SNIPPET: Per article by Brendan CANNING in the 1999 issue of the yearly "Leitrim Guardian" magazine, Leitrim's "Lost Treasure" is Tom McGREEVY of New Haven, CT. Activated in February, 1941, Tom, a Jamestown, Co. Leitrim native, served six years in active duty, much of it spent in battles in the Pacific. Now 92, Tom easily remembers the experiences of this period in his life and how he earned six ribbons, including a Purple Heart - the most revered award at the time. Thomas Patrick McGREEVY, born March 1, 1906, was the second of ten children born to Michael and Ellen (McNABOLA) McGREEVY. His siblings included Elizabeth, James, Frank, John, Michael, Margaret, Joseph, Willie and Pat. Tom emigrated to the United States on April 3, 1927, and days later began a career working on the railroad that would last 44 years. In 1941, Tom joined the National Guard's 102nd Service Company known as "Hegarty Guards." His company was activated that year for a one-year training period and he was sent to Fort Blanding in Florida. As Tom and his mates began packing to come home, the Japanese struck Pearl Harbour. Previously a member of Co. D, 102nd Infantry, 43rd Division, Tom was transferred to the 169th Infantry and sent to Camp Shelby in Mississippi, where his skills were used to train newly-drafted troops, readying them for the battles to come. Shortly, the time would come when Tom's own skills would be needed in the Pacific. Tom was sent to Auckland, New Zealand, then New Caledonia and Guadalcanal where he first came face-to-face with enemy troops in December, 1942. As soon as he hit the beach at Guadalcanal he saw battle. Later, in a particularly fierce battle on Munda Island in New Georgia, Tom's unit was charged with taking the local airport back from Japanese troops; this took 23 long days, and Tom sadly remembers seeing his best friend killed, one of the 1,136 who died during "Operation Toenails." On August 16, 1943, while Tom lay in a foxhole trying to sleep, he was hit by flying debris (a five-pound chunk of metal) that broke his collarbone. After spending ten days in a field hospital he was moved to a hospital in New Zealand where he spent six months recovering from his wounds. Tom was subsequently awarded the Purple Heart. Tom was later reunited with his unit and continued to battle enemy forces in New Guinea and the Philippines. Ribbons he earned during his tenure in the war include the Combat Infantry ribbon which requires that a unit be on the front lines for a minimum of 24 hours. Tom also received a unit citation for volunteering to march 17 miles in an attempt to beat the Japanese to a certain point in New Guinea. This was a nonstop march with no transportation. A staff sergeant by the end of the war, Tom was discharged in September, 1945, and returned to his work on the railroad. He was reactivated briefly for the Korean War in 1952, but he was never sent overseas. Tom met his wife, the former Frances SMITH of Ballinagh, Cavan, in 1953. Married in 1956, they had one daughter, Peggy. At the time of the article, Tom was still active in Irish affairs in greater New Haven. Tom enjoys telling his stories to his grandchildren, Sean, Kathleen and Patrick, and with humble reverence shows off his medals, his uniforms and the debris from the time of his injury. Brendan CANNING, contributor to the "Leitrim Guardian," lives in Hamden, CT with his wife, Anne Marie. He is the son of Bridie (SCANLON) CANNING, a native of Dowra, and Sean CANNING, originally from Drumshanbo