Smith: An honor for a quiet, bookish man who was also a hero

A quiet and reflective man, John Creaghe was seen by fellow Oakmont retirees as an ex-college professor who’d served in some capacity in World War II.

In fact, what Creaghe (cray) did in face-to-face combat in the Apennines of northern Italy 70 years ago earned him the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation’s second-highest military honor.

And on Wednesday, he received a rare, posthumous honor from the army’s 10th Mountain Division.

Some of Creaghe’s family was present at Fort Drum in New York State for the dedication of the base’s Creaghe Training Support Center.

As a first lieutenant in March of ‘45, Creaghe lead attacks on enemy positions near strategically important mountain roads in Italy’s Bologna province.

A plaque that will adorn the Fort Drum training center notes that Creaghe and seven soldiers had advanced to a crest when German soldier counter-attacked. Creaghe killed two before a rifle grenade seriously wounded him.

The plaque reads, “Only after four counterattacks were repulsed did he consent to be evacuated.”

It was months before Creaghe recovered from injuries that included the loss of his left eye. After the war he earned a Ph.D. in political science, then taught at small colleges in New England.

He and his wife, Norma, retired to Oakmont in 1988. He was 90 when he died in 2011.

Nephew Steve Creaghe, who led the family delegation to Fort Drum and will report back to Norma in Oakmont, said that if you’d met his late uncle “you would not be surprised to learn that he was a college professor.

“But you might be surprised to learn what a warrior he was.”