Jack is not only my father's first cousin, but also his godfather). I can still recall going to Jack's cottage at Moosic Lake as a child and the warm hospitality he and his wife always showed (coincidentally, the same memories Peter had from his childhood visits to the area).
Jack served on a PC boat in the Philippines. On November 24, 1944, that boat was hit by a Japanese bomb and Jack was wounded. Many of the crew were killed by that very bomb. Like Frank, Jack went on to survive the war, get married, and raise a beautiful family. And like Frank, Jack is still living. Both men are now in their 90's and both live with a humble greatness that is often lacking in today's world.
Having been raised in the same town in which Jack lived, I'm fortunate to have many memories of the man. One stands out above the rest. When I was a child, my parents had a big New Year's Eve party. Jack and his wife were among the invited guests. When the clock struck midnight, I can still recall Jack going onto my parents' porch with a large, heavy ship's bell to ring in the New Year. After that, he asked my father to use the phone so he could carry on the tradition of calling his shipmates as he did each New Year's Eve. That ship bell was given to Jack by his shipmates when he was recuperating from his wounds in a military hospital back in 1944. Jack explained to my father that every New Year's Eve, he would ring that bell at midnight, followed by phone calls to the friends with whom he served during the war. When my father had Jack retell that story during Peter's visit, it was another reminder to me how much tradition and honor meant (and still means) to that great generation.
I thank Peter for his visit. It was a great joy meeting him and making a new family connection. It was wonderful hearing all the old stories and being reminded (yet again) of how honorable the WWII generation truly is. Peter's father also served in the Navy during the war, serving as a commander of a mind sweeping boat in the Pacific near and at the time his brother-in-law, Frank Gilroy served.
My wish for present and future generations is for members to have a curiosity for what previous generations accomplished and achieved during their lifetimes. Each day, we're losing more and more men of the generation who fought in World War II. I'm lucky enough to have two living relatives from that time in history. They are treasures to be honored and revered. I try to remind myself of that truth on a regular basis, but it was nice to have Peter Donovan's visit remind me of that truth once again.
