It was supposed to be a pretty normal Wednesday morning. School had ended the day before, and I was ready to move into a bit of a slower pace. Then I received this text from my brother, Greg:
Call me when you get a chance.
I just got off the phone with the department of the army.
They found Bud.
At the end of June 2017, the Byrnes family learned that the remains of our brother, uncle, and cousin, 2nd Lieutenant Patrick J. Byrnes, Jr. (Bud), had been found. That fact alone is not astounding unless you also know that he was lost on August 31, 1943. Seventy-four years after his death in New Guinea, the Army has confirmed through DNA that they can return him home.
The purpose of this blog is to gather stories, pictures, artifacts and a timeline of the events around this amazing discovery. I also hope to honor those civilians and members of the military who do the amazing work of returning remains to military families – who never let these brave soldiers become forgotten, who cherish their lives and who value their stories.
There’s lots to share and I will begin to update this blog with what I know so far. I hope you’ll share what you know of this story as well, including pictures that you may have. We, his nieces and nephews, never got to meet him, but we are so blessed to be a part of his story!
A Soldier Comes Home 
An, this is a wonderful thing, thank you for doing it!
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Bud’s photograph hung on the wall of Granny Hyland (nee Molloy)’s kitchen in Kilcormac, Co. Offaly, Ireland. I remember as a child, the man in uniform, and subsequently heard of his tragic death in story form from both his Irish ancestry and also when I came to know Anna and Bill in Stamford.
Cousin Maeve.
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Thank you for this, Maeve.
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Thanks for creating this forum for telling Bud’s story. I am interested to hear how it unfolds.
Carmel
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Hi Anmarie, So excited to hear this news. It reminded me of a book I read last fall , On Hallowed Ground by Robert Poole. It is about the history of Arlington National Cemetary. Much of the book details the lengths that the military (there are people assigned this job) goes to in order to find all fallen soldiers. It is the most important thing. So glad to hear that your uncle has been found. May he Rest In Peace.
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I will check that book out for sure, Janet! Thank you – hope you are well!
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I will follow, glad he is coming home to finally rest in peace.
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My 94 yo mom is a WW2 army nurse vet. Where did Bud go to HS and what year did he graduate ?
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Hi Judy! St. Basil’s Prep. I think it was probably 1938 when he graduated. I’ll be setting up a timeline soon.
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My brother Ed Duff also went to st Basils . I will forward this story to him.
So happy
He is now home R I P.
Dorothy
Daly
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Thank you, Dorothy.
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A true testament to those who served or had family members who served! NO soldier left behind! Thanks for sharing!
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Excellent job putting all this together Anmarie, great tribute!
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Bill, so glad to “see” you here! Thank you!
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Another O’Loughlin, Brian brother of Bill, son of John Joseph O’Loughlin, grandson of Mary Byrnes O’Loughlin.
I remember Uncle Jack Byrnes, my grandmother’s brother and the stories he used to tell, and the tales about him.
Very interested in learning more. I was in Pau Pau New Guinia on a business trip in 1981 working for Fluor Corp Mining & Metals. I was in Fanore with my mother, father, & Margret O’Loughlin in 1993. That’s where I met Susie Queally my grandmothers cousin. Lots more to learn, I’ve had half a dozen business trips to Ireland in the 80’s and 90’s.
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