Born: August 5, 1911
Died: July 12, 1998
Campaigns Served: Iwo Jima (wounded)
Highest Rank Attained: Private
Decorations: Purple Heart
Aloysius Callahan (called Al, Alley, Unk or Callahan, by his friends and descendants), was born in the Bronx, New York on August 5, 1911, the third youngest of nine children. He married his sweetheart, Anna Cullen, in the early 1930s.
Anna and Aloysius Callahan, circa 1930.
Callahan settled down in Valley Stream, Long Island, New York, which was the home of his wife's extensive family. So the two Irish Catholic families, Callahan and Cullen, provided many nieces and nephews, much to the delight of Al Callahan, as many of them also settled in Valley Stream near him.
Aloysius Callahan joined Able Company as a machine gunner after the Tinian campaign. He was wounded in action on March 3, 1945, as the company attacked the Amphitheater on Iwo Jima. Callahan returned to the company on March 10, and served out the rest of the campaign. He would long remember the ferocity of the battle, particularly the use of flame throwers on Japanese positions.
After the war, Al returned to Valley Stream. He worked in ship building all of his adult life at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, from which he retired when the Yard was decommissioned by the Navy in 1966. He also spent over 50 years as a member (possibly a Chief) of the Valley Stream Volunteer Fire Department.
Al Callahan and sister Grace, 1977.
Although Al and Anna had no children, they were surrounded by a large family and remained happily married until Anna's death on January 4th 1997. Al did not survive his wife for very long, following her in death on July 12, 1998. Al Callahan is buried in St. Charles Cemetery, Farmingdale, Long Island, New York.
At his funeral, there were many firemen of all ages who knew "Callahan," and there was a fireman's helmet made of roses, as big as a coffee table.
(thanks to Martin Treu, Al Callahan's nephew, who provided the excellent family history and photos.)
Photo by GLENN, FindAGrave.com volunteer.