On May 20, 1945, just after WWII, Lieutenant James O’Brien of Rockaway, a member of the famed 389th Bomb Group Army Air Force Squadron, was piloting a B-24 aircraft when he encountered a severe thunderstorm that made it impossible to continue. O’Brien held on to the controls long enough for his fellow servicemembers to parachute to safety. O’Brien’s heroic actions claimed his life. As of Sunday, June 14, Flag Day, his name is on a plaque dedicated to him and fellow local heroes, Lance Corporal Michael Glover and Army PFC John McGonigal.
On Sunday, the Rockaway Republican Club (RRC) hosted a ceremony in celebration of Flag Day and as an opportunity to remember Lt. O’Brien. Mary Glynn, president of the RRC and a mother of two sons who are active-duty pilots, hosted the ceremony. She spoke about the vital role the military has played throughout history to preserve the American Republic. Monsignor John Bracken of St. Francis de Sales then led a prayer.
O’Brien’s niece, Mary “Regi” O’Brien, came to the ceremony, delivering moving remarks about her uncle and his sacrifice made 12 days after D-Day. “I wondered how my grandparents must have felt such joy that their four sons made it through WWII, only to get this devastating news. As the story goes, my grandmother was sitting on the steps of Beach 130th Street, four flags out front with the stars representing four O’Brien boys, all in service, when the military guys in uniform walked up, and in her most stoic sense, essentially said, ‘Which one?’” Regi O’Brien said. “I know that my father and my aunts and uncles carried the weight of their brother Jimmy’s death for the rest of their lives.
“How does a 20-year-old boy have the courage, with his entire life in front of him and his parachute behind him, to hold the plane while the rest of the people he was transporting were able to jump? I don’t think there’s an answer and the only one I can come up with is, there is something about this peninsula, this town, and it might be this mix of faith and community and a sprinkle of Irish irreverence that gives someone the courage to do something like that, but I will say that Rockaway has far too many heroes. We are enormously proud to have our uncle James Francis O’Brien to be counted among them.”
Tom O’Brien, another relative of Jimmy’s, helped raise the flag as Taps was played by U.S. Army veteran Brian Galarza. After the ceremony concluded, guests enjoyed food from Callie’s, drinks and live music by The Rockawades for the remainder of the event, and the winner of the best patriotic outfit was announced.
Paul King, a former candidate for Congress, made the closing remarks and reminded people that the revolution of liberty that began 250 years ago is an ongoing responsibility. “This fight is not just on the battlefield where young men like James O’Brien, John McGonigal and Michael Glover gave their lives,” King said. “It is in the classroom and the community. We need to educate the next generation about what makes America special. Otherwise, someday their rights and liberties will fade away.”
Editor’s Note: Paul King is a publisher at The Rockaway Times.
Photo by Brian Galarza.
