John Malloy Sr

About the Author

John P. Malloy Sr., born in Nebraska in 1923, is a member of Tom Brocaw’s “ Greatest Generation.” After struggling through the depression years of the Desperate Thirties he volunteered for military service in 1942. He subsequently fought in the Ardennes, Rhineland, and Central Europe campaigns. He earned the Combat Infantry Badge and was honored with the Bronze Star with the V for Valor emblem.

Utilizing the G.I. Bill of Rights he earned his Bachelor and Master degrees at Creighton University and later a Doctorate at the University of Nebraska in 1953. He was elected to Sigma Xi National Honorary Scientific Society in 1954.

He left Marquette University in Milwaukee Wisconsin in 1965 as a tenured full professor after a successful academic career there. He then served as Chief Executive and principal stockholder for Modern Machine Works for twenty-six years. That firm, a Milwaukee based manufacturing company, supplied high precision components to large blue chip firms in the air-conditioning, engine and compressor markets.

He was selected for a Ford Foundation award at the University of Chicago in 1964. The Governor of Wisconsin’s New Product Award Committee, sponsored by the Wisconsin Society of Professional Engineers, honored his firm in 1981 for new product development. His firm won that honor again in 1982, 1983 and in 1985.

Dr. Malloy is the author of numerous scientific and technical papers. He now lives in retirement in Tucson, Arizona.

The author, during World War II, served in the 75th Division’s 291st Regimental Headquarters Company telephone wire section. He saw action during the Battle of the Bulge, the Rhineland and Central Europe.

His daily tasks during that combat gave him a unique opportunity to observe infantry combat at first hand. He and his crew established and maintained telephone communication between an attacking battalion and the regimental command post. They also linked advanced outposts with regimental command.

This action gave him a front row seat to bloody infantry fire fights as well as exposing him to the hazards of enemy mortar and artillery fire. His job provided him regular access to battalion and regimental command posts with their maps and overheard conversation giving him a perspective few GI’s had.

Too often combat infantry are only aware of their own immediate foxhole, or their neighboring platoon’s location. The fog of war is very dense. Men fight and die without knowing where they are or why they are doing what they are ordered.

The author and his crew, however, because of their job operated with a great deal of freedom and independence of action. As long as they kept their wire open they were left alone and to their own devices His crew’s communication duties also brought them into contact with men from other combat units with whom they exchanged information.

As a consequence of this experience the author saw action from a very different perspective than those that fought from the narrow confines of a foxhole. This rich source of battlefield experience makes the author uniquely qualified to write this book.

An independent evaluation of “Making John a Soldier A Nebraskan Goes to War,” by an Outskirts Press team was summarized with these comments:

“You have a great story here. Everything about it is nicely done. You have done a great job capturing your memories and committing them to paper…… Even though this is a personal narrative, you have written it in a way that many will enjoy and benefit from reading. Your narrative voice is very familiar and friendly and you have a way with words. It is obvious that you have done your homework and put much thought and preparation into your work. Your book is well written…… I am sure it will be embraced by many……. Bravo on a job well done!”