‘Irish by adoption, Irish by association or Irish by

conviction’

The Fighting 69th in World War One

With Pershing’s Expedition in Texas

Mobilizing one year later for federal service as the regiment expands to 3,000 strong

Arriving at Camp Mills, Long Island

LTC Donovan and Father Duffy

SGT Joyce Kilmer and Father Duffy

Major Operations

• Defensive Operations– defense of Luneville– defense of Ancerville (Bacarat)– defense of St. Hilaire (Champagne)

• Offensive Operations– crossing the Ourcq River (2nd Marne)– attack at St. Mihiel– assault at St. Georges (Argonne)

Aisne-Marne Offensive, July 1918Chateau Thierry and Across the Ourcq

River

St. Mihiel Offensive, Sep 1918Closing the Bulge in the Allied lines

Meuse-Argonne Offensive, Nov 1918The final push to Sedan and the Meuse River

The Lost Battalion

St. Georges

Division advance

14 Oct–11 Nov

Medal of Honor RecipientsO'NEIL, RICHARD W. • Sergeant, Company D, 165th Infantry, 42d Division. Place and date: On the

Ourcq River, France, 30 July 1918. Entered service at: New York, N.Y. Birth: New York, N.Y. G.O. No.: 30, W.D., 1921. Citation: In advance of an assaulting line, he attacked a detachment of about 25 of the enemy. In the ensuing hand-to-hand encounter he sustained pistol wounds, but heroically continued in the advance, during which he received additional wounds: but, with great physical effort, he remained in active command of his detachment. Being again wounded, he was forced by weakness and loss of blood to be evacuated, but insisted upon being taken first to the battalion commander in order to transmit to him valuable information relative to enemy positions and the disposition of our men.

DONALDSON, MICHAEL A. • Sergeant, Company I, 165th Infantry, 42d Division. Place and date: At

Sommerance-Landres-et St. Georges Road, France, 14 October 1918. Entered service at: Haverstraw, N.Y. Born: 1884, Haverstraw, N.Y. G.O. No.: 9, W.D., 1923. Citation: The advance of his regiment having been checked by intense machinegun fire of the enemy, who were entrenched on the crest of a hill before Landres-et St. Georges, his company retired to a sunken road to reorganize their position, leaving several of their number wounded near the enemy lines. Of his own volition, in broad daylight and under direct observation of the enemy and with utter disregard for his own safety, he advanced to the crest of the hill, rescued one of his wounded comrades, and returned under withering fire to his own lines, repeating his splendidly heroic act until he had brought in all the men, 6 in number.

Medal of Honor Recipients

DONOVAN, WILLIAM JOSEPH Lieutenant Colonel, 165th Infantry, 42d Division. Place and date: Near Landres-et-St. Georges, France, 14-15 October 1918. Entered service at: Buffalo, N.Y. Born: 1 January 1883, Buffalo, N.Y. G.O., No.: 56, W.D., 1922. Citation: Lt. Col. Donovan personally led the assaulting wave in an attack upon a very strongly organized position, and when our troops were suffering heavy casualties he encouraged all near him by his example, moving among his men in exposed positions, reorganizing decimated platoons, and accompanying them forward in attacks. When he was wounded in the leg by machine-gun bullets, he refused to be evacuated and continued with his unit until it withdrew to a less exposed position.