This Page is to remember and honor those in the various
 McDevitt Families who served in our Armed Forces

Duffy relatives who served in World War I:

John J. Duffy

- British Expeditionary Force, Labor Force, Company Sgt. Major, stationed in Flanders during the war. He was the son of our Grandfather's sister, Bridget, and her husband Owen Duffy. They lived in Galway City, Ireland.

John Duffy

- AEF, U.S. Army - do not know where he served. He was the son of our Grandfather's sister, Mary, and her husband Patrick J. Duffy. They lived in Brooklyn.

Note: These two of Grandfather Duffy's sisters married Duffys.

Anthony Duffy

- AEF, U.S. Army - served in France, 4/17/1917 thru 5/19/1919. He was the son of Great Uncle Thomas and his wife, Bridget. He lived in Brooklyn.  (Thomas was the brother of our Great Grandfather John Duffy).

Patrick Ormsby

- U.S. Army - may have served at Camp Zachary Taylor, Louisville, Kentucky during WW I. He was the son of Great Aunt Bridget (Duffy) and Thomas Ormsby. He lived in Brooklyn.

Bridget Anne Timlin Duffy was married to John J. Duffy, who was Patrick J. Duffy's brother. (The Patrick J. married to Mary Duffy) - Barbara was a Red Cross nurse, who was one of the first nurses to go to Europe and serve in the battle areas. After the war, she visited her parents in Ireland and then went back to Brooklyn to marry John J.

Our McDevitt relatives who served in World War II:

Larry Berkery, Sr.

- U. S. Army, Europe, Battle of the Bulge & other battles.

Daniel Bevans, Sr.

- U. S. Army, Infantry, New Guinea & other Pacific Islands; caught malaria while there.

George Hill, Sr.

- U. S. Navy. WWII, served on the cruiser USS Philadelphia; this ship accompanied FDR on his last overseas Conference with Churchill & Stalin in early 1945.

Ray Kelly, Sr.

- U. S. Army, Corporal, Combat Medic, 83rd Infantry Division, 331st Regt, 3rd Bn, Co K, in combat from July 4 landing on Omaha Beach thru VE Day; awarded Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart w/cluster, and the Combat Medic Badge. (See the history of 83rd web site -http://www.lonesentry.com/unithistory/thunderbolt/index.html.

Joe F. Shields, Sr.

- U. S. Army, Warrant Officer, drafted 3/17/1941, 1942-44 North Africa and Europe campaigns.

Robert J. Reynolds Jr.

- 2nd Lt., USAAF pilot, Pearl Harbor (Step Grandmom Marie's son); killed during attack on Dec. 7, 1941 while coming out of church (but I couldn't confirm this?)

Ed Freed

- U.S. Marine, WWII

Marita Bevans

- worked in Defense Industry (Rosie the Riveter!).

Jerry Duffy Sr.

- union shop steward at Cramps Ship Yard (they built submarines, destroyers, and cruisers).

Joseph Duffy

- Jerry's twin brother: -was drafted into the Navy on 1/15/1944 at the age of 37; after boot camp he was trained as a Naval Radar Operator & telegrapher and in May 1944, was assigned to the destroyer U.S.S. Newcomb (DD586). The Newcomb participated in four of the major battles in the Pacific (the Marianas, Leyte & Lingayen Gulf, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa, where it was hit by five Kamikazi planes on April 6, 1945 and severely damaged. Uncle Joe and several of the crew jumped or were thrown into the water for several hours but fortunately he survived.  (See the following web site for the Newcomb and Uncle Joe's story: www.destroyerhistory.org/fletcherclass and then select Newcomb.

NOTE: New born babies Joe Shields Jr. and Ray Kelly Jr.* and their moms lived in the Agate Street house while their Dads were away at war.

*Ray Kelly, Jr. (about 3-4 years old) was sitting on a step near his Grandfather Kelly's house in 1945 when a soldier came walking down the street. Ray 'thought' he looked familiar. The soldier walked right on by Ray and said "Hiya kid" and kept on walking. The soldier turned out to be his Dad. When the family got together in the house, Ray Jr. was still really mad that his Dad hadn't recognized him. His Dad put his uniform hat on Ray Jr.'s head and Jr. just tossed it away. Instead he put on his Grandfather's hat, who was a Philadelphia policeman.

Our McDevitt relatives who served elsewhere (especially in Vietnam)

Enochs Family members:

Kenneth G. Enochs

- U.S. Marines, 1957-1960, Combat Engrs, then Criminal Investigation Division serving thru-out the world; wounded in knee by shrapnel in Lebanon he spent the last three months of his service in Philadelphia Naval Hospital for recovery.

- U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary - still active, since 2001, includes two-weeks every summer active duty on a USCG Cutter involving boarding and searching suspect commercial fishing vessels for contraband and other duties.

McDevitt Family members (Uncle Jim & Aunt Helen):

James (Mickey) McDevitt, Jr.

- Capt., U. S. Army, Vietnam

Shields Family members:

Joe Shields, Jr.

- U.S. Army, 1st Lt., Artillery, 1965-68, Vietnam 1967-68 Fire Direction Officer, Forward Observer & Air Observer

NOTE: Joe Shields & Mickey McDevitt were stationed at Ft. Sill together for a few months in 1967. Joe graduated from the Artillery OCS.

Duffy Family members:

Ray Isacsson, Sr. - U. S. Army, Medic, Chaplain's Asst., Japan & Korea

Ray Isacsson, Jr. - U. S. Army, NORAD Computer Installation, Ft. Carson, Col.

Jack Duffy - U. S. Army, Combat Engineers, Ft. Meade, MD; Germany

Jim Duffy - U. S. A. F.  Da Nang AFB, Vietnam

Joe Duffy - U. S. Army  Qui Nhon, Vietnam; Frankfurt, Germany

Danny Smaltini - U. S. Army, Germany

Tom Hagerty - U. S. Army, Ft. Knox, Ky.

Bob Czajkowski - Pa. Nat'l Guard, 28th Div., Infantry

Alex. Jovovich - Pa. Nat'l Guard, 28th Div., Infantry

Jerry Duffy, Jr. - U. S. Army Res, 79th Div., Medic, Ward Leader

I would like to get as many McDevitt Family members, and as much information, as possible on this Page. Would you please email or call me with your Family's service members and their service histories ---

www.geralduffy@verizon.net  or  856-983-7214