1st. Lt. Edward R. O'BRIEN 1918-1945.Belgium

OBRIEN, HAGAN

Posted By: Andrew Brown (email)
Date: 11/13/2010 at 12:14:08

1st Lt. Edward R. O’BRIEN

Oelwein, Ia. – Mr. & Mrs. E. R. O’Brien received word from the war department that their son, First Lieutenant Edward R. O’Brien, was killed in action Jan. 3, (1945 in Belgium).

O’Brien enlisted Feb. 14, 1941, and attended officers training school at Ft. Snelling (MN) and Ft. Lewis and received his commission at Ft. Sill, Okla., in the field artillery and was sent to Camp Pickett, Va, later to Ft. Bragg, Nc., and joined the paratroopers at Ft. Benning, Ga.

In May, 1943, he arrived in North Africa, His was the first outfit to be activated in the airborne artillery, the 82nd (all American) Division of the First army, combat team 505.

He took part in the invasions of Sicily and Italy and was later transferred to Northern Ireland for continental invasion training. He took part in D day.

Lieutenant O’Brien was born Sept. 8, 1918, at Oelwein, and attended Sacred Heart School and was graduated from Oelwein High School. He attended Loras College at Dubuque for two years and entered the University of Iowa where he graduated from the college of liberal arts, having majored in English.

He then studied law at the university and Drake at Des Moines. He was admitted to the bar June 25, 1940. He practiced law with his father at Oelwein until his enlistment.

Lieutenant O’Brien was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Moose Lodge of Oelwein, and affiliated with Phi Delta Phi, law fraternity, and Beta Theta Pi, social fraternity. He was a member of Sacred Heart church here.

Memorial mass will be celebrated at Sacred Heart church here Thursday at 9 a. m. Rev. Fr. E. J. O’Hagen will be celebrant of the mass, and Msgr. E. J. Dougherty of Waterloo will preach the sermon.

Surviving besides his parents are two brothers, Miles O’Brien of the U. S. army stationed in California, and Danial, Oelwein, and one sister, Mary, Oelwein.

( Waterloo IA Daily Courier 23JAN1945 )

Notes: Lt. Edward O’BRIEN’S body was returned from Europe in DEC1947 and reburied at Oelwein, IA Woodlawn Cemetery.

Parents: Edward R. O’BRIEN & Mary E. HAGAN.

Paratrooper O’Brien jumped in Sicily the night of June 8, 1943, Since the 456th was not participating in the Italian invasion, he volunteered and went with the glider troops. He fought at Salerno. A reconnaissance patrol headed by Lt. O’Brien were the first Americans to enter Naples.