Maine
U.S. Navy warship to be christened in Maine for Irish war hero from Long Island who served in Vietnam
Gratitude was in the heart of Colleen Walsh-Irwin as she and her extended family gathered in Bath, Maine, to witness the christening Saturday of the USS Patrick Gallagher, a Navy warship named after her uncle, a decorated U.S. Marine who lived on Long Island.
“It’s such a great honor and tribute to my uncle, who sacrificed so much for the United States, and he wasn’t a U.S. citizen,” Walsh-Irwin, 58, of East Northport, said of her uncle, Lance Cpl. Patrick “Bob” Gallagher. She spoke by phone from Maine a day before the christening of the ship, a DDG 127 guided-missile destroyer.
“It just makes us feel so grateful,” Walsh-Irwin said, referring to the family who traveled from Ireland and Long Island to Maine for the ceremony. “We’re grateful to the Navy and Bath Iron Works for building the ship, and all the people involved in making this dream come true. There were so many behind the scenes for years to make this happen.”
Lance Cpl. Patrick Gallagher was awarded the Navy Cross for his actions during a 1966 enemy grenade attack that nearly killed three of his comrades in a foxhole in Vietnam. He was killed in combat in his last few days of military service in Vietnam. Credit: Marine Corps
Gallagher was an Irish immigrant — from Ballyhaunis, County Mayo — who had settled in Lynbrook in 1962, joining an older sister, Walsh-Irwin’s mother, Margaret Gallagher Walsh, now deceased. She was the eldest of nine siblings and Gallagher was the second eldest.
Walsh-Irwin said when her mother was a young child, she couldn’t pronounce his name and called him Bob. She said the family called him “Uncle Bob.”
After he enlisted in the Marine Corps and was called to go to Vietnam, he had the choice to go back to his home country. Instead, said his family and others, he chose to serve.
Gallagher, who served in a gunnery unit, was awarded the Navy Cross for his actions during a 1966 enemy grenade attack that nearly killed three of his comrades in a foxhole near Cam Lo, in Vietnam’s Central Highlands. He kicked away one grenade, then cradled another to his belly before throwing it into a nearby river.
His Navy Cross citation lauded Gallagher for displaying “valor in the face of almost certain death,” Newsday reported in a 2017 article about Sen. Chuck Schumer’s letter to then-Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer, urging the Navy to recognize Gallagher posthumously by naming a ship after him.
But within a month of receiving his citation from Gen. William Westmoreland, in 1967, Gallagher was dead at the age of 23. He was just days from going home when he was killed in another enemy attack.
Schumer (D-N.Y.) said of Gallagher: “He was not a citizen, but Patrick was called to serve,” adding that he could’ve gone back to Ireland to avoid service in Vietnam, but didn’t.
“It’s the story of the Irish,” said Schumer. “It’s the story of immigrants. It’s the story of the greatness of America, and the attachment that immigrants for generations have had for serving here, in this case, Irish immigrants for serving our country with valor and loving America’s freedom and willing to die for it.”
Patrick Nealon, commander of VFW Post 2307 in Lynbrook, is among family and supporters who are in Maine for the ship christening. He said Gallagher “could’ve walked away” from serving in Vietnam.
“He said, ‘No. this is my new country. This, I will defend’ … and he went.”
Nealon was among those who sought to get Gallagher recognition. There was a petition drive that several years ago had garnered about 10,000 names. There was also support in Gallagher’s home country. The Dublin Airport commemorated Gallagher’s exploits in 2015 in a series of billboards displayed in its departures area for flights to the United States. And his home village commemorated the 50th anniversary of his death.
Nealon, who is Irish, said of the ship named for Gallagher: “It’s a real proud moment, for all of Ireland and every Irish American in the United States.”
PORTLAND (WGME)– A ballot initiative seeking to prevent transgender students from playing girls sports in Maine may not be on the November ballot after all.
A Maine Deputy Secretary of State now says the initiative no longer has enough valid signatures.
Facing time constraints, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows initially validated 72,000 of the nearly 80,000 signatures gathered in support of the “Protect Girls Sports” ballot initiative. As a result, the Secretary of State approved the referendum for the November ballot.
But after a challenge to more of those signatures, including some with invalid dates and others that appear to be signed by the same person, a judge ordered a closer examination of the petitions. Chief Deputy Secretary of State Katherine McBrien says they’ve now found more than 4,800 additional invalid signatures.
“Because the number of valid signatures is now short of the required number by 532 signatures, I find the petition to be invalid,” McBrien said.
“It seems like this group didn’t follow the rules,” Gia Drew of Equality Maine said
Drew says there’s also evidence that some petition tables were unmanned while people were signing.
“Very obvious by the evidence that was presented that the folks who were doing this didn’t do that job,” Drew said.
At this point, the referendum is still approved for the November ballot. Bellows has yet to issue a final ruling.
Protect Girls Sports in Maine says it is now reviewing the deputy’s recommendation.
“We are continuing our defense of the Protect Girls Sports ballot measure and will be filing our objections to the recommended decision before the May 23 deadline.”
“We’re confident that the petition-gathering process was well done,” Protect Girls Sports in Maine attorney Tim Woodcock said. “And we’re confident that in the end, petition signatures that were gathered were done in sufficient number to withstand this challenge.”
At last count, only two transgender students were playing girls sports in Maine.
“There are far more pressing issues, I think, than a trans kid playing sports. I do think this is a political move by some folks to drive their base out to vote, which I think is short-sighted, narrow-minded and puts kids in harm’s way,” Drew said.
Bellows plans to hold a news conference on Tuesday, where she will announce her decision on the Protect Girls Sports in Maine referendum.
The growing season has arrived in Maine, so it’s time to grab the shovels and start planting.
“Your veggies, herbs, perennials, your annuals, kind of across the board, it’s safe to put those in at this point,” says Grace Frost, the Operations Manager for Highland Farms.
It all starts with good soil health, that’s the foundation to a thriving garden.
As the growing season arrives in Maine, it’s important to take the necessary steps for a successful season. (WGME)
“Whether your soil is a little older and you need to add in kind a little refresh of compost or maybe topping off your planters with some potting soil, or topping off your raised beds. Refilling that out and refreshing it for the season before popping anything else in will help give you a good footing for that planting.”
Removing any weeds from the soil is also important.
And grace says it’s a good idea to fertilize your garden in the spring when you’re initially planting to give them a jump start into the season.
As the growing season arrives in Maine, it’s important to take the necessary steps for a successful season. (WGME)
“A lot of the synthetic fertilizers, you can overdo it with them butted and those can burn the plants if you overapply. But organic fertilizers, usually those will be the brown liquids or the slow-release are built to slowly release, and they’re a little less harsh on the plants.”
Also, adding a layer of mulch on top of your garden bed has many benefits.
“Other than the weed suppression, it also helps to keep your garden beds stay cool in the summer. So it keeps the roots of your plants from cooking in the hot, hot heat. And then it helps with moisture retention, too.”
As the growing season arrives in Maine, it’s important to take the necessary steps for a successful season. (WGME)
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You’ll want to make sure your plants have enough water as well, so it’s a good idea to check the moisture in your soil often.
BANGOR (WGME) — A special ceremony was held outside the Cross Insurance Center Thursday to honor Maine Game Warden Joshua Tibbetts, who died in a plane crash last week.
During the ceremony, there was a fly over, firing salute and then the casket flag was folded and handed to Tibbetts’ mother, Barbara. Shortly after that, dispatch did an official sign off for Tibbetts.
Hundreds of police officers, not only just from Maine, but also from different parts of the East Coast, were there for the ceremony. They all lined up in front of the Cross Insurance Center as Tibbetts’ body was brought from the hearse to inside the arena, where the service took place.
“It was a great service,” Ernie Smith, who assisted on bagpipes and drums Thursday, said. “It’s good to see the turnout that there was today and how much our service members and safety people are honored by the state.”
“He just had a nice temperament to him,” coworker David Craven said. “He was liked in the agency. As we heard today, he loved his girls, his daughter and his family, and he was true blue Maine Game Warden.”
A special ceremony was held outside the Cross Insurance Center Thursday to honor Maine Game Warden Joshua Tibbetts, who died in a plane crash last week. (WGME)
As Tibbetts’ casket was brought inside Thursday morning, his family members were right by the entrance as game wardens carried the casket in. Those at the service say they hope Tibbetts is remembered by not only how dedicated he was to public service but how much he loved his family, especially his two daughters he now leaves behind.
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