A senator and a group of army veterans are planning to begin a judicial review against the decision not to award Distinguished Service Medals to Irish soldiers who fought at the 1961 Siege of Jadotville.
Gerard Craughwell, an independent senator, confirmed yesterday that he had written to the military to set out his intentions to challenge the board that decided against awarding the DSMs. If the case proceeds, it will be the first of its kind since the establishment of the Defence Forces.
“I will do whatever it takes to have this report overturned,” he said. “There are a number of retired veterans who are more than willing to support me in this endeavour.”
Craughwell has led a campaign to have the heroism of Commandant Pat Quinlan and the 157 men of A Company who fought at Jadotville recognised by the state. The company was on UN peacekeeping duties in the Democratic Republic of Congo when they were besieged in the mining town, now called Likasi, by about 3,000 secessionist Katanga forces. They suffered no casualties but had to surrender after five days because they had run out of ammunition and food. They were held hostage for a month then released.
“We will go as far as the High Court and beyond to have the heroism of Quinlan and A Company recognised,” Craughwell said. “I believe that for political reasons, it was easier to forget the action at Jadotville in 1961. If these soldiers had come back in coffins in 1961, would there have been a difficulty in awarding them medals?
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“It must be understood that the Jadotville medals were recommended right through the chain of command back in the 1960s. As a former soldier, I fully understand a recommendation does not equal a medal, it just gets you before a medals board, but for the review group to second guess this now is beyond my understanding.”
Quinn and the men of A Company have been awarded special medals but campaigners want the military to award them DMSs, the highest military honour.
Craughwell said he had taken legal advice on the issue and assembled a group who would cover the legal costs involved. This could reach €100,000 or more.
Vice-Admiral Mark Mellett, chief of staff of the Defence Forces, organised a review last year. The panel, chaired by Paul Pakenham, a retired brigadier general, said that awarding DSMs was not merited, although it recommended that Quinlan, who died in 1997, receive one posthumously.
The Defence Forces published a 500-page report last month written by the panel, which examined the individual actions of the soldiers. Its publication started a bitter row between the military and those involved in the campaign. Mellett and other senior officers have been subjected to online trolling and abuse ever since.
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This has resulted in some Jadotville veterans privately distancing themselves from the campaign, which they believe has become too highly personalised.
