GURTEEN SOLDIER RECEIVES PURPLE HEART 100 YEARS AFTER DEATH
PRIVATE FIRST CLASS JAMES P. TYMON DIED IN 1918 SHORTLY BEFORE WW1 ENDED. HIS FAMILY HAVE FINALLY GOT THE RECOGNITION THEY FEEL HE DESERVES.
A Gurteen native who died while fighting for the US army during World War One has finally been awarded with a purple heart for giving his life to fight for the US.
Private First Class James P. Tymon, was born in Gurteen on February 25 th 1895.
He emigrated to the US later in his life and lived in Patchogue.
He signed up to fight in the US army during WW1 and got shot in the last major German offensive in August 1918, just before the war ended in November 1918.
He died a few days later in the 307 th field hospital.
His niece decided to go visit his grave in France in 1999. Visitors to the graveyard must register upon entry and because there is a record kept, workers there were able to tell her that she was the first person to visit his grave in 81 years.
That sparked off a campaign by his grandnephew, Dermot Golden
he Purple Heart is awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after April 5, 1917 with the US Military.
“There were two things that prompted me to do it,” Dermot Golden told The Sligo Champion.
“Firstly, I was moved that my
Mum wanted to visit his grave and that she turned out to be the first person to do so since he had been buried there 81 years earlier.
“James Tymon died aged 23 in 1918 and my Mum wasn’t born until 1935 but she remembers her Mum (Maggie) talking about her brother James and my Mum was obviously moved by the grief and reverence that the family carried for James, so much so that years later she decided to find his grave.
Dermot’s brother sent him a link to a profile on PFC James P. Tymon on the website www. honorstates.org.
“When I saw at the bottom of the screen that it said ‘may be entitled to other medals’ - that really got to me. This man gave his life so that the rest of the world could live in peace and that was his epitaph.”
Dermot contacted a friend who resides in Buffalo NY wh is well connected.
“I told him what I was trying to do. He knew Congressman Brian Higgins personally and the next thing I knew there was a case worker from the Congressman’s office emailing me.
“That process started in May of this year and culminated in August with the Congressman’s letter,” he added.
The letter sent to Dr. Dermot Golden from Congressman Higgins read as follows:
“I am sorry to hear that your great-uncle, PFC James P. Tymon, was killed in action on August 30 th, 1918 while serving in the 307 th Infantry Regiment which was assigned to the 77 th Infantry Dibision of the U.S. Army during World War I.
“I have received a response from the National Personnel Records Center regarding the inquiry my office made on your behalf. The attached document is official verification that PFC James P. Tymon was entitled to the Purple Heart for the ultimate sacrifice that he made.
“I hope that this information is helpful to you and your mother, Maureen McDermott. “At the end of this month, on August 30 th, we will recognize the 100 th anniversary of then PFC James P. Tymon was killed on the battlefield on August 30 th, 1918.
“We will never forget the ultimate sacrifice that he made while fighting in the U.S. Army during World War I.”
It was only upon receiving the letter from Congressman Higgins that James P. Tymon’s nephew, Dermot Golden, realised it was exactly 100 years to the month when he died that he received the award. “In addition to the Purple Heart award the Congressman’s office flew a US flag over the Capitol building to honour James Tymon and sent it to my Mum,” he added.
The family were blown away by the response from the Congressman and indeed his office.
“It grew from me wondering if I could get him a Purple Heart to a Congressman’s office embracing this Gurteen man’s story and seeing him duly honoured. My Mum told me that the family were always upset over the fact that he got shot in the last major German offensive and had almost survived the war.
“There are thousands of men and women who gave their lives during both wars that would be eligible for medals. The armed forces are very protective of the process and will only make an award when they are 100% satisfied that all the criteria have been met as otherwise it would devalue the meaning. I knew this before I started the process and I knew it would be a challenge especially going back so far. Also a lot of army records got damaged in a fire in the US including James Tymon’s file but they managed to find a partial file of his records,” he added.