By Army Lt. Col. Rich Goldenberg
New York National Guard
NEW YORK CITY (10/23/2008) – Father Francis P. Duffy, the New York National Guard World War I hero and chaplain of the renowned “Fighting 69th,” stands once again as the centerpiece of the square named in his honor in the heart of Times Square.
Current and former members of the New York Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment, New York City’s famous “Fighting 69th” joined hundreds of supporters, including New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Bishop Dennis Sullivan of the New York Archdiocese, the Coalition for Father Duffy, the Times Square Alliance and the Theatre Development Fund at a ribbon cutting ceremony Oct. 16 for the new, renovated Duffy Square unveiling.
Father Duffy, an ordained Catholic priest, served during World War I as chaplain for one of the most famous regiments in U.S. Army history, the 69th New York Infantry, proudly called the “Fighting 69th.” He is the most highly decorated cleric in U.S. Army history.
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