This image is the cover for the book Father Duffy's Story, A Tale of Humor and Heroism, of Life and Death with the Fighting Sixty-Ninth, Classics To Go

Father Duffy's Story, A Tale of Humor and Heroism, of Life and Death with the Fighting Sixty-Ninth, Classics To Go

Father Francis Duffy, U. S. Army chaplain during World War One, recalls his time fighting alongside the famous 69th Infantry Regiment on the western front. Comprised mostly of Irish Catholic volunteers who enlisted in and around New York City, the ‘Fighting Sixty-Ninth’ already had a long history and a reputation for bravery and grit. Father Duffy is frank and upfront, recalling the conversations and mood of his fellow troops during their training and deployment to Europe. The bloodiness and terror of battles in World War I is related, as are the many injuries and horrors of that war. Despite the grim situation, Father Duffy never loses his spirit. Indeed, the adversity faced by the young men in the 69th gave opportunity for them to show their courage and great capacity for morale. The witty humour and can-do attitude of the Irish is also amply displayed, this liveliness countering the darker aspects of war. Each of the major battles and offensives undertaken by the 69th is told from a first-hand perspective, with participating troops named and credited for their valour. (Amazon)

Francis Patrick Duffy

Francis Patrick Duffy (May 2, 1871 – June 27, 1932) was a Canadian American soldier, Catholic priest and military chaplain. Duffy served as chaplain for the 69th Infantry Regiment (known as the "Fighting 69th"), a unit of the New York Army National Guard largely drawn from the city's Irish-American and immigrant population. He served in the Spanish–American War (1898), but it is his service on the Western Front in France during World War I (1917–1918) for which he is best known. Duffy, who typically was involved in combat and accompanied litter bearers into the thick of battle to recover wounded soldiers, became the most highly decorated cleric in the history of the United States Army. Duffy Square – the northern half of New York City's Times Square between 45th and 47th Streets – is named in his honor.

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