A war hero by any other name
To whom it may concern:
My name is Emily Truncali. I am 14 years old and I am an eighth grade student at Warwick Valley Middle School in Warwick, New York.
I am writing on behalf of World War Two veteran, Walter McNulty.
My honors social studies class recently learned about World War Two. My teacher, Miss Joan Rueckert, is a part of the Hudson Valley Honor Flight.
When she attended the Honor Flight, she discovered the story of Walter McNulty. She was later acquainted with him and learned every aspect of his history in the war and his life that followed.
She shared his experiences with us and I would like to take a stand and impact his life, since he is extremely deserving of his Purple Heart that he never received.
An orphan in service to his country
Walter McNulty was a war hero in World War Two and the Korean War. He served in both of these wars after his parents passed away and left him and his siblings as orphans.
Wally served in World War Two and the Korean War under aliases. Wally was only 14 years old when he joined the army in World War Two as Micky Milligan.
He helped liberate the concentration camps and rescue survivors from these camps.
After discovering his alias, he was given separation papers to be removed from the war and sent home.
When he was 16 years old, he decided to take part in the Korean War under the alias John Noon.
During his time served, he was injured aboard a destroyer while in Korea. They believed John didn’t survive this incident, so they notified Mrs. Noon.
When they arrived at her house and notified her that her son didn’t survive, she simply explained that her son was in the house doing his homework right at that moment.
This was when they discovered Wally’s alias, once again.
After finding out Wally had been secretive a second time, he received a bad conduct discharge.
'Holy life after these misdemeanors'
Wally later turned to a holy life after these misdemeanors. He had a strong faith in the church, where he was a choir singer and a church volunteer.
This was his way of purifying his life after his previous acts in his youth.
Rescuing 30 people from a fireWalter McNulty was a hero once again decades later. He even made newspaper headlines in 1961, after he, a bus driver in New York City, rushed into a burning building to save people.
He told them to hold on to each other and follow him out.
This act showcased his heroism once again, as he saved the lives of 30 people from the fire.
Walter McNulty was a hero in his youth, and still is a hero in the eyes of many today due to his courageous, considerate acts.
I believe Walter McNulty deserves to receive his medals because of his actions throughout his life.
He doesn’t deserved to be penalized due to lying about his true identity. He used aliases because he wanted to help his country in the war so everybody else could be safe and protected.
He risked his life to help others, even though he was only 14 years old.
At such a young age, he didn’t fear what he would encounter in war or the fact that he could potentially lose his life.
Wally didn’t let his age hold him back from doing what he desired.
'A very different case scenario'
Wally also deserves to receive his medals because all veterans of war that were injured in any form receive a Purple Heart. Wally was deprived of his Purple Heart because of his bad conduct discharge and the aliases.
Although he did lie, and lying should never be rewarded or accepted, this is a very different case scenario.
This is concerning war and injuries, which are very serious and important topics.
Wally did lie, but it was to help his country succeed. He was willing to risk his life at a young age because all he wanted to do was help.
If anything, he deserves this Purple Heart for being extremely brave and dedicated.
Walter McNulty is extremely deserving of his medals because of his many acts of service and heroism throughout his life.
Sincerely,
Emily Truncali
Warwick