Liberty Medal presented to family of WWI vet
Pvt. John James Callahan, Jr. honored
TROY, N.Y. » On Thursday morning, state Sen. Neil Breslin had the honor of presenting a Liberty Medal to the family of Troy native Pvt. John James Callahan, Jr. during a special ceremony at St. Mary’s Cemetery.
According to parts of his biography, Callahan was killed in action on June 11, 1918, at the age of 18, during the battle of Bel- leau Wood, France. The battle has become a key component of the lore of the United States Marine Corps.
According to a firsthand account, Callahan had been shot through the chest and though mortally wounded, he insisted on pushing on to the woods. Callahan was later taken from the field and died. His body was interred in France until the end of the War, which ended less than a year later.
He was the first Marine from Troy to be killed in World War 1. Callahan was posthumously awarded the following: Purple Heart, Marine Corps Good Conduct medal, World War 1 Victory Medal, World War 1 2nd Infantry (Indian Head Divison, Honorable Service Medal, French Croix de Guerre (Cross of war) Fourragere ( braided cord), New York State Conspicuous Service Medal and The City of Troy, New York Faithful Service Medal.
“Hopefully this Liberty Medal will lead to John James Callahan, Jr., being interred in our memories and into the fabric of Troy forever,” said Breslin as he handed over the Liberty Medal to Conrad Lang, a nephew of Callahan.
“First, I would like to thank the Senator for recognizing the sacrifice of this family, but also for reminding us what some people have given to this country,” added Mayor Patrick Madden after the ceremony. “It’s absolutely astounding to think of a 17-yearold, who probably had never been out of Troy in his life, enlisting and ending up in France in the middle of the battle, I have a hard time wrapping my hands around that, I can’t imagine what they kids went through.”
Callahan’s family said they were grateful to receive the Liberty Medal from Breslin.
“I would like to thank everyone for coming, I’m really touched by this,” said Lang during the ceremony. “This medal is for John Callahan Jr., but as far as I’m concerned, he’s just a representative of the thousands of other young boys who gave their lives in not only World War 1, but World War II and other wars right up to the present time, there are other Marines and soldiers in active duty right now risking their lives and I really appreciate the state of New York giving this medal.”