Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 December 2016
36. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he will consider honouring the proposal of the late Commandant Quinlan to award medals to a number of men who served with the UN at the battle of Jadotville in 1961. [39705/16]
View answer40. Deputy James Lawless asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he will take the next step forward and award individual decorations of honour to soldiers in recognition for their actions during the United Nations intervention in the Katanga conflict in the Congo in view of the recent issuing of a unit citation to honour the collective actions of bravery of the men of A Company, 35th Infantry Battalion, UN service, of the Army ONUC contingent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39821/16]
View answer44. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the steps he has taken to liaise with the President on the presentation of military medals for gallantry notwithstanding previous initiatives in relation to honouring the men of A Company, 35th Infantry Battalion that fought in Jadotville. [39704/16]
View answerBefore I call Deputy Clare Daly to introduce her question, I wish to check with the Minister of State if he is taking Questions Nos. 36, 40 and 44 together.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 36, 40 and 44 in the names of Deputy Clare Daly, Deputy Lawless and Deputy Clare Daly, respectively.
Is that agreed? Agreed.
My questions relate to an issue on which I have corresponded with the Minister of State, namely, the need for an appropriate recognition of the men who fought in Jadotville through the form of medals for bravery, a measure which was suggested by Commandant Quinlan. This is a sad part of our military history in that these people have never been properly recognised for the heroic courage they showed in 1961 in the Congo. In fact, they were stigmatised. While that is beginning to change it is not because of the State but rather because of their families and colleagues.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 36, 40 and 44 together.
On the occasion of the 55th anniversary of the siege of Jadotville, I decided to issue a unit citation to honour the collective actions and bravery of the men of A Company, 35th Infantry Battalion. My Department organised and hosted a ceremony in Custume Barracks, Athlone, on Saturday, 17 September 2016, at which a unit citation was presented to the company in recognition of their collective heroism and professional performance during the siege of Jadotville while cut off from support and reinforcements.
During the ceremony a copy of the citation was presented to each member of the unit or next of kin in the case of deceased members. This was the first time a unit citation was awarded within the Defence Forces and I was delighted to be able to formally recognise the collective bravery and actions of the men of A Company, 35th Infantry Battalion. In addition, a specially commissioned insignia, which is currently being procured, will be provided to the members and the next of kin of deceased members of A company.
These recent steps to honour and recognise the bravery of those who served with A Company, 35th Infantry Battalion, build upon previous initiatives taken by former Ministers for Defence as follows. In November 2005, a plaque was unveiled in Custume Barracks, Athlone, to commemorate the events at Jadotville and the very significant contribution of A Company and of the 35th Battalion, as a whole, to the UN Peace Support Mission in the Congo. There was a presentation of scrolls in 2006. Portraits of Lieutenant Colonel McNamee, 35th Battalion commander, and Commandant Quinlan, company commander A Company, were commissioned. On 23 February 2007 these portraits were unveiled at the Military College and now hang in the Congo Room in the United Nations Training School in the Curragh Camp. In July 2010, the 50th anniversary of the first deployment to the Congo was commemorated in a highly publicised and well attended event in Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel. A Congo photographic book was also produced for the occasion, a section of which was dedicated to the events at Jadotville in 1961. A nominal roll of A Company, printed in copper, has been affixed to the monument in Custume Barracks and was unveiled as part of the 50th anniversary of the Jadotville affair in September 2011.
I am satisfied that the events and happenings to date properly honour the bravery of the men of A Company.
While the Minister of State may be satisfied, I do not believe the remaining men, their colleagues or their families are satisfied with the efforts. In some ways, one would have to ask why the Minister of State is going to all this effort to give these men what they do not want. The citation this year was a generic piece of paper to A Company, it had no identifying features such as the name or rank which is very important to military personnel. The plaque in Athlone is not good enough. The soldiers themselves had to pay to have the names put on it. There is no record of the presentation rolls in 2006. The Minister of State might clarify that.
With respect to the portraits in the mess hall, one is of Lieutenant Colonel McNamee, who was not even in the Congo and the other is of Commandant Quinlan who was ridiculed for most of his military career. A picture in a mess hall is not adequate given the bravery and trauma these men experienced. The initiative in Baldonnel was welcome but it was only publicised among the Army community. It is not an appropriate recognition.
The Minister of State gave out 10,000 medals to people who took part in a celebration of the centenary of 1916 and we cannot give out medals for bravery to people who took part in one of the most heroic and inadequately represented parts of our military history. What they want is a medal for bravery. There are only 30 or 40 of them left. It is time to acknowledge this.
I listened to the Minister of State's reply and I have read previous answers to questions tabled by Deputy Clare Daly, Deputy O'Dea and many others on this issue in recent times. The answers given do not appear to vary. I welcome the moves that have been taken to recognise these men and their families. I will not criticise the State for what it has done in recent times, albeit belatedly, but I ask the Minister of State, and this point was also articulated by Deputy Clare Daly, when individual decorations will be awarded. What steps are being taken to acknowledge the trauma suffered by the men and their families for the continuing and prolonged neglect and failure to recognise them?
I welcome the belated recognition that has come about, albeit in a joint manner, but I implore the Minister of State to go further. It means a lot to these families and those remaining men to have individual decorations awarded. A family member of mine fought with the UN, not in the Congo, and not in Jadotville. I know that being given individual recognition is something that would be deep and meaningful to those families. When will the granting of individual recognition be on the agenda?
First, I wish to state that the men and women of Óglaigh na hÉireann put their lives on the line every day of every week, 24-7, when they go on peacekeeping duties, be it with UNDOF, UNIFIL or many of the other missions we have scattered across the world. I took a personal interest in this matter when I was appointed Minister of State because I saw the human side of it when I was in opposition and over the past few years. I did not know any of the people personally, so I had no personal attachment in taking a personal interest in this.
This is the first time a unit citation and an insignia have been presented to any members or past members of Óglaigh na hÉireann. When I took a personal interest in this I said that we would have a ceremony in Athlone. I met each of the survivors personally and spoke to them and, contrary to what Deputy Clare Daly said, they were happy to receive the recognition, albeit not a medal, that I had given them. There is a legal position in that there is no provision in the regulations for the Minister to make an award of the military medal for gallantry other than on the recommendation of a military board appointed by the Chief of Staff, nor is there any mechanism for the case to be referred back to a military board for fresh examination. I have-----
Thank you.
Can I conclude?
I will allow the Minister of State back in.
Where there is a will there is a way. There is a sad irony in the fact that the battalion that followed the 35th and went out to the Congo received 25 medals while the 35th, to this day, has received none. The men of course welcome the Minister of State's actions and are glad of some recognition but given the scale of the siege and this battalion's monumental bravery against the odds, this is not enough. We need to find a way in which to recognise them appropriately.
A key part in the turnaround has been Rose Doyle's excellent book. The film, "The Siege of Jadotville", has also helped to rewrite history as it should have been. There is a view that one of the reasons the soldiers involved were not appropriately rewarded was to protect the reputations of the likes of Frank Aiken and Conor Cruise O'Brien, who might not have had as good a history of this experience as the men at the front. Will the Minister of State look at this again?
I am curious as to what the Minister of State has to say because I think he was about to give an explanation of the details of the case. Maybe we are making progress.
I will be allowing the Minister of State to reply.
There is a barrier there about which I am curious to hear.
There is a complex legal, political and military tapestry around the circumstances of this case. It appears one of the reasons, apart from the postcolonial emergence and conflict at the time, is the surrender of the soldiers in question. I remind the House, however, that many Irish patriots have surrendered, including those in the GPO during Easter week. The soldiers in question are not unique in Irish history of having surrendered against overwhelming odds to fight another day.
Individual commendations are appropriate. I would welcome the Minister of State’s clarification on what steps are involved and if he can overcome these issues.
After my appointment, this was one of the first issues I wanted to recognise. I have looked at this case upside down, inside out and every way possible. I recognise this is a complex situation, as Deputy James Lawless pointed out. There are rules and regulations around the presentation of medals and who receives them. There have to be regulations. When one sees the movie, "The Siege of Jadotville" one immediately recognises the bravery of these men, their commitment and what they went through. One also sees this with every member - men and women - of the Defence Forces who goes abroad on peacekeeping duties. I do take on board the views of both Deputies but I assure them I have looked at this in every way possible.
