Martin "Marty" Maher, Jr. (June 25, 1876 – January 17, 1961) was an Irish immigrant from Ballycrine near

Roscrea Roscrea () is a market town in County Tipperary, Ireland, which in 2016 had a population of 5,446. Roscrea is one of the oldest towns in Ireland, having developed around the 7th century monastery of Saint Crónán of Roscrea, parts of which rem ...

County Tipperary County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary, and was established in the early 13th century, shortly after th ...

, Ireland, who joined the United States Army in 1898 and rose to the rank of master sergeant. He served as a swimming instructor at the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York, West Point was identified by General George Washington as the most important strategic position in America during the Ame ...

, from 1899 to 1928. Maher retired from the army in 1928 and stayed at West Point as a civilian employee in the athletic department. He retired from the civil service in 1946, completing 50 years of service at West Point (including two years as a waiter before his enlistment). A much-respected and admired member of the West Point staff, Maher was named an honorary member of the classes of 1912, 1926 and 1928. His autobiography ''Bringing Up the Brass: My 55 Years at West Point'', co-written by Colonel

Russell Reeder Colonel Russell Potter "Red" Reeder Jr. (March 4, 1902 – February 22, 1998) was a United States Army Officer (armed forces), officer and writer. Biography Reeder was born in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, on March 4, 1902. His father, Russell Po ...

and Nardi Reeder Campion, was published in 1951 by David McKay Company Inc. Maher died on January 17, 1961, at the age of 84 and is interred in the

West Point Cemetery West Point Cemetery is a historic cemetery in the eastern United States, on the grounds of the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York. It overlooks the Hudson River, and served as a burial ground for Revolutionary War soldiers and early ...

In popular culture

Maher was the subject of the 1955 film ''

The Long Gray Line ''The Long Gray Line'' is a 1955 American Cinemascope Technicolor biographical comedy-drama film in CinemaScope directed by John Ford based on the life of Marty Maher and his autobiography, Bringing Up the Brass'' co-written witNardi Reeder Campi ...

'', starring

Tyrone Power Tyrone Edmund Power III (May 5, 1914 – November 15, 1958) was an American actor. From the 1930s to the 1950s, Power appeared in dozens of films, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads. His better-known films include '' Jesse James'', ...

and

Maureen O'Hara Maureen O'Hara (; 17 August 1920 – 24 October 2015) was a native Irish and naturalized American actress and singer, who became successful in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood from the 1940s through to the 1960s. She was a natural ...

. His autobiography was the source material for the film. The film depicts Maher as having been in the U.S. Army for all of his 50 years at West Point; in reality, he was in the Army for 30 years and stayed on for another 20 after retiring.

References

External links

Sgt. Marty Maher
* 1876 births 1961 deaths Military personnel from County Tipperary United States Military Academy faculty People from Roscrea United States Army non-commissioned officers Burials at West Point Cemetery Irish emigrants to the United States United States Army personnel of World War I {{US-army-bio-stub