Uncle Matty Comes Home

On Saint Patrick’s Day 2016, Jim Farrell received a surprising email: an M-1 rifle engraved with the name M. Teahan had been discovered in Normandy 72 years after its owner, Martin (Matty) Teahan, Jim’s uncle, had been killed in the June 1944 D-Day invasion of France. A young private in the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, Matty had been laid to rest beside his fellow heroes in the Normandy American Cemetery, but now French Army General Patrick Collet was writing to inform the family that Matty’s rifle had been recovered and was safe in his possession. Luck of the Irish! Thus began Jim Farrell’s adventure of discovery and self-discovery, as he and his family embarked on the successful quest to bring his uncle home in spirit by repatriating his historic rifle. A saga spanning four generations and multiple countries, the rifle’s extraordinary journey and recovery is also the story of Matty Teahan, a humble private made of the stuff that made so many of his generation great—the strength of character, courage, and will-power to prevail against great odds, and the guts, determination, and sheer daring-do to jump out of a perfectly good airplane over enemy territory. Martin Teahan’s emblematic M-1 rifle currently hangs in office of the Chief of Staff of the US Army, awaiting donation to the new US Army Museum at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Similarly, the Farrell family’s quest represents something larger than itself: the intensifying search by the children of the Greatest Generation to understand the facts and meaning of their fathers’ and grandfathers’ war, and their intense desire to come to terms with the often tragic, yet seldom discussed, repercussions of the death and violence their elders experienced in World War II.

Jim Farrell-Born in New York City in 1956, Jim Farrell grew up on the same rough streets of the Irish South Bronx as his much beloved uncle, Martin ("Matty") Teahan, a paratrooper in the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment who was killed in Normandy a decade before Jim's birth. Early fascinated with stories of his fabled uncle's exploits as a charismatic entertainer and World War II hero, Jim followed his uncle's example and joined the Army in 1974, serving at Fort Lewis, Washington, and Camp Ames, Korea. Returning to New York in 1977, he graduated from SUNY Binghamton in 1983 with a BS in Accounting, and is the co-founder of Singlethrow, Inc., a thriving digital marketing firm in Wall, New Jersey. Jim and the love of his life, his wife Monica, live in East Brunswick, New Jersey, with their golden retriever Piper. In March 2016, Jim's life took on a new meaning when he received the news that his Uncle Matty's DDay rifle had been located in Normandy, where his uncle was buried in the American Cemetery. Jim had prayed daily for his uncle since childhood, and strongly felt the news as a call to bring Uncle Matty home in spirit by repatriating his rifle. Uncle Matty Comes Home chronicles the accomplishment of this mission and stands as a testament to one family's love and determination to memorialize a loved one, honor a fallen war hero, and heal the wounds of the past.

Gayle Wurst, PhD, runs Princeton International Agency for the Arts, LLC, a full-service literary agency offering consulting, editorial, translation, and agent services. Specializing in memoirs, military history, and oral history, the agency has a particular interest in World War II, Normandy, and airborne-related material. She is the co-author with her uncle, Col. Spencer F. Wurst, of: Descending from the Clouds: A Memoir of Combat in the 505 Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82d Airborne Division.