Recalling the heroics of an old Indian fighter 1869 Medal of Honor winner gets new marker
The final chapter in the decades-long saga of Michael Corcoran, a veteran of the Indian wars, will be written Sunday at his grave. Local veterans will honor Corcoran as a veteran and recipient of the Medal of Honor on Veterans Day when they dedicate the white marble commemorative Medal of Honor marker that now rests at the foot of his grave in Calvary Cemetery on Miles Ave. in Cleveland. they will be joined by about 25 of Corcoran's descendants, including two grandsons who served in World War II and Korea.
Veterans John J.C. Sullivan, who first discovered that Corcoran was buried beneath a plain granite headstone, and Raymond J. Albert, who ordered Corcoran's new marker, expect the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to arouse greater interest in Veterans Day this year. Sullivan expects more than 100 people to attend Corcoran's memorial ceremony at 11 a.m. It will include a color guard, rifle salute, a volunteer re-enactment group, several veterans groups and a bugler from the Cleveland Police Department.
"I think we're all more patriotic," said Albert, of Amanda, Ohio. In a society that sings "God Bless America" at baseball games and salutes firefighters as heroes, military awards such as the Medal of Honor become even more meaningful, he said. "It's the highest award the government can bestow on a serviceman, presented by the president in the name of Congress," said Albert, a veteran of World War II and Korea and member of the national Medal of Honor Historical Society. Only 3,456 medals have been awarded since the Civil War. Fewer than 150 recipients are alive today. The Veterans Administration began placing commemorative Medal of Honor markers on veterans' graves in 1976.
Corcoran's story was resumed this summer. Sullivan, an Army veteran, learned that the Irish-American corporal who served with the 8th U.S. Cavalry Regiment. He was recognized for "most distinguished gallantry in action" during a skirmish with a band of Apaches just north of Phoenix. Corcoran, assigned to protect white settlers on the western frontier, was among 24 soldiers who fought the Indians on Aug. 25, 1869, killing six, wounding several and capturing one. "Here was a man who displayed selfless courage and was in uniform serving the nation," Sullivan said. He asked Albert to order Corcoran a commemorative gravestone, then set about tracking down Corcoran's descendants.
After an article about Corcoran appeared in The Plain Dealer, Sullivan was contacted by Corcoran's great-granddaughters, Pat Krutowskis of North Olmsted and Donna Gingerich of Brunswick. They put him in touch with their father, James Corcoran of Brooklyn, and their uncle, Bob Corcoran of Pembroke Pines, Fla.
James Corcoran, 87, named after his grandfather, was the eldest of Corcoran's six grandchildren. He remembers his grandfather as a quiet man who never talked about fighting the Indians or the Medal of Honor.
James Corcoran, who served with the 1st Infantry Division in World War II, went ashore in the first wave at Normandy on D-Day. He received a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. His brother Bob was in the Marines, and his late brother, William, served in the Army Air Forces.
Bob Corcoran, 72, was born 10 years after his grandfather died. He still has his grandfather's Medal of Honor and accompanying certificate framed in his home. "I heard that he had a good sense of humor and he did a lot of wacky little things," Bob Corcoran said. "He was the typical Irish leprechaun. "When he did come over from Ireland, they used to have signs up that said, 'Irish need not apply,' so to get a job, he used to say he was born in Philadelphia. He lived in Philadelphia, but he was born in County Cork, in Ireland." His grandfather may also have lied about his age so he could enlist, Bob Corcoran added.
James Corcoran understands his grandfather's reluctance to talk about fighting Indians but still thinks he ought to be recognized as a hero. Otherwise, James said, "people go out to risk their lives and they come home and nobody cares."
Contact Janet H. Cho at: jcho@plaind.com, 216-999-4327
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