Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Mac Lochlainn for raising this matter and for his passionate comments on behalf of the survivors and families of the deceased. As the Senator pointed out, the Minister of State with responsibility for Defence, Deputy Kehoe, was keen be here personally to address this debate, but prior commitments precluded it. Unfortunately, despite the agreement of the Senator and the Minister of State, it was not possible to have the debate rescheduled.

I wish to reassure the House that the Government is fully aware of the bravery and heroism of the men of A Company, 35th Infantry Battalion, who took part in the siege at Jadotville in September 1961. Against this background, I wish to address the considerations and legislative restrictions around the award of medals. I will proceed to outline the actions that have been taken to date by this Government and previous Administrations to recognise and honour these men.

The issue of the award of medals to those in A Company was comprehensively addressed in 1965. A properly constituted board considered the various cases presented and made a decision that no medals would be awarded. The Chief of Staff of the day considered the decision of the board and was satisfied with the findings. Subsequently, the question was raised again in a letter to the then Chief of Staff, who forwarded the letter to the medals board. The board indicated that the issues raised had received due consideration and that it was not prepared to alter its findings.

The legal position under Defence Forces regulations is that there is no provision for the Minister to make an award of the military medal for gallantry other than on the recommendation of a military board appointed by the Chief of Staff. Nor is there any mechanism for a case to be referred back to a military board for fresh examination.

In 2004 the then Minister for Defence initiated a re-examination of the Jadotville case on foot of a request from a retired Army officer. The report that resulted was prepared by a board of military officers who fully exonerated the actions of A Company and recommended that the events of Jadotville and the contribution of the 35th Battalion be given appropriate recognition. Subsequently, in November 2005, a commemorative stone to honour their actions was unveiled in Custume Barracks, Athlone, attended by members of the company, their families and the families of the deceased members of the unit. A bronze plaque was affixed to the stone with an inscription recognising their valiant actions.

In November 2006 there was a presentation of scrolls to the members of A Company by the then Minister of State in recognition of their bravery. In February 2007 portraits of Lieutenant Colonel McNamee, 35th Battalion commander, and Commandant Pat Quinlan, company commander, A Company, were unveiled at the Military College and now hang in the Congo room in the United Nations Training School Ireland in the Curragh. In September 2011 a nominal roll of A Company, printed in copper, was affixed to the monument in Custume Barracks and was unveiled as part of the 50th anniversary of the Jadotville affair.

Recently, the Minister of State at the Department of Defence, Deputy Kehoe, decided to issue a unit citation and insignia to honour the collective actions and bravery of the men of A Company, 35th Infantry Battalion. On 17 September 2016, the occasion of the 55th anniversary of the Siege of Jadotville ,a special ceremony was held in Custume Barracks, Athlone, to present the unit citation to the company in recognition of their collective bravery, courage and professional performance during the siege of Jadotville when they were cut off from support and reinforcements. During the ceremony a copy of the citation was presented to each member of the unit or to the next-of-kin in the case of deceased members. In addition, to reflect the fact that the unit has received a citation, a special insignia has been commissioned which will be worn by each member of A Company. A unit citation is used by a number of militaries as a way of recognising the collective actions and outstanding service of personnel attached to particular military units. This was the first time such a unit citation was awarded in the Defence Forces. The decision of the Minister provides a formal recognition of the collective bravery and actions of the men of A Company, 35th Infantry Battalion.