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For 66 years Arthur Walsh kept the war in a brown box.
He never talked much about his service in World War II to his family, and as his children grew the questions directed at him grew fewer anyway.
What was known was that Arthur had been a paratrooper, a member of the 11th Airborne, and that he had fought the Japanese in the South Pacific.
Not talking about wartime experiences is not unusual among vets and the merciless nature of the Pacific campaign made detailed family discussions even less likely, not just in the Walsh household.
But, according to Walsh’s son Rob, this began to change in more recent times and the spur was the discovery of the box.
“I never even knew it was in the house, but when it was opened there was dad’s wartime story, his discharge papers, shoulder patch, dog tags,” said Rob Walsh, who is New York City’s Commissioner for Small Business Services.
The opened box, in turn, seemed to open a window on Arthur’s wartime past. Finally, six decades and six years after the end of the war, Arthur, now 88, decided that it was time to take possession of his medals.
And he did so last weekend at the FDR Presidential Library on the banks of the Hudson in Hyde Park, NY at a ceremony which also honored three other World War II veterans.
There were six medals due to Arthur, one of them being the Purple Heart.
The donning of the medals was greeted not just by family and friends, but also by New York Senator Charles Schumer who marked the occasion with a special proclamation.
The proclamation stated in part: “Arthur Walsh began his service to our great nation in 1942, as a paratrooper in the South Pacific to overcome his fear of heights, and from that moment on, he became the valiant veteran that he is today.
“His bravery and courageous service to the US Army Airborne Division, has earned him numerous awards, one being the Purple Heart for bravery while injured in the line of duty. Although Arthur’s Purple Heart recognition has come 66 years later, his voluntary service during the war is recognized today.
“Arthur’s dedication and strength was not only witnessed as a soldier, but also as a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather. I applaud Arthur Walsh’s service and the service of fellow WWII veterans, for their heroism and duty to our country during and after the war. Arthur truly embodies the characteristics of a true American: bravery, brotherhood and fraternity.”
“Dad looked like a general,” said a proud Rob Walsh of his now formally, and finally, decorated father.
