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Harrigan, James F.
James F. Harrigan U.S. Army Air Corps WWII
James F. Harrigan U.S. Army Air Corps WWII
 
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Date of Birth: 5/9/1925
Died On: 9/6/1994 Last Residence: 10528, Harrison, Westchester, New York
Street Address: 81 Railroad Ave
Service Number: 32995554
Branch of Service: U.S. Army Air Corps - 713TH SIGNAL AIR WARNING GROUP


Veteran Code: USAAC-79


BIOGRAPHY Extended Information
 
James F. Harrigan

James F. Harrigan was born May 9 1925 in Port Chester to James F Sr and Ellen Walsh Harrigan. He had three brothers, Lawrence, Robert and Francis J. and one sister, Mary. In Rye his family lived at 81 Railroad Ave and were members of the Church of the Resurrection. James was a Rye High School Graduate, Class of 1943.

Before enlisting, he was a mail carrier with the Rye Post Office. He enlisted 11 Oct 1943 and served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II.

James had quite a sense of humor as noted in the Rye Chronicle 4/21/1944 - James F. Harrigan, being a good Irishman and writing his letter on St. Patrick's Day, used green ink, when writing. He's taking flight training at Turner Field, Ga .

Jame served in the Asiatic - Pacific Theatre , Primarily in the Aleutian Islands from 1943-1946 with the 713th Air Warning Signal Group. He served as part of the crew flying B-24 Liberators.

The B-24 was used extensively in World War II. It served in every branch of the American armed forces as well as several Allied air forces and navies. It saw use in every theater of operations.




James was honorably discharged 3 Apr 1946. Soon after he became a patrolman with the Rye Police Department for many years. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus.

On Sept 29 1985 he married Meliana Caliso at the SL Gregory the Great Church in Harrison.

James was a driver and chauffeur for the Burke Rehabilitation Center in White Plains from 1961 until his death.

Jimmy Harrigan followed in his father's James F. Harrigan Sr. [WWI; Field Artillery] footsteps to serve his hometown as a Patrolman with the Rye Police Department. After several years, he left to pursue his lifetime vocation as a chauffeur and aide for Burke Rehabilitation Hospital in White Plains.

His experiences in the Army Air Force had prepared him for the hundreds of casualties who came home from Vietnam in need of the services offered at Burke. Jimmy befriended many of those lonely veterans at a time when we all know that the country was indifferent at best to the fate of those who served in Vietnam.

At the height of the War he was making three trips a day into the VA hospitals in NYC to bring his fellow soldiers to Burke. He maintained a garden there and shared his harvest with those men and women, most of whom were a long way from home. Many of them were being fitted with prosthetic limbs, and he was a caring and thoughtful companion to them all.

His favorite stories included descriptions of the natural beauty of Alaska, as well as the cold and snow. One story that stood out was that on V-J Day, August 15, 1945, the Radar Installations that his Squadron was manning were turned from Japan and toward the Soviet Union.

James F Harrigan Jr a 25 year resident of Harrison died 9/6/1994 at St Agnes Hospital in White Plains. He was 69

At the time of his death, James was survived by a sister Mary Ellen Harrigan and three brothers Francis J, Robert and Lawrence all of Rye and many nieces and nephews

Links to this Veterans History

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