In the decade of centuries that have passed since High King Brian Boru fell at the Battle of Clontarf, his royal blood, flowing through the veins of his warrior descendants, has been spilled on battlefields all over the world. To honor and commemorate the martial skills of the O’Briens throughout history, we recognize these individuals in The O’Brien Clan Hall of Heroes.

*O’Brien, Henry D.

Rank and organization: Corporal, Company E, 1st Minnesota Infantry.
Place and date: At Gettysburg, Pa., 3 July 1863. Entered service at: St. Anthony Falls, Minn. Birth: Maine. Date of issue: 9 April 1890.

Citation: When Henry enlisted, he was placed in Company E of the First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry. He was 19 years old. He stood 5′ 7″ tall. He had a light complexion, hazel eyes and dark hair. He was sworn into the service at St Anthony by Capt Morgan on Sept 28, 1861. Henry was promoted to the rank of corporal on Jan 1, 1863. Henry was slightly wounded, in his side, on July 2, 1863, during the unit’s famous charge at Gettysburg. During the battle he helped a badly wounded comrade, Ernest Jefferson, to a place of shelter. After the battle Ernest was found on the field and taken to a field hospital. He would later have his leg amputated but lived a long life and was always thankful for Henry’s help that day. Though wounded himself, Henry was able, however to stay with the regiment and was in line with his comrades the next day. The First Minnesota lay waiting behind a fence in the middle of the line to the left of the copse of trees toward which Pickett’s army was headed. Henry picked up the First Minnesota’s battle flag when Corporal Dehn, the color bearer, was shot through the hand during the early firing between the Rebels and the Union line. The shot broke the staff in half. It was difficult to hold, but hold it he did. He leaped over the fence and charged toward the Confederates. His comrades followed him, as much to protect their colors as anything else. Lt Lochren was angry at first, blaming O’Brien for “imperiling” the regiment’s flag, stained in blood the day before. But the effect of O’Brien’s act “was electrical,” Lochren wrote later. “Every man of the First Minnesota sprang to protect its flag, and the rest rushed with them upon the enemy.” When Lt John Ball ,of Co K, saw O’Brien drive towards the Confederate position, he shouted, “O’Brien, come back here!” Later O’Brien admitted that he had heard the order but confessed with a grin, “I didn’t come.” Taking up the colors where they had fallen, he rushed ahead of his regiment, close to the muzzles of the enemy’s guns, and engaged in the desperate struggle in which the enemy was defeated, and though severely wounded, he held the colors until wounded a second time.

*O’Brien, Oliver

Rank and organization: Coxswain, U.S. Navy. Born: 1839, Boston, Mass. Accredited to. Massachusetts. G.O. No.: 45, 31 December 1864.

Citation: Served as coxswain on board the U.S. Sloop John Adams, Sullvan’s Island Channel, 28 November 1864. Taking part in the boarding of the blockade runner Beatrice while under heavy enemy fire from Fort Moultrie, O’Brien, who was in charge of one of the boarding launches, carried out his duties with prompt and energetic conduct. This action resulted in the firing of the Beatrice and the capture of a quantity of supplies from her.

*O’Brien, Peter

Rank and organization: Private, Company A, 1st New York (Lincoln) Cavalry.
Place and date: At Waynesboro, Va., 2 March 1865. Entered service at: ——. Birth: Ireland. Date of issue: 26 March 1865.

Citation: Capture of flag and of a Confederate officer with his horse and equipment.

*O’Brien, William J.

Rank and organization: Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army, 1st Battalion, 105th Infantry, 27th Infantry Division.
Place and date: At Saipan, Marianas Islands, 20 June through 7 July 1944. Entered service at: Troy, N.Y. Birth: Troy, N.Y. G.O. No.: 35, 9 May 1945.

Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty at Saipan, Marianas Islands, from 20 June through 7 July 1944. When assault elements of his platoon were held up by intense enemy fire, Lt. Col. O’Brien ordered 3 tanks to precede the assault companies in an attempt to knock out the strong point. Due to direct enemy fire the tanks’ turrets were closed, causing the tanks to lose direction and to fire into our own troops. Lt. Col. O’Brien, with complete disregard for his own safety, dashed into full view of the enemy and ran to the leader’s tank, and pounded on the tank with his pistol butt to attract 2 of the tank’s crew and, mounting the tank fully exposed to enemy fire, Lt. Col. O’Brien personally directed the assault until the enemy strong point had been liquidated. On 28 June 1944, while his platoon was attempting to take a bitterly defended high ridge in the vicinity of Donnay, Lt. Col. O’Brien arranged to capture the ridge by a double envelopment movement of 2 large combat battalions. He personally took control of the maneuver. Lt. Col. O’Brien crossed 1,200 yards of sniper-infested underbrush alone to arrive at a point where 1 of his platoons was being held up by the enemy. Leaving some men to contain the enemy he personally led 4 men into a narrow ravine behind, and killed or drove off all the Japanese manning that strong point. In this action he captured S machine guns and one 77-mm. field piece. Lt. Col. O’Brien then organized the 2 platoons for night defense and against repeated counterattacks directed them. Meanwhile he managed to hold ground. On 7 July 1944 his battalion and another battalion were attacked by an overwhelming enemy force estimated at between 3,000 and 5,000 Japanese. With bloody hand-to-hand fighting in progress everywhere, their forward positions were finally overrun by the sheer weight of the enemy numbers. With many casualties and ammunition running low, Lt. Col. O’Brien refused to leave the front lines. Striding up and down the lines, he fired at the enemy with a pistol in each hand and his presence there bolstered the spirits of the men, encouraged them in their fight and sustained them in their heroic stand. Even after he was seriously wounded, Lt. Col. O’Brien refused to be evacuated and after his pistol ammunition was exhausted, he manned a .50 caliber machine gun, mounted on a jeep, and continued firing. When last seen alive he was standing upright firing into the Japanese that were then enveloping him. Some time later his body was found surrounded by enemy he had killed. His valor was consistent with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

*Obregon, Eugene Arnold

Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps, Company G, 3d Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division (Rein.).
Place and date: Seoul, Korea, 26 September 1950. Entered service at: Los Angeles, Calif. Born: 12 November 1930, Los Angeles, Calif.

Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with Company G, in action against enemy aggressor forces. While serving as an ammunition carrier of a machine gun squad in a marine rifle company which was temporarily pinned down by hostile fire, Pfc. Obregon observed a fellow marine fall wounded in the line of fire. Armed only with a pistol, he unhesitating dashed from his covered position to the side of the casualty. Firing his pistol with 1 hand as he ran, he grasped his comrade by the arm with his other hand and, despite the great peril to himself dragged him to the side of the road. Still under enemy fire, he was bandaging the man’s wounds when hostile troops of approximately platoon strength began advancing toward his position. Quickly seizing the wounded marine’s carbine, he placed his own body as a shield in front of him and lay there firing accurately and effectively into the hostile group until he himself was fatally wounded by enemy machine gun fire. By his courageous fighting spirit, fortitude, and loyal devotion to duty, Pfc. Obregon enabled his fellow marines to rescue the wounded man and aided essentially in repelling the attack, thereby sustaining and enhancing the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.

*O’Brien, George H., JR.

Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, Company H, 3d Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division (Rein.).
Place and date: Korea, 27 October, 1952. Entered service at: Big Spring, Tex. Born: 10 September 1926, Fort Worth, Tex.

Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as a rifle platoon commander of Company H, in action against enemy aggressor forces. With his platoon subjected to an intense mortar and artillery bombardment while preparing to assault a vitally important hill position on the main line of resistance which had been overrun by a numerically superior enemy force on the preceding night, 2d Lt. O’Brien leaped from his trench when the attack signal was given and, shouting for his men to follow, raced across an exposed saddle and up the enemy-held hill through a virtual hail of deadly small-arms, artillery, and mortar fire. Although shot through the arm and thrown to the ground by hostile automatic-weapons fire as he neared the well-entrenched enemy position, he bravely regained his feet, waved his men onward, and continued to spearhead the assault, pausing only long enough to go to the aid of a wounded marine. Encountering the enemy at close range, he proceeded to hurl hand grenades into the bunkers and, utilizing his carbine to best advantage in savage hand-to-hand combat, succeeded in killing at least 3 of the enemy. Struck down by the concussion of grenades on 3 occasions during the subsequent action, he steadfastly refused to be evacuated for medical treatment and continued to lead his platoon in the assault for a period of nearly 4 hours, repeatedly encouraging his men and maintaining superb direction of the unit. With the attack halted he set up a defense with his remaining forces to prepare for a counterattack, personally checking each position, attending to the wounded and expediting their evacuation. When a relief of the position was effected by another unit, he remained to cover the withdrawal and to assure that no wounded were left behind. By his exceptionally daring and forceful leadership in the face of overwhelming odds, 2d Lt. O’Brien served as a constant source of inspiration to all who observed him and was greatly instrumental in the recapture of a strategic position on the main line of resistance. His indomitable determination and valiant fighting spirit reflect the highest credit upon himself and enhance the finest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.

*O’Brien, Jim

Rank and organization: Sergeant (Sgt); E Company (Co), 35th Infantry Regiment (Inf Regt), 25th Infantry Division (Inf Div)
Place and date: Korea, November 28, 1950

Citation: Sergeant (Sgt) Edward J. O’Brien, RA 17240637, Missing-In-Action (MIA) as of 28 November 1950, was a member of E Company (Co), 35th Infantry Regiment (Inf Regt), 25th Infantry Division (Inf Div). The 35th Inf Reg, including 2nd Bn, was moving north along the west side of the Kuryong River on the days leading up to their confrontation with hostile Chinese forces. Edward James O’Brien returned home to South St. Paul in 2008. The Army corporal was 29 years old when his regiment engaged Chinese forces for several days in November 1950. When fighting ended, he was missing in action. O’Brien’s remains were recovered in October 1998, along with two military ID tags; positive identification was made in April of this year (2008), thanks to a DNA match from one of the fallen soldier’s relatives.