IT FELT more like a giant, happy family reunion than a solemn commemoration ceremony.
Hundreds of Army veterans gathered at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel where, 50 years ago to the day, they had set off on Ireland’s first major overseas peacekeeping mission.
Yesterday, on the tarmac of the runway, they hugged each other and clasped hands, many seeing each other for the first time in half a century. Laughter echoed through the giant air hangar as old comrades shared war stories. Others posed for photographs beside some of the Air Corp’s modern planes and helicopters.
Most Congo veterans are now in their late 60s or early 70s, dressed impeccably in sharp blazers and blue berets. Their stories are a blend of humour, pathos and tragedy. Mostly they were lads in their teens or early 20s with limited education and no combat experience. Many had never left their own counties, not to mind the country.
Jim Carton from near Gorey in Wexford, now a gym instructor at the age of 70, remembers the fear and panic which swept through the aircraft when it lost one of its four engines on the flight over.
“The captain announced what had happened – and you’ve never seen so many rosary beads and scapulars appearing. The Irish mammies had given rosary beads to every young soldiers. They all appeared, by the dozen!”
Godfrey Ledger from Limerick, who served with the second wave of troops in the Congo, is still able to laugh about the uniforms.
“We had arrived in ‘bull’s wool’ uniforms, which were far too hot. We got the tropical gear, but the problem was it was never measured. My trousers were trailing on the ground and reached up to my chest. Then I had green, white and gold braces, which could barely reach over my shoulder. It might as well have been in a clown’s costume.”
An extract from the the cargo list of the first aircraft to depart for the Congo suggested there were plentiful supplies of at least some items. It read: “. . . 422 dozen bottles of Time ale; 98 dozen bottles of Phoenix ale; 220,000 Players cigarettes; 156,000 Sweet Afton cigarettes; 72 bottles of Gold Label whiskey; 72 bottles of gin; 10,000 Gilette blades . . .”
But there were also poignant moments yesterday as the veterans remembered the courage and sacrifice of the 26 soldiers who never made it home.
Msgr Eoin Thynne, head chaplain to the Defence Forces, recalled the sacrifice of those who served and died without the glare of public recognition or the trumpet-blast of acclamation. These were ordinary people who did extraordinary things.
“There are no famous names,” he said. “We honour those who fought and died. For many, their achievements are known only to their family, friends and comrades.” One of those lucky to survive the Congo mission was Joe Fitzpatrick (70), from Cabra in Dublin. He and Tom Kenny were the only two men to survive the infamous Niemba massacre, in which nine Irish troops died.
“We left from this aerodrome as boys, but we returned as men,” said Fitzpatrick, proudly displaying a commemorative medallion he received belatedly from the Defence Forces in recent years.
“For many of us, it was just a big adventure, heading off to a foreign country.”
Taoiseach Brian Cowen said the involvement of the Defence Forces in the Congo represented a new departure both for our armed forces and for the country, and set the standard for future missions.
“Poised as we are now, with over 50 years of Irish troop participation in peacekeeping involvement around the world, I would like to salute you. Be in no doubt that you have left the State with a significant legacy. We are all hugely proud of you,” he said.
As part of Ireland’s foreign policy, the Taoiseach said the Government would continue to support the European Union in responding to the challenges of a more globalised world and in supporting the UN.
It was a sentiment appreciated by Richard Kelly from Athy, who served in the Congo while still a teenager.
“Our trip was worthwhile,” he said. “It did a lot. We helped to protect the people, feed the refugees. Many more people might have been killed if we weren’t there. I’ll always be proud of that.”