SHARE

World War II Vet Leading Rockland St. Patrick's Day Parade

PEARL RIVER, N.Y. -- A true American hero will be the Parade Commander of the 2018 Rockland County St. Patrick's Day Parade.

Francis Duffy.

Francis Duffy.

Photo Credit: Contributed

Francis Duffy, a Silver Star recipient who was wounded in Iwo Jima when serving in the Marines was given the honor for next year's parade, being held on March 18.

“He put his life on the line during one of the darkest periods in our nation’s history," said Rockland County Legislator Vincent D. Tyer. "Thanks to Frank and others like him, good prevailed over evil. We can never say thanks enough." 

Tyer and Legislator Patrick Moroney presented Duffy, a Pearl River resident, with a Legislative Proclamation declaring Dec. 1 as Francis T. Duffy Day in Rockland County.

Duffy, 94, enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1942 and participated in the landings at Saipan, Tinian, and Iwo Jima. He was wounded by two grenades and was awarded the Silver Star “for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity” after taking out two members of a group of the enemy attempting to attack personnel at an observation post. He spent a year in various Naval hospitals.

After the war, Duffy worked for the U.S. Postal Service.

to follow Daily Voice Clarkstown and receive free news updates.

SCROLL TO NEXT ARTICLE