Cormac Walsh’s father was a fireman in Boston, Massachusetts, who died heroically in the line of service on December 21, 1915, one month before Cormac was born as Dennis Walsh. His older brother, William Gary Walsh, was killed in action in World War II, and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. After graduating from Saint JosephÕs Seraphic Seminary in Callicoon, New York, Cormac Walsh entered the novitiate at Saint Bonaventure Church in Paterson, New Jersey in 1942. He professed temporary vows in 1943, made his profession of solemn vows in 1946, and was ordained a Catholic priest of the Franciscan Order on June 12, 1948. Upon ordination he assumed the name “Father Cormac,” in lieu of his birth name, and almost all historical records identify him by that assumed name. His first assignment was to Saint AnthonyÕs Parish in Greenville, South Carolina, until he was commissioned a U.S. Army chaplain in 1952, and was almost immediately deployed to the battlefields in Korea where he earned three Silver Stars in a one-year tour of duty. He was named “Chaplain of the Year” in 1955. After his honorable discharge from the Army he returned to Boston to Saint Anthony Shrine for one year, and then became chaplain of Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York, where he worked for 18 years.
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Awards Received
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Silver Star
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Silver Star
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Silver Star
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Silver Star
Service:
United States ArmyRank:
First Lieutenant (Chaplain’s Corps)Regiment:
180th Infantry RegimentDivision:
45th Infantry DivisionAction Date:
July 17 – 18, 1953
Headquarters, 45th Infantry Division, General Orders No. 570 (1953)(Citation Needed) – SYNOPSIS: The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting a Second Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Third Award of the Silver Star to First Lieutenant (Chaplain’s Corps) Cormac A. Walsh, United States Army, for gallantry in action while serving as a Chaplain with the 180th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division, in action near Paul-Gol, North Korea, on 17 – 18 July 1953. Chaplain Walsh organized an evacuation of the wounded under fire after Company B of his regiment was riddled by Chinese Communist hostile fire, personally carrying many of them himself. The gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty demonstrated by Chaplain Walsh, without regard for his own life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Army.
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Silver Star
Service:
United States ArmyRank:
First Lieutenant (Chaplain’s Corps)Regiment:
180th Infantry RegimentDivision:
45th Infantry DivisionAction Date:
Korean War
(Citation Needed) – SYNOPSIS: The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Second Award of the Silver Star to First Lieutenant (Chaplain’s Corps) Cormac A. Walsh, United States Army, for gallantry in action against the enemy while serving as chaplain with 180th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division, in Korea. The gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty demonstrated by Chaplain Walsh, without regard for his own life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Army.
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Silver Star
Service:
United States ArmyRank:
First Lieutenant (Chaplain’s Corps)Regiment:
180th Infantry RegimentDivision:
45th Infantry DivisionAction Date:
July 15, 1953
Headquarters, 45th Infantry Division, General Orders No. 458 (July 27, 1953)The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to August 18, 1917, United States Army, for gallantry in action against the enemy while serving as chaplain with 180th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division, in Korea, on 15 July 1953. On the 15 July 1953, friendly forces were attacked by a reinforced battalion of enemy troops supported by heavy artillery and mortar fire, surrounding friendly positions by sheer number of soldiers and inflicting heavy casualties. In the heat of the battle, Chaplain Walsh went about administering the last sacraments to the dying and giving spiritual comfort to the wounded of all faiths. He walked about through the rain of enemy fire, pausing to give the compassionate words of Christ to the wounded and the last rites to the dying. Chaplain Walsh went to the farthermost group still under friendly control, carrying the cross to one and all. Father Walsh’s courageous actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Army.