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VIDEO: Fighting 69th Regiment Remembered at Molloy
Expert panal talks about the history of the famous N.Y. military unit; brothers share amazing discovery of long lost relative.
Rockville Centre resident Andrew Healey recently spoke on a panel about the historic New York 69th Infantry Regiment as part of an Irish Studies presentation at Molloy College on April 17. His father, Major Gen. Joseph A. Healey, also a Rockville Centre resident, was a former commanding officer of the historic fighting 69th.
"The history of the 69th is unparalleled. It’s quite frankly as General Sherman had called them back during the Civil War, the Fighting 69th," Healey said. The unit was mostly made up of Irish immigrants. "So it’s all about the Irish tradition from then to today. But nowadays, the 69th is made up of many ethnic groups, but they all want a piece of that American Pie and it’s still a great unit."
As part of the panel of experts, brothers Martin and John Ingram shared their story about the recent discovery of their Grand Uncle, Private First Class Patrick McKenna, who served in the historic unit during World War I. The brothers shared a DVD documentary about their 2008 journey to honor their Grand Uncle on the 90th Anniversary of his death.
