Ceremony unites family, other vets
by
Janet Cho
Indian Wars veteran Michael Corcoran, who rarely talked about fighting the Apaches in the Arizona Territory or the Medal of Honor he received for his bravery in combat, was remembered yesterday as a hero. Corcoran, who died in 1919, was saluted with songs, prayers, tears and honorary rifle blasts in an emotional Veterans Day ceremony organized by local veterans at Calvary Cemetery on Miles Ave. in Cleveland. Adorning his simple grave was a new white granite Medal of Honor stone, commemorating the military's highest award for courage in battle, surrounded by a half-dozen fluttering American flags.
Despite a temperature of 42 degrees, about 80 people turned out for the event, including about 25 Corcoran descendants, several veterans groups and dozens of strangers who simply wanted to honor Veterans Day with other veterans. "I just want to thank everybody here for what they've done for my grandfather," a teary-eyed Bob Corcoran, 72, of Pembroke Pines, Fla., said. He had just spent weeks in the intensive care unit after major abdominal surgery and defied doctors to fly here for the memorial. His brother, James Corcoran, 87, of Brooklyn, said of his grandfather: "I don't know what he would think of it, because he never talked much, but I'd like to have had him see it."
On a crisp morning two months to the day after terrorists attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, veterans and family members paused to remember a time when America's greatest battles were over control of the western frontier. Long before Arizona was a state, Corcoran, then 21, was a corporal in the 8th U.S. Cavalry when his band of 24 soldiers clashed with the mighty Apaches on Aug. 25, 1869, just north of what is now Phoenix. Six Apaches were killed, and Corcoran was recognized for "most distinguished gallantry in action."
"The written record doesn't tell us what individual actions Cpl. Corcoran took in the heat of that August day in 1869," said John J.C. Sullivan of Northfield, an Army veteran and commander of the American Legion, Brecksville Post 196. "Nevertheless, by his actions, we can surmise much about who he was."
Raymond J. Albert, a veteran of World War II and Korea who was just inducted into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame, said that during the Indian Wars, "the bulk of the army was mostly young men of recent immigration from Ireland and other parts of Europe. "Many of these immigrant soldiers gave their lives for their adopted country, and some, like Michael Corcoran, became heroes," he said. Now, with this new stone, Corcoran's courage "is marked by a visible sign for all future generations to see, recognize and share."
Corcoran's family spent years trying to track down information about their grandfather, who came from County Cork, Ireland, and tried unsuccessfully to obtain a commemorative Medal of Honor marker for his grave. It was Sullivan who discovered that Corcoran's headstone made no mention of his military service or his award, and who alerted Albert of the Medal of Honor Historical Society. But neither side had any idea of the other's efforts. So when a story about Sullivan's search for Corcoran's descendants appeared in The Plain Dealer, "I started crying, realizing that the family he was searching for was me and my family," great-granddaughter Pat Krutowskis of North Olmsted said.
All three of Michael Corcoran's grandsons served in the military. James Corcoran was in the first wave of infantry who went ashore at Normandy on D-Day; Bob was among the Marines who fought in the Chosin Reservoir in Korea; and their late brother, William, served in the Army Air Forces during World War II. "As kids, we used to take these things for granted, but today was the first time I understood," said great-granddaughter Donna Gingerich of Brunswick. Another great-granddaughter, Debra Genovesi of Davie, Fla., said that hearing the rifle shots made her realize how frightened her father must have been at the Chosin Reservoir.
Bonnie Hackett of Garfield Heights brought her son, Tim Schmidt, 12, to Calvary to teach him "that freedom comes with a price." Albert was gratified to see several children at the ceremony. "I hope they stay patriotic," he said. "I hope it doesn't fade away with time, so they can teach their own children."
Contact Janet H. Cho at: jcho@plaind.com, 216-999-4849
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