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name
MOONEY, John Lawrence Jr - Date of
birth
26 January 1926 -
Age
19 - Place of
birth
Ohio -
Hometown
Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
35844792 -
Rank
Private First Class -
Function
unknown -
Unit
K Company,
3rd Battalion,
413th Infantry Regiment,
104th Infantry Division
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
29 March 1945 - Place of
death
In the vicinity of Dillenburg, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| A | 17 | 20 |
Immediate family
-
Members
John L. Mooney Sr. (father)
Helen T. (McLain) Mooney (mother)
Mary G. (McCarthy) Mooney (stepmother)
Mary K. Mooney (sister)
James M. Mooney (half-brother)
More information
Pfc John L. Mooney Jr. graduated from Cathedral Latin High school with the class of 1944.He enlisted at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana on 26 June 1944.
His mother died in 1933.
John Mooney was a well-liked and respected classmate at Cathedral Latin and after the war, a statue of the Virgin Mary was dedicated to his honor. It became a tradition of the school's football team to say a prayer before and after each game at the foot of the statue. As such the statue's nickname became "Touchdown Mary". After the school moved to a new location in Munson Township, OH, the statue was rededicated along with a memorial bench with John's image and the record of his sacrifice for our country. The tradition of saying a prayer to "Touchdown Mary" continues to this day.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Peter Schouteten, Terry Hirsch, Kathy McDermott, ww.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov - WWII Enlistment Record, www.ancestry.com - 1930 Census / Headstone and Interment Record
Photo source: www.findagrave.com - Des Philippet, www.ancestry.com - Cathedral Latin High School Yearbook, 1943, The Plain Dealer - 11 April 1945