Colonel Thomas Confroy, USA

[J.S.]

Father Thomas J. Confroy is my uncle. He baptized my sister and me into the Catholic faith, and I am proud to be his nephew. He served the United States Army as a chaplain for thirty years, rising to the rank of Colonel and deploying all over the world. However, Father Tom's most transformative years were his tours in Vietnam, once as a fresh junior officer in 1965 with the 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division and again as a combat-seasoned veteran with the 198th LIB in 1970. He related that those years challenged his faith and shook him to the core as he saw what God's creation could inflict upon their fellow man.

 

In the summer of 1964, newly-minted priest Thomas Confroy was inducted into the United States Army as a military chaplain. His abbey had a long tradition of military service, and he was one of two graduates in his seminary class to take the oath. The other, Father Coughlin, joined the Navy and served offshore on the USS Repose. Father Tom, however, would be down in the dirt and grime of Vietnam's jungles. He deployed almost immediately after he completed his training, arriving with the first American infantry division in Vietnam, the Big Red One. Many articles were written about Tom during his time in Vietnam, the most prominent being a piece by the legendary Sam Castan in LOOK Magazine. (Castan would later be killed in a Viet-Cong ambush while serving with the 12th Cav)

 

"Just as the Holy Communion was ending, a Viet-Cong mortar whistled in and burst yards away. Father Confroy, his jungle boots churning beneath flapping vestments, took a flying leap into a foxhole, landed atop three of his flock. As the smoke cleared, he scrambled out and said, 'One good thing about Vietnam is that nobody sleeps during Mass.'"

 

Another piece in his hometown newspaper extolled his courage overseas.

 

"'Don't you believe it,' said one officer, a Protestant. 'Of all the chaplains out here, {Father Tom} is out in the field the most tending to the wounded.' 'He's gone into every cotton-picking situation you can think of,' drawled another. 'He's completely fearless.' ... 'The the last operation we were on,' chimed a third officer, 'Father Confroy went in just as they were putting a body bag on the copter - a guy who had just been killed a few hundred meters away. Everyone was still ducking around the place but their was Father Confroy, doing his work.'"

 

He made friends with Ray Pezzoli, an infantryman turned Army reporter who served as his assistant for some time.

 

"The chaplain helped the surgeon inside {the medical tent} by first exposing the men's wounds, then cleansing them, and finally holding the only light allowed in the perimeter - a flashlight - so the doctor could see while he operated. We heard the telltale sound of a Bell UH-1B Huey armed helicopter disturbing the night silence. ... The Huey's twin machine guns began firing at {the flashlight}, thinking they were the enemy. Father Confroy and Captain Rodriguez did not flinch or shut off the flashlight, continuing their work as bullets pierced the tent."

 

Father Tom's second rotation to Vietnam spent much more time dealing with the evils within the soldiers themselves, as drug use and morale issues afflicted the brigade.

 

"The only time he lost his temper was during his second tour, when a soldier on duty was so high on drugs that he was useless as a guard. Tom grabbed him by both shoulders, held him off the ground against the wall and told this 'knucklehead' how he was endangering the lives of the men at camp."

 

Tom spent the remainder of his service traveling between units in Germany, the Persian Gulf, and the United States, offering encouragement and spiritual services. Although retired from serving the military in 1995 and from his abbey in 2006, he remained active in the Catholic faith, leading services every day. Father Thomas Confroy passed of leukemia on August 23, 2010. A larger-than-life figure and a dedicated servant of Christ to the end, he is remembered and loved by all who met him.

[J.S.]

[J.S.]

[J.S.]

[Cobra 6 Actual]

Very interesting read, RangerDanger! I would have been honored to have him as my Padre in the Nam.

[J.S.]

Thanks Cobra, much appreciated!