Joseph Daniel Toomey
First Lieutenant, U.S. Army

Joseph Daniel Toomey was born on New Year's Eve, 31 December 1926.

He graduated from Boston English High School in 1944, and completed three terms at MIT before he was appointed to the U.S. Military Academy. Joe arrived at West Point in July 1945 with a readily apparent distinction: At 6 feet 6 inches (the then-maximum allowable height), he was the tallest man in his class. One member of the Beast detail delighted in having him pop off with, “Mister Toomey looms over the Corps of Cadets like a battleship over a rowboat.”

Joe had a knack for doing whatever had to be done, at the time, and in the manner required. Academics were not a particular problem, and his time at MIT was undoubtedly a factor. Unfortunately for Army, the tallest member of the class of ’49 was not a basketball player. In intramural athletics, however, he was a benefit to any team. Joe rarely mentioned his time at MIT, but he was very proud of the time spent as a stevedore on the docks of Boston.

His classmates remember well an incident at Ft. Benning, GA, on a summer trip when the class was given a taste of airborne training on the 34-foot tower. Although cautioned not to, Joe decided to yell “Geronimo” as he exited the door. It came out “Ger (expletive)” when the simulated opening shock occurred. His next exit was in total silence.

After graduation, Joe and many classmates attended the Ground General School at Ft. Riley, KS. Upon completing the course, Joe and Pat Patterson took off for Western Pennsylvania and Boston in Joe’s car, despite an ice storm. When darkness fell, they had traveled just over 100 miles, with several near-accidents. Joe wanted to push on because he was scheduled to marry his beloved Jean over Christmas, but they ended up in a ditch. The next day the roads were better and they made it to Pat’s home. After a few hours of sleep, Joe went to Boston, and Jean Marie Bulger became Mrs. Joseph Toomey on 26 December 1949.

Joe and Jean then reported to Ft. Benning for the Infantry Basic Course, where their home was open to his classmates, particularly the bachelors housed in a barracks. These were happy times, and the Toomeys looked forward to a future with each other and their friends. Upon graduation, Joe left for Japan. When North Korea attacked South Korea in June 1950, units in Japan were rushed, piecemeal, into Korea. Toomey was assigned to the 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, initially to I Company as 2nd platoon leader.

The division was operating in western Korea, and I Company was ordered to seize Hill 174 near Weagwan, north of Taegu. Toomey's platoon was close to capturing its objective, but the other assault platoons had received extensive casualties and the 2nd Platoon was ordered to withdraw. During this operation, Joe earned a Bronze Star for carrying a wounded soldier 300 yards to safety while under heavy enemy fire.

After a hectic defense of the Pusan Perimeter and the landing at Inchon, U.S. and ROK forces began moving north. The 5th Cavalry Regiment moved through Seoul and north towards the Imjin River. On 5 October they neared the river with I Company in the lead and 2nd Platoon on point. Joe and a sergeant were the first across the river, but the rest of the platoon was struggling in the swift current. Joe signaled for them to hurry and then took off his helmet to wipe his face. At that instant, he was hit on the head by an enemy grenade. It did not explode but caused severe bleeding. Joe waited until the 3rd platoon arrived and then started back to the aid station. While re-crossing the river, he encountered three soldiers bogged down under heavy enemy fire. Joe rescued the three and then found the aid station and had his head bandaged; he returned to duty on 10 October. For his part in the successful river crossing, Toomey was awarded a Silver Star and a Purple Heart.

As the 5th Cavalry moved north, Joe Toomey was promoted to First Lieutenant and given command of the Regimental Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon, its sixth leader in less than five months. COL Crombez, the commander, considered Toomey the best I and R platoon leader he had seen yet.

Things went well as the Allied Forces drove north toward the Yalu River and the Chinese border. Then, on 26 November, the Chinese crossed the Yalu en masse, forcing a confused withdrawal to the south again. As Joe’s platoon reached the ferry-crossing site of the Taedong River, they ran into a Chinese ambush. The platoon sergeant and the other men in the last jeep escaped to warn the 2nd Battalion of the ambush, but the remainder of the platoon was either killed or captured. Jim Scholtz, from G Company, tried to find out what had happened to Joe, but the only thing he learned was that one of the prisoners had been very tall.

In January 1951, the Communist New China News Agency announced that 1LT Toomey and eight other Americans were being held as prisoners. Jean was relieved to learn that Joe was alive, but in September of 1953 the Army reported that Joe Toomey had died on 28 February 1951 of malnutrition while in enemy hands. No other details are known and no remains were ever recovered.

The name of 1LT Joseph Daniel Toomey is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial, National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Medals and Awards

Silver Star Medal
Bronze Star Medal
Purple Heart
Prisoner of War Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Korean Service Medal
United Nations Service Medal
Republic of Korea War Service Medal
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation