Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Buzzy Lynch Number II

Francis David “Buzzy” Lynch Number II
By Tom Garcia 2009

I always knew him as Buzzy or Dave. Perhaps his fathers name was Francis Lynch so he went by Dave or David, his middle name. That is what happened to me,. My real first name is George, like my father. Lynch is a popular Irish name. My best friend in high school was Art Lynch. One of my great grandmothers was named Kate Lynch. She was born in Ireland.

Dave’s best friend was Ray (Raymond) Boyle, another good Irish name. Ray was 1 or 2 years older than me. I knew his sister quite well. She was exactly my age and named Patty (Patricia). Another very good friend of Dave’s was Halsey Nichols. Again, an Irish name. Halsey was older than me, perhaps Dave’s age. Ray Boyle lived on Bellair Place in the Forrest Hills section of Newark, New Jersey. If Dave went down from his second floor apartment in his house on Manchester Place, went in back to the woods behind the house, then west through the woods he would hit the next street, Bellair Place. Across the street, a few houses to the north and he would be at Ray and Patty’s house. He made that trip a lot.

From Wikipedia: Forest Hill[s] is an affluent pre-World War II neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey's North Ward. It is bounded on the west by Branch Brook Park, on the south by Bloomfield Ave. (some maps place the southern limit at 2nd Ave.), and on the east by Summer Avenue and Mt. Prospect Avenue, [in]the neighborhood of Broadway.

Dave had, I think, a sister, as much as ten years older, who I only faintly remember. His father I recall from about 1940. Well dressed like a businessman but I think he died in about 1940 or 1941.

Dave attended Ridge Street elementary school ‘till he graduated from the 8th grade in 1947. Then probably Barringer High School in Newark (90 Parker Street), graduating in 1951. Barringer (originally Newark High) is the oldest high school in New Jersey and the third oldest high school in the nation.

Next Dave attended Seton Hall College In South Orange, New Jersey. He graduated in 1955 obtaining a degree in Business Management and an ROTC commission as a 2nd Lieutenant. (By 1955 Seton Hall was a University.) His active duty commenced on 19 Sep 1955.

Dave’s Army career was successful and he received promotions on or ahead of schedule. His records show overseas tours in Germany, Vietnam (twice) and Hawaii. (Hawaii and Alaska, although states of the U.S. are given overseas credit for military purposes.) Dave’s last military duty was in Washington, DC, where his MOS was 2162, Operations and Training Staff Officer. He was a Lt. Colonel with not quite 20 years of service. He died in Virginia in 1975.

His awards and decorations (major ones only listed here) include Ranger Tab, Parachutist badge, Combat Infantry Badge, Bronze Star Medal, Air Medal, Silver Star (third highest award for Gallantry in action) and, posthumously, the Legion of Merit, a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements.

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