Page 13 - DFCS News Magazine Winter 2011

(The Dallas Morning News, Saturday, October 1, 2011, by Marc Ramirez)
His friends were all doing it. Joseph Geary of Dallas figured he was old enough to do it, too.
“I just thought that was what you were supposed to do,” he said. He volunteered for military duty in the thick of World War II, enlist- ing in the U.S. Army Air Corps in No-
vember 1942 and flying more than 50 European combat missions as a navi- gator with the 450th Bombardment Group.
France is glad he did.
On Saturday, nearly 70 years later,
that nation will honor Geary as a
Knight of the Legion of Honor – its
highest military decoration – for his
service.
The award, established by Napoléon Bonaparte in 1802, recogniz- es, among others, those who served in France’s liberation during World War II.
Geary, 87, a longtime lawyer and former City Council member, will be honored along with Army veteran, John O’Hare of Houston, whose 117th Infantry Regiment fought in the Battle of Mortain. France’s ambassador to the U.S., Francois Delattre, said in a letter to Geary that the medal “is a sign of France’s infinite gratitude and appreciation for your personal and precious contribution to the United States’ decisive role in the liberation of our country. The French people will never forget your courage and devotion to the great cause of freedom.”
Every honoree is special, said Marie-Laure Reed, assistant to the consul at the French Consulate in Houston, where the ceremony will be held.
“It doesn’t matter whether they were heroes or just ordinary sol- diers doing their duty,” she said. “We feel we owe them recogni- tion.”
Geary is modest about the whole thing.
“It’s very much appreciated and probably not very deserved,” he said. “I really cannot say that I did anything particularly special with respect to this, except that I was on the missions.
“It’s like, you’re there, and even if you’re on the bench when the team wins the conference, you get the ring.”
Oh, when pressed, Geary will tell you about the damage his plane inflicted on submarine pens and whatnot, but to say he did any- thing extraordinary, well, he’s not buying it.
And like a lot of veterans, he never talked much about what he did in the war once it was over.
“He’s very proud of his flying days, even though he doesn’t talk about it much,” said son and fellow lawyer, Mike Geary.
Joseph Geary earned a se- cond lieutenant rank and a role as navigator with the 450th. He flew dozens of missions over France, Italy, Germany, Austria, and Yugo- slavia from mid-1944 until his discharge in June of 1946. The stretch included multiple bombing runs of Nazi sub-
marine pens and other shore batteries along the southern French coast.
“I had the best pilots you ever saw,” Geary said
But the missions were dangerous. They got “a little shot up” over Toulon and then again over Munich and Vienna.
“I don’t remember any time we didn’t get shot at,” Geary said. “Sometimes it wasn’t very heavy, but you never knew when some-
body was going to get lucky.”
In October 1944, the 450th conducted a raid to disable avia- tion fuel refineries in eastern Austria, taking heavy enemy fire along the way. Geary’s group had lost four or five planes already when their craft got shot up again.
Geary’s plane was severely damaged, and his co-navigator moved up to take over for the co-pilot, who had been badly injured. They couldn’t bail out without abandoning the co- pilot, and Geary helped guide the pilot toward the safety of an Allied airfield in Yugoslavia.
“I wish I could say it was skill, but I was probably just trying to save my own butt,” he said.
Geary was ultimately given the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal for his accomplishments. He returned to Dal- las and earned his law degree at SMU, helping to found the North Dallas firm of Geary, Porter and Donovan.
Eventually, he would go on to serve as a Dallas County assis- tant district attorney and City Council member.
He’s still a regular at the law firm where he’s worked for more than 50 years, specializing in family law, real estate and other commercial litigation.
Practicing law, he said, is the nearest thing to athletics that he can think of. “I’d get atrophy of the brain if I didn’t do it,” he said.
His son, also a lawyer at the firm, said his father comes in every day that he’s in town. They’ve been practicing togeth- er since the younger Geary got out of law school.
“I’ve been with him for 32 years,” Mike Geary said. “When I graduated, he said, “Congratulations. Be at the office 8:30 Monday morning.”
Geary said his military career shaped him well for a life of professional and public service.
“The preparedness it taught you was all very positive for me,” he said. “I was a kid that had never been anywhere, and I grew up pretty quick.”
Though humbled by the attention, Geary said he was just where he was supposed to be.
“I’m really pleased,” he said. “I’d like to say I did a lot more than I did. But sometimes you’re just there.”
Joe is a respected and valued member of the Board of Directors of our Society. Congratulations on an honor well deserved. Never stop, for your contributions are appreciated...and priceless.
Page 13
The Distinguished Flying Cross News