Thomas Meehan III
| Thomas Meehan III | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
July 8, 1921 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Died |
June 6, 1944 (aged 22) † Normandy, France |
| Place of burial | Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America |
| Service/branch |
 United States Army |
| Years of service | 1941-1944 |
| Rank |
 First Lieutenant |
| Unit | Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | |
| Relations |
-Anne (wife) -Barrie Meehan Meller (daughter) |
| Other work | Artist |
First Lieutenant Thomas Meehan III (July 8, 1921 – June 6, 1944)[2] was a commissioned officer with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army during World War II. He was killed on "D-Day" when the aircraft he was aboard was shot down by ground fire.
Meehan was portrayed in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers by Jason O'Mara.
Youth
He enjoyed drawing and painting as a hobby.[2] After graduating from Germantown High School in 1939, he completed two years at the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art to become a commercial artist, but the war intervened before graduation.[2] Meehan enlisted in his hometown of Philadelphia Pennsylvania on March 16, 1941.[2]
Military service
After serving in Company "B" (Baker) after arriving in the United Kingdom, Meehan transferred to Company "E" (Easy) to replace Captain Herbert Sobel, who had been transferred to command a parachute training school for non-combat officers.
Before takeoff, Meehan wrote a letter and handed it out the door of the C-47 to be sent to his wife:
- June 5th, 1944
Dearest Anne:
In a few hours I'm going to take the best company of men in the world into France. We'll give the bastards hell. Strangely, I'm not particularly scared. But in my heart is a terrific longing to hold you in my arms.
I love you Sweetheart – forever.
- Your
On May 26, 1944 Meehan had written Anne a much longer letter in which he described why he, and all his men, were sitting in the planes, waiting to go into France to liberate it and conquer Nazi Germany. Among other things he wrote:
- We're fortunate in being Americans. At least we don't step on the underdog. I wonder if that's because there are no 'Americans'–only a stew of immigrants–or if it's because the earth from which we exist has been so kind to us and our forefathers, or if it's because the 'American' is the offspring of the logical European who hated oppression and loved freedom beyond life? Those great mountains and the tall timber; the cool deep lakes and broad rivers; the green valleys and white farmhouses; the air, the sea and wind; the plains and great cities, the smell of living–all must be the cause of it.
- And yet, with all that, we can't get away from the rest. For every one of our millions who has that treasure in his hand there's another million crying for that victory of life. And for each of us who wants to live in happiness and give happiness, there's another different sort of person wanting to take it away....
- ...those people always manage to have their say, and Mars is always close at hand. We know how to win wars. We must learn now to win peace....if I ever have a son, I don't want him to go through this again, but....
- ...I want him powerful enough that no one will be fool enough to touch him.
- He and America should be strong as hell and kind as Christ.[5]
Lt. Meehan and the 16 members of Easy Company's HQ Section flew to Normandy aboard a C-47 Skytrain of the 439th Troop Carrier Command, one of thirty-six forming Serial 12 of Mission Albany, and was headed for Drop Zone C (1 mile West of Sainte Marie-du-Mont).
The aircraft was hit by German anti-aircraft fire. An eyewitness in another aircraft said "the plane left the formation and slowly initiated a right turn. I followed it with my eyes and noticed its landing lights coming on, I thought it was going to be all right. Then, suddenly, it came crashing down [into] a hedgerow and instantly exploded." The plane crashed near the village of Beuzeville-au-Plain (approximately 2 miles northeast of the town of Sainte-Mère-Église), killing the crew and the paratroopers aboard, including Company "E's" entire company headquarters group. The wreckage of the plane wasn't confirmed found until the early 1950s; until that time he and all the men on the plane were declared missing in action. A memorial was later erected near the site.
Interment
Meehan's remains were returned to the United States in 1952[6] and are now buried at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery (Plot 84 25) at mass grave area on Circle Drive, just south of St. Louis, Missouri. He shares a gravesite with the C-47 aircrew and fellow paratroopers of that flight.[7]
On June 6, 2000, a memorial was dedicated in the Beuzeville-au-Plain church to Meehan and the other men that were killed when the plane was shot down.[8]
Medals and Decorations
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References
- ↑ DeAngelis, Frank. "Meehan's shadowbox". Retrieved 2009-10-14.
- 1 2 3 4 Meller, Barrie Meehan. "1LT Thomas Meehan III". American World War II Orphans Network. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
- ↑ Ambrose 1992, p. 66
- ↑ "Letters and Artwork by Thomas Meehan" from Currahee website
- ↑ Ambrose 1992, p. 66
- ↑ Currahee Memorial Personal Remembrance - 1st Lt Thomas Meehan III
- ↑ Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery - Surnames M - St. Louis, Missouri
- ↑ 101st Airborne WW2 website (Scroll half way down the page)
Bibliography
- Ambrose, Stephen E. (1992). Band of Brothers: Easy Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-7434-6411-6.
External links
- http://www.506infantry.org/his2ndbnwwiimemo01.html Has picture of crash site.
- http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pv&GRid=19056306&PIpi=27643984 picture of crash site.
- 49°25′52″N 1°17′09″W / 49.43124°N 1.285789°W location of crash site