Versatile Soldier

John Mulcahy, born in 1916, was one of the men drafted into Company G in spring 1941. Hailing from Arlington, MA, he enjoyed writing poetry. While the 182nd was stationed on New Caledonia, he was assigned to the new "Peep Patrol," a fast response unit that used Jeeps to motor around the island. This unit was inactive when the regiment moved to dense jungle islands without good roadways, like Guadalcanal.

Note: Click on the photo to see the French inscription on the back, likely written from Mulcahy to Ed Monahan. Also note the pipe he is holding in this studio portrait.

A Fallen Comrade

Mulcahy frequently composed poems about Army life. He wrote the piece at right about Daniel McCahill, killed in action on Guadalcanal. The poem was published in the local newspaper of McCahill's home town of Franklin, MA on Memorial Day 1943.

Friends in Relaxed Times

Mulcahy was good friends with Ed Monahan, and the two made mutual friends among the locals on New Caledonia and Fiji, including Catholic nuns. This photo shows the two men on Fiji, with Mulcahy on the right.

Further Adventures in Combat

While stationed on Fiji, Mulcahy composed this sarcastic poem about life behind the front lines. Soon enough, the men of Company G were back in a combat zone, on Bougainville. Mulcahy was awarded a Bronze Star for his role in the battle for Hill 260, and survived the Philippines campaign. He was shot in the face on Cebu in April, 1945, but was fitted with dentures and returned to action a month later. He was rotated home on points in July, and discharged September 1, the day before the war officially ended in Tokyo Bay.

Mulcahy married his neighbor Helen O'Brien soon after retuning home. He spent the rest of his life in Massachusetts, and became an avid golder. He served as a pall bearer for the repatriation of Eddie McCarthy in 1949, and attended the funeral of Ed Monahan in 1991. Mulcahy passed away in 1998.