If the Government is seeking extra resolve over the deteriorated situation facing Irish UN peacekeepers on the Golan Heights, they need look no further than some of the septuagenarian veterans who yesterday attended the Defence Forces inaugural Veterans’ Day at the Curragh Camp.
“It’s very dicey,” conceded retired sergeant Henry Lawlor (70), wearing his blue UN beret, a veteran’s green blazer and his service medals, including from his time with the 1st Infantry Battalion in the Congo when he was just 17.
But withdraw? “They should continue out there!” he shot back without hesitation.
His companion, retired company sergeant Paddy Horohan, also 70 and also a Congo veteran since just 17, was equally robust. “There is no way an Irish soldier should pull back,” he said. “We’re very proud of that. Irish soldiers don’t stand back.”
Paddy and Henry were just two of up to 1,000 Defence Forces veterans – from the Army, Naval Service and Air Corps – honoured at the Curragh Camp yesterday.
First time
Most of the ageing former soldiers, sailors and airmen seemed absolutely delighted with the occasion, the first of its kind outside unit reunions or get-togethers organised on an ad hoc basis.
Their reaction to the day was captured by 75-year-old Ben Reilly, a Congo and Cyprus UN veteran who said, beaming: “I’m meeting lads I haven’t seen for 30 years.”
“It’s brilliant to see,” said Retired Sgt Horohan. “The most important aspect of this is seeing the faces of people we soldiered with. Civilians don’t understand the camaraderie of soldiering.”
Their successors in arms laid on a good show, under the command of Lieut-Col Michael Murray, the Officer Commanding the UN Training School, Ireland.
Serving personnel from the 1st Battalion, the 2nd Battalion and the Defence Force Training Centre, lined up to attention in the centre’s parade square, supported by contingents from the Air Corps and Naval Service, and by the Army No1 Band.
Minister for Defence Simon Coveney inspected three blocks of veterans as the Band played a medley of The Minstrel Boy and Eileen Óg.
He thanked the veterans for their service to their country and to the international community. For 54 years, he said, the Irish Defence Forces had contributed to the cause of peace in many parts of the world, including Lebanon, Chad, Liberia, East Timor, Mali, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Sudan, and the Golan Heights in Syria.
“Many of you will have memories of serving your country in uniform and of contributing significantly to the regions and countries where you served,” he said. “Eighty six Defence Force members have paid the ultimate price in the cause of peace and stability during that period. These men and women are our legacy. We honour them today and we honour them continually as we desire a more peaceful and stable world.”
The Last Post was played in memory of the 86, after a piper played a lament. And the Post concluded, the National Colours were raised aloft, as Reveille sounded – for the living, and for the call of further duty in the morning.
