It’s not often that you hear of a chaplain who was the recipient of not one but two Silver Stars for valor as well as a Purple Heart. Father Daniel Joseph Rooney was such a chaplain. He was born in the Bronx on August 14, 1914. When he was five years old, his mother died in childbirth, and he was sent to Ireland to be raised by family members. He began to study for the priesthood at St. Michael’s College in County Louth, Ireland, and then went on to Rome to continue his studies there. He was just about to be ordained when World War II broke out and the Italian Fascist Government declared him an alien and deported him. He ended up in Galesburg, Illinois, where he was finally ordained.
The young Father Rooney
When the Korean War broke out, Father Rooney volunteered for the U.S. Army Chaplains Corps. He was inducted into the Army on December 9, 1951 and sent to Korea to serve with the 17th Infantry Regiment.
Although he was assigned to Regimental Headquarters Company, more often than not he was with the rifle companies on the front lines — or on outposts in front of the front lines. He received a Purple Heart and his first Silver Star for an action on Outpost Charlie on October 8, 1952. He was saying Mass, using the tailgate of a truck for an altar, when the unit came under small arms and artillery fire. He coolly continued to pass out communion until the truck was destroyed by incoming rounds and he was wounded. He then went from foxhole to foxhole, distributing ammunition and absolution to the men.
Father Rooney (R) with 1st Lt Dick Whitson, Easy Company, 17th Infantry Regiment, Korea, 1952
He received his second Silver Star on April 18, 1953. When an outpost near Sok-Kog-Ae came under intense mortar and artillery fire, Father Rooney immediately moved forward to administer medical and spiritual aid to the wounded and assist in their evacuation. He made numerous trips between the beleaguered outpost and the aid station under enemy fire, encouraging the men and consoling the wounded.
Father Rooney receiving his first Silver Star
All who served with him had the highest regard for his courage and selfless devotion to duty. “He was always up there where he was not supposed to be, doing more than his job,” commented 1st Lt. Thomas Fernandez de la Reguera, a platoon leader who served with him. Col. DeLyle G. Redmond, U.S. Army (Ret.), a platoon leader at the time, described how he and Father Rooney first met: “We were under heavy enemy shelling. I was in a shallow hole trying not to get hit. He came up to me, tapped me on the shoulder, and asked, ‘Say, can you tell me where the front lines are?’ My response is unprintable. But that’s the type of man he was. He was fearless.”
Father Rooney’s grave, St. Mary’s Cemetery, Kingston, NY
Father Rooney was honorably discharged from the Army on July 31, 1956. He died on September 27, 1990, and is buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery in Kingston, New York. He is survived by, among others, Ann McParland Of County Armagh, Ireland, who brought this story to our attention. Ann has never been to the United States, but she is now planning to come to Kingston, New York in February, 2016, to visit Father Rooney’s grave.