Father Walter Lawrence Lynch, known as Father 'Cyclone' due to his ability to be just about everywhere. He was assigned to the Fighting 69th in Okinawa which were tasked to take the Machinato Airfield. He was accustomed to disobeying orders in order to stay with the soldiers in the front line fighting. On April 24th, 1945, Father 'Cyclone' accompanied his unit into battle. The Japanese were shelling the 69th, and as a soldier was hit with shrapnel, Father ran to him with a consecrated Host. His last words were, "Corpus Domini nostri Jesu Christo custo." He was killed by the shelling and as the Host fell, the unit commander took it from his hands, consumed it so as not to be desecrated, and retrieved Fathers body. Father Lynch is buried in the Redemporist Cemetary in Esopus, NY. You can read more about Father's life at The American Catholic at:
http://the-american-catholic.com/2009/07/27/father-cyclone-and-the-fighting-69th/
A blessed Memorial Day to you all. May the souls of all those who have died defending our country rest in Eternal Peace.
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