Ceremony to honour Jadotville soldiers in September

Jadotville Siege soldiers are to receive formal recognition by the Government at a ceremony to mark the 55th anniversary of the event in September.
The news was announced at the weekend by local Independent Alliance TD Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran.
The Government has agreed to the award of a unit citation to ‘A’ Company to recognise the achievement of the 150 Irish soldiers, the majority of whom came from the 6th Infantry Battalion based at Athlone’s Custume Barracks, who fought against an estimated 3,000 enemy troops.
“A unit citation is a formal honour reserved for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy and it is a fitting recognition for the gallantry displayed by Lt Col Quinlan and his men at Jadotville,” said Deputy Moran.
“I sincerely hope that this honour will finally bring some comfort to the wives, children and grandchildren of the deceased soldiers of A Company, together with the remaining 60 veterans waiting for the right thing to be done for them after 55 years.”
“Obtaining formal recognition has been an emotive issue for decades and upon entering Government, I made it clear that this was a matter that I wanted resolved,” said Deputy Moran. “I went to the Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, and said that this was a legacy issue that needed to be put right.”
“Successive governments failed to address the issue and once I was elected to the Dáil by the people of this constituency, I knew that I would be in a position to finally do something about it,” said Deputy Moran. “I would like to thank Deputy Paul Kehoe, Minister of State, with whom I reached agreement on the issue, together with my colleagues in the Independent Alliance.”
“Being from Athlone, I know all too well the rich legacy and traditions of Custume Barracks and how important it is that those serving for the Irish Defence Forces are looked after and given due appreciation and recognition.”
“I would like to personally thank all those involved in the campaign to recognise the soldiers of Jadotville who came and met with me, including John Gorman, Declan Power and Comdt (Rtd) Leo Quinlan, the son of the late Col Pat Quinlan.”
“Indeed, Leo had been a neighbour of mine in Coosan for many years and he has pointed out to me how the actions of the Irish soldiers in Jadotville is now a ‘case history’ in the Australian Army as a perfect ‘perimeter defence’ operation. It is also being taught in the Irish Military College as the Irish Army has now formally recognised the incredible defence operation that took place in Jadotville,” explained Deputy Moran.
The award of the unit citation will take place at a formal ceremony in Custume Barracks in September, marking 55 years since the Siege of Jadotville.