Senator Gerard Craughwell - speech from 11 Nov 2020

Minister, I want to welcome you to the House. I think this is the first time I've met you as Minister for Defence in this House, so I want to congratulate you on that. I also want to congratulate you on the fact that you haven't appointed a junior minister to work under you in defence, that you've taken a hands-on position and I know you've met the representative bodies and visited a number of centres and units throughout the country. I want to tell you now I'm 100% behind you. I want to work with you and I want to see you achieve the things you have told me you want to achieve with the Defence Forces. Our Defence Forces are a proud group of people and all they need is that recognition that you are working to get them. Since October 2016, Minister, I've called on the Government of the Day to award medals to the Jadavilla Heroes on 28 separate occasions, the most recent being in the Order of Business a couple of weeks ago. The first time I raised the issue was in 2016 after the parade organised by ex-Sgt. Paul Clark at Collins Barracks, which was called Jadaville Day and which has been held since. I came into this chamber and said it was a sad reflection on the country that we did not do those heroes proud. We have not issued them with the medals for the service they have given the country. Over the last four years I've travelled the length and breadth of the country and I've been honoured to meet surviving Jadaville veterans and proud families of those who are sadly deceased. However, my gracious sadness and remorse is I served as a sergeant alongside three of the heroes of Jadaville in Duna-Mulisa at Galyev and never knew that these people had served in Jadaville and never heard word of Jadaville. The people I'm talking about are Corporal Sean Flynn, Private Charlie Cooley, who was nominated for the DSM, and Gunnar Bobby Orr, who all served in Galway. I want to say to these men particularly, because I trained recruits in Galway, I want to say I am deeply, deeply sorry that I did not know of their heroism and that I was not in a position to introduce recruits to them as the heroes they were. I want to acknowledge in particular today John Gorman. John devoted most of his life in fighting for the recognition of the people, his peers that served with him in Jadaville. And if any man deserves recognition in this house today, it's John Gorman. I've stood in the chamber on a number of occasions and noted the passing of valiant members of A Company who went to their grave without the vindication and honour they deserved. I have met the families of those who took their own lives because on their return from Jadaville, they came back, believe it or not, as heroes when they marched through Athlone. Most of them came from Galway and from Athlone. They marched into Athlone as heroes and a very short time later they were regarded as cowards. I heard names being called out by the Cahirlok at the start of today. One that sticks in my mind is Geoff Cuff. Geoff and myself served in Athlone training potential NCOs. Wonderful character in his time. Minister, the people that were nominated for medals, military medals for ganglantry, Company Sergeant Jack Prendergast, Sergeant John Monaghan, Sergeant Walter Hegarty, who is related to myself through my niece, Corporal Ty Quinn, Private Gerard Henley. Those that were recommended for DSM, Captain Liam Donnelly, Lieutenant Kevin Knightley, Lieutenant Noel Keary, still with us, Lieutenant Tom Quinlan, Company Sergeant Jack Prendergast, Sergeant John Monaghan, Sergeant Walter Hegarty, who did get a DSM at a later stage, Sergeant Tom Kelly, Corporal Frank Williams, Corporal James Ray, Corporal James Lucy, Corporal Tom MacDonald, Corporal John Foley, Corporal John McDonough, Corporal John McManus, Corporal Ty Quinn, Corporal Michael Lynch, Private Joe Cain, Private Robert Larkin, Private Michael McCormack, Private Tom Gunn, Private Charles Cooley. Charlie I know is watching today. Charlie was a great character in Runmore. Private Thomas Flynn, Private Michael Ty, Private Daniel Malloy, Private John Neesel, Private Jim Fury, Private Noel Stanley, Private Michael Brennan, Private Gerard Henley, Private Matt Quinlan, Private Michael Galvin, and Private Patrick McCartan. I've got to say that those are recommendations, Minister, and I fully support what you're trying to do. This is a military matter. It is not a political matter. It is up to the military authorities to re-examine this case and make recommendations to you, Minister. It is not for politicians to decide who gets medals in this world. The late Comedan Quinlan's action is cited in military textbooks worldwide as the best example of the use of the so-called perimeter defence. The siege of Jadaville is internationally regarded as one of the most heroic battles in Irish military history and to this day is hailed as an example of bravery and military genius. Why is it that we cannot recognise our heroes? Why is it the Australians can 75 years after an event award the Victoria Cross and we haven't done it? Again, it falls back to the military to look at this and make recommendations to you, not for you to demand medals for anybody. Minister, I could go through the battle and the various waves that happened, but there is no point in doing that. We have all heard of it before and there is no point in replaying that here today. A company suffered no collateral damage. A few people wounded, but that's all. But they inflicted massive damage on the enemy. Over the last four years, Minister, I've had the unique privilege of working with John Gorman and Comedant Leo Quinlan, the son of Pat Quinlan. Indeed, I served under all of the Quinlans at one stage or other in my career. A fine military family. Pat, without doubt, the Colonel, Comedant at the time, was a leader second to none. For a man that came from a military background with no experience of warfare and no experience of battle, his leadership in Jadaville is phenomenal, second to none. I want to compliment former Taoiseach Enda Kenny for the brave step he took in bringing about on Bun Jadaville. And it was a tremendous day for all of us. I want to thank the students of Galway Community College and Malahide Community School for their political lobbying on behalf of Jadaville and particularly the history teachers there. Minister, there are eight veterans still alive. We've heard this today. But the fact that there are eight veterans still alive does not mean that we can throw out the rule book and give the eight people medals. What we need to do is, as my colleague Senator Byrne said, let's expedite the Chief of Staff's research into this. Let's get a medals board together and see can we make a recommendation. A recommendation is not a medal and that needs to be learned here. But what needs to happen is an open and transparent appraisal of what took place in Jadaville and then where medals are due to issue them. Because I am extremely proud of the people that I'm speaking of today. I am extremely proud of people like Charlie Cooley. Good God, I met Charlie not so terribly long ago sitting in a wheelchair. You know, they're all men in their 80s now. And at the end of the day, we did do some service to them by giving them the Bun Jadaville. But we need to go the extra step and clearly decide one way or the other. Finally, Minister, I would ask the Chief of Staff to include two further people in his deliberations. And one is Pat Quinlan, who was never recommended for any medal whatsoever, but he was the leader on the day. And the other is John Gorman, whom I believe, in the finest military tradition, he has gone over and above the call of duty to ensure that his peers and his colleagues were recognised in general. Thank you, Senator. Coyle, I'm sorry for going over time. Thank you very much. Thank you.