Daniel Joseph Kiernan, Jr. was born in Brooklyn on October 15, 1932, the son of Daniel J. Sr. and Ellie Kiernan. His brothers were Gene and Thomas and his sisters, Mary and Ruth.

Daniel, known as Buddy to his family and friends, grew up at 474 Prospect Avenue in the Windsor Terrace/Park Slope section of Brooklyn.

Buddy attended grade school at Holy Name and went on to St. Michael’s and Manual Training High School. He played football with the local semi-pro team, the Brooklyn Raiders. Until he was 19 he worked with his uncle in the upholstery business, then he enlisted in the U.S. Army on April 18, 1952. He received his basic training at Indian Town Gap, Pennsylvania from which he was assigned to the Washington, D.C. Honor Guard.

Buddy requested a transfer to the 7th Infantry Division in Korea, which was a part of the United Nations Forces. On February 1, 1953 the U.N. Forces bombarded the North Koreans for 16 hours and threw planes, tanks and infantrymen against two Communist fortresses on a pair of hills known as “Ungok� along the western front in Korea. Swarming and charging across a thousand yards of shell shattered desolation and over the two hills in savage hand-to-hand combat, tough American and U.N. servicemen pushed into the Chinese and North Korean positions and almost won the day. They had to withdraw after inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy. When it was over, hundreds lay dead and wounded, one of the dead being Pvt. Daniel Joseph “Buddy� Kiernan.

For his heroism Buddy was awarded the Purple Heart, the Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Medal, the Korean Service Medal and the United Nations Service Medal for Korea. The National headquarters of the Veterans of Foreign Wars honored the request of Post #8160 on Prospect Avenue in Brooklyn and added Buddy’s name to the charter. On August 30, 1956 the Charles F. Corrigan Memorial Post officially became the Corrigan-Kiernan Memorial Post #8160 of the VFW.

Through the efforts of New York Assemblyman James Brennan, at the Annual Memorial Mass on September 16, 1995, New York Governor George Pataki awarded posthumously the New York State Conspicuous Service Cross to Pvt. Kiernan.

Pvt. Daniel Joseph (“Buddy�) Kiernan lies at rest today at Cypress Hills National Cemetery in Brooklyn.

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