Richard William O'Neill (August 28, 1897 – April 9, 1982) was a soldier in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

who served during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He received the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

for his actions, and went on to receive numerous other decorations to recognize his wartime heroism. Born and educated in

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, O'Neill joined the

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's 69th Infantry Regiment in 1916, and served with the unit in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

during the

Pancho Villa Expedition The Pancho Villa Expedition—now known officially in the United States as the Mexican Expedition, but originally referred to as the "Punitive Expedition, U.S. Army"—was a military operation conducted by the United States Army against the p ...

. He continued to serve with his regiment during

, when it was re-designated as the 165th Infantry. He received the

to recognize his heroism during combat along the

Ourcq The Ourcq (, ''Urc'' in 855) is an river in France, a right tributary of the Marne. Its source is near the village Ronchères, and its course crosses the departments of Aisne, Oise, and Seine-et-Marne. It flows southwest through the towns of ...

River in July 1918; O'Neill was wounded more than 10 times, and all the soldiers he was leading were killed. Despite his wounds, O'Neill made his way back to friendly lines to pass on information about enemy positions, which enabled U.S. troops to successfully press the attack. When he was awarded the medal in 1921, he was still recuperating at

Fordham Hospital Fordham Hospital was the first public hospital in the Bronx, New York City, having opened in 1892. Prior to that time, all the New York City municipal hospitals were in Manhattan. It was located in the Fordham section of the Bronx on Valentine Av ...

, so the presentation was made by

Ferdinand Foch Ferdinand Foch ( , ; 2 October 1851 – 20 March 1929) was a French general and military theorist who served as the Supreme Allied Commander during the First World War. An aggressive, even reckless commander at the First Marne, Flanders and Art ...

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. He later received additional valor awards from several foreign countries. After recuperating, O'Neill worked in construction and as a salesman before purchasing a liquor store, which he operated until his retirement. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he worked for the

Office of Strategic Services The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was the intelligence agency of the United States during World War II. The OSS was formed as an agency of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to coordinate espionage activities behind enemy lines for all branc ...

; the agency's head,

William J. Donovan William Joseph "Wild Bill" Donovan (January 1, 1883 – February 8, 1959) was an American soldier, lawyer, intelligence officer and diplomat, best known for serving as the head of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the precursor to the Bur ...

, had been O'Neill's World War I commander, and Donovan employed O'Neill in an effort to identify and apprehend potential German spies or collaborators in the northeastern United States. O'Neill was also active in several veterans organizations, including the

Veterans of Foreign Wars The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), formally the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, is an organization of US war veterans, who, as military service members fought in wars, campaigns, and expeditions on foreign land, waters, or a ...

and the

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...

. O'Neill died in

Valhalla, New York Valhalla is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) within the town of Mount Pleasant, in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the New York City metropolitan area. Its population was 3,162 at the 2010 U.S. Census. The name was in ...

and was buried at

Gate of Heaven Cemetery Gate of Heaven Cemetery, approximately 25 miles (40 km) north of New York City, was established in 1917 at 10 West Stevens Ave. in Hawthorne, Westchester County, New York, as a Roman Catholic burial site. Among its famous residents is ...

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Early life

O'Neill was born in

on August 28, 1897, the son of John O'Neill, an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

immigrant from

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, and Ella O'Neill. He was educated in New York City, and began to

box A box (plural: boxes) is a container used for the storage or transportation of its contents. Most boxes have flat, parallel, rectangular sides. Boxes can be very small (like a matchbox) or very large (like a shipping box for furniture), and can ...

professionally; he won 12 fights during his brief career. At age 18 he joined the

's 69th Infantry Regiment. He served in

during the

, and shortly after returning home, the regiment was mobilized for

and re-designated as the 165th Infantry Regiment.

World War I

By now a

sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

, O'Neill served with his regiment in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. During a combat action along the

River on July 30, 1918, O'Neill led a detachment of soldiers in a reconnaissance to determine the location of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

artillery positions. O'Neill was wounded repeatedly, and the other soldiers of his detachment were killed, but O'Neill succeeded in returning to friendly lines and providing details on the location of the German artillery. As a result, U.S. troops were able to destroy the positions and successfully press the attack. O'Neill was hospitalized, but later violated doctor's orders and returned to his unit, serving until he was wounded again. At the end of the war in November 1918, O'Neill was still hospitalized in the United States.

Post-World War I

Following the end of the war, O'Neill continued to convalesce. Doctors recommended amputation of his legs, which O'Neill refused, and he was eventually able to walk unaided. According to family members, for the rest of his life O'Neill would occasionally remove from his legs pieces of

shrapnel Shrapnel may refer to: Military * Shrapnel shell, explosive artillery munitions, generally for anti-personnel use * Shrapnel (fragment), a hard loose material Popular culture * ''Shrapnel'' (Radical Comics) * ''Shrapnel'', a game by Adam C ...

that worked their way to the surface of his skin. In 1921, O'Neill was awarded the

to recognize his heroism in the Ourcq River action. Because he was still recuperating at

, the Army permitted

to make the presentation in a ceremony at

. In addition to the Medal of Honor, O'Neill later received medals from several foreign countries in recognition of his heroic actions. Also in 1921, O'Neill was commissioned as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the New York National Guard; he held this rank until resigning from the military in 1923.

Career

After his recovery, O'Neill attended extension courses in construction at the

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...

, and worked as a concrete pourer during the construction of the

George Washington Bridge The George Washington Bridge is a double-decked suspension bridge spanning the Hudson River, connecting Fort Lee, New Jersey, with Manhattan in New York City. The bridge is named after George Washington, the first president of the United St ...

. He later worked in sales, and then purchased a liquor store near the

Waldorf Astoria Hotel Waldorf can have the following meanings: People * William Waldorf Astor, 1st Viscount Astor (1848–1919), financier and statesman * Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor (1879–1952), businessman and politician * Pappy Waldorf (1902–1981), 1966 ...

, which he operated until retiring in the early 1960s. O'Neill also became active in New York's Republican Party, including speeches on behalf of candidates, and speeches at fundraising dinners and other events.

World War II

During

, O'Neill was employed by the

. The head of the OSS,

, had been O'Neill's World War I commander, and he hired O'Neill as part of an initiative to investigate potential German collaborators in

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

and

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Veterans advocate

O'Neill was active in several veterans' organizations, including the Catholic War Veterans,

Disabled American Veterans The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) is an organization created in 1920 by World War I veterans for disabled military veterans of the United States Armed Forces that helps them and their families through various means. It was issued a federal ch ...

, and

. In 1932, he resigned as state chairman of the Disabled American Veterans because of disagreement with other veterans over the activities of the

Bonus Army The Bonus Army was a group of 43,000 demonstrators – 17,000 veterans of U.S. involvement in World War I, their families, and affiliated groups – who gathered in Washington, D.C., in mid-1932 to demand early cash redemption of their servic ...

. O'Neill opposed early payment of the bonus due to World War I veterans who advocated early payment in order to help them cope with the effects of the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

; the DAV favored it by a vote of 3 to 1. O'Neill argued that the payments would be too small to make a meaningful difference to the veterans who received it, and that the government should do more to aid them with job creation and medical care. O'Neill served as executive director of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. In addition, he made frequent public appearances, including serving as grand marshal of

Memorial Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...

parades and marching at 1960s demonstrations in support of U.S. involvement in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

Death and burial

O'Neill died at a nursing home in

on April 9, 1982. He was buried at

Family

In 1921, O'Neill married Estelle Johnson (1897-1985); they were the parents of a son, William Donovan O'Neill (1927-2009). O'Neill's sister Rose was married to Edward J. Geaney, who was also a World War I veteran of the 69th Infantry. Geaney was awarded the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...

for heroism for the same action for which O'Neill received the Medal of Honor. While serving as a company first sergeant, and though wounded himself, Geaney succeeded in rescuing a wounded officer who was unable to move and so vulnerable to continued enemy fire. Geaney received his medal during the same ceremony at which O'Neill was honored.

Legacy

In 1975, Governor Hugh Carey designated an office building at the National Guard's Camp Smith training facility as O'Neill Hall, in honor of Richard O'Neill.

Medal of Honor Citation

Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company D, 165th Infantry, 42d Division. Place and date: On the Ourcq River, France; July 30, 1918. Entered service at: New York, New York. Birth: August 28, 1898; New York, New, York. General Orders: War Department, General Orders No. 30 (July 15, 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.

Military Awards

O'Neill's military decorations and awards include:

References

Sources

Books

Internet

* *

Newspapers

* * * * * * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Oneill, Richard W. 1897 births 1982 deaths United States Army Medal of Honor recipients United States Army soldiers United States Army personnel of World War I Military personnel from New York City World War I recipients of the Medal of Honor New York (state) Republicans Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Recipients of the War Cross for Military Valor Knights of the Order of Aviz Knights of the Order of the Star of Romania Burials at Gate of Heaven Cemetery (Hawthorne, New York)