by Marcus Crotty and Kevin Whelan
By Kevin Whelan and Marcus Crotty
John E. McCarthy was born on October 12, 1942 in the
city of Peabody, Massachusetts. He was one of five children, four boys
and one girl. He lived on Newcastle Road until his death in the Vietnam
War. He was 24 at the time of his death.
John McCarthy attended the Thomas Carroll School and Peabody High School, but was never an outstanding student.
After graduating from Peabody High School in 1961*, John McCarthy entered the Army. He became a paratrooper with the 101st Airborne for three years. After being home for awhile, he re-enlisted and joined the elite Special Forces known as the Green Berets.
While serving in the Vietnam War, S. Sgt. McCarthy was leading a group of Chinese Hmong soldiers. He was caught in an "L" shaped ambush and led the Hmongs through. He was killed by gunshot wounds, but still got half of his men out.
On March 1, 1967, an article titled "Peabody Hero in Vietnam, He Kept Moving and Died" by Irving H. Shear in the Peabody Times reported, "He was hit in the shoulder, then the hip. He kept moving forward. Then he got it for the third time and that did it. That was how S. Sgt. John McCarthy of Peabody was cut down by a withering fire of automatic Communist weapons in the underbrush of South Vietnam."
He died with honor on February 20, 1967 and was awarded the National Defense Medal; Vietnam Campaign Medal, Republic of Vietnam; U.S. Armed Forces Expedition Medal; Purple Heart; Army Commendation Medal; Bronze Star, and the second highest American Medal, the Distinguished Service Cross. He also received Vietnam medals: the Gallantry Cross with Palm, and the highest medal, Medal of Military Merit.
*McCarthy's graduation date is listed as 1961 in the Peabody Times and 1962 in the program provided at the Open House held for the school in 1969.
"He Died For His Beliefs" (Appendix 3)
"He Kept Moving….and Died" (Appendix 4)
"Military Honors Given Green Beret McCarthy" (Appendix 5)
There is a oil portrait of John E. McCarthy measuring 2 by 3 feet hanging in the foyer of the school. He had blond hair and blue eyes. The portrait was painted by Mike McDougall in 1978. Beneath the brown and gold frame reads the following: "John E. McCarthy, Mass. S. Sgt 5, Special Forces, Green Beret, Vietnam, Div. DSCBSN/PH, October 12, 1942 - February 20, 1967.
When did the McCarthy Memorial School close and why?
By Kevin Whelan
The McCarthy Memorial School opened on September 8, 1969. It was opened three days late because the contractors didn't have time to put on the fire doors. They were immediately put on and the school opened the following Monday.
When the school opened, it had 690 students. By the time the school closed in 1982 the school's enrollment was down to near 300. Students at the McCarthy were sent to the Kiley and West schools.
The school board voted to close two school buildings (McCarthy and Farnsworth) and the school administration facility in the Keefe School because of decreased enrollment and because it was faced with $700,000 to be cut from the school budget due to spending restrictions under the tax-cutting Proposition 2-l/2.
The North Shore Special Education Consortium continued to rent space in the McCarthy building and the offices of some school administrators were moved there.
In a Peabody Times article dated March 17, 1982, School Superintendent Robert Ireland said that renting space in the McCarthy to the consortium, thereby keeping it in the school board's possession, was the "best move" possible.
"It would be a travesty to lose the McCarthy by putting it up for sale," he said. "We may need it again some day."
Before the school opened, the land was woods. They had to move the original spot for the school slightly because of large boulders.
While the school was open, the principal, Eugene P. Staid, always wanted to put in a playground. The only problem with that is the playground wasn't put in until after the school closed.
Although the school is not open in 1998 as an elementary school, it has the Peabody Alternative High School, the Peabody Holocaust Center, the district's Audio Visual Center, some administrative offices and the North Shore Special Education Consortium.
It cost $1.5 million to build the McCarthy School.
The New England School Development Council in the 1997 School Facilities Plan states, "It is obvious that this building has received only minimal maintenance over the last fifteen years. If this plant is to be used as a regular school building, an extensive renovation must take place. This should include repair or replacement of the roof, windows, heating and ventilation system. There should also be an investigation of the irregularities noted in the surface of walls. The renovations should also include cosmetic work to the interior and exterior of the building."
School cuts pass hearing; few opposed
by Maryanne M. Soucy
PEABODY - Only seven people spoke at a public hearing on the school budget last night, most urging the board to reconsider its plan to close the McCarthy School.
The only other budget items questioned last night were cuts in textbooks and the lack of cuts in special education. Only one of the five administrators whose positions were eliminated last week spoke in defense of his job.
The School Committee has trimmed nearly $650,000 from its proposed 1982-83 school budget, which now stand at about $15.8 million. Mayor Peter Torigian ordered the board to prune some $700,000 because of spending limitations imposed by the tax-cutting Proposition 2-l/2. Final reductions are expected to be made tonight at a budget session after the board's regulation 7:30 p.m. meeting in Keefe Hall on Washington Street.
There were fewer speakers last night than most School Committee members expected, especially since 45 people spoke at a hearing last week before the board decided which schools to close.
The board voted last week to close the Farnsworth School on Central Street, the McCarthy School on Lake Street and the Keefe Hall school administration building. The McCarthy is to be closed to students, but the North Shore Education Consortium will continue to rent part of the building, with the school administrative offices being considered for the remaining rooms.
The first three speakers last night questioned the board's logic in closing the McCarthy School, which they said is the newest and best equipped school in West Peabody.
"It will cost more to reopen the McCarthy School in two years than it would to close one of the smaller schools," said Marietta Brookes of Grant Street.
Tom Zellen of Penn road, a former Ward 6 Councilor, called the decision to close the McCarthy the "slickest selling job this School Committee has ever seen," the results of some "pre-arranged" deal not the "misdirected votes of new members".
"The facilities at the McCarthy far exceed those in the other schools in the western part of the city," Zellen said. "Closing the school will perpetuate the use of portable classrooms at the Kiley School and basement classes at the West school."
Zellen continued, "When you add it all up, the dollars just don't justify closing a relatively brand new school, the school with the most potential and room for growth."
Cindy Hoffman started out questioning why cuts haven't been made in the city's special education program. "It (special education) may be mandated but so is physical education and elementary classes were cut to one every other week last year," she said.
She then went on to complain about closing the McCarthy, which she said has nine more available classrooms than a smaller school building.
"Emptying the McCarthy saves very little money," Mrs. Hoffman said.
School Superintendent Robert Ireland took advantage of a pause in the hearing to answer questions and correct inaccuracies brought up by speakers.
"Elementary schools won't be needed again in a couple of yers," he said, to comments that the McCarthy would have to be reopened in two years. "The earliest we anticipate any change is seven, eight, maybe 10 years."
The superintendent admitted that "it makes little difference (which) school in the West Peabody area is called." The McCarthy, he said, was chosen because it has one of the smallest student enrollments.
Although under pressure from McCarthy parents committee members voted for the plan - all but James Liacos and Walter "Buddy" Roche - have said they plan to stick to their original decisions.
...One of the speakers chastised the School Committee for not having a master plan charting out school consolidation proposed for the next several years.
"Five years ago a school should have closed in this city. We were always told 'don't do it now," she said, referring to the administration of former Mayor Nicholas Mavroules.
"It is upon us to go forward this year and tell the kids we cannot participate in the zoo of on again, off again politics."
From the Peabody-Lynnfield Weekly News, June, 1996
Eugene P. Staid
More than 350 people filled the school’s gymnasium to pay tribute to Staid, who served for 14 years as the school’s educational leader and for 34 years as an employee of Peabody public schools.
On his last day of work, Staid was surprised by the staff and student body with a musical tribute. Each class at the school took to the stage to perform a mix of patriotic songs and familiar tunes with changed wording which allowed the students to sing their praises of Staid. For instance, the students in grade two performed to the melody of "Yankee Doodle" but changed the chorus to read "Mr. Staid is leaving now, Isn’t that a pity? We have been the bestest school in all the city."
"It doesn’t get any better than this for anyone who has been a teacher," Staid told the assembly of students, co-workers, parents and members of his family. "When you work at a job so long you’re bound to have some small degree of success," he said before thanking the school’s staff and Parent Teacher Organization for their dedication and support through the years.
Staid asked the 400 students at the school to "make a silent promise to yourself and see if you can follow it for Mr. Staid. From now on these are the things you need to do: always be honest with yourself and others and above all, respect everyone. Be patient with other people and respect their feelings and listen to your parents and teachers."
With coins collected by students and a donation from the West PTO, a new garden was created at the school in Staid’s honor. A bench in a small landscaped area carved out of the front of the school bears a plaque dedicating the garden to Staid.
When he sat down on the new bench on Tuesday morning, he was immediately joined by a crowd of adoring kindergartners. At the end of the musical tribute, Staid was surrounded by children seeking to give him a hug and several teachers wiped away tears.
Another plaque honoring Staid appears on the door to the newly equipped West School computer center.
Madilyn Caggiano, Assistant Principal at the West School said, " Mr. Staid has been an integral part of what’s happening with technology in this building and he has been a moving force in the accelerated reader program."
Mayor Peter Torigian presented Staid with a silver Revere bowl and complimented him for his leadership, saying, "We went through the 4 percent cap and proposition 2-l/2 together. It was a traumatic time for a lot of people and Gene Staid did it with a lot of dignity. He stood his ground and did what it took for his school...On behalf of the entire city, thanks for 34 years of service."
State Representative John Slattery said, "We don’t come here to celebrate his retirement, that’s nothing to celebrate. We don’t want Gene to retire....Your life’s work is really what we’re honoring. You left you hand print on so many students. We seem to forget in our society what’s important to celebrate. Often its athletes and movie stars but it’s the teaching profession we should emulate. It’s teachers and people like Gene Staid who are the true heroes in Peabody and in Massachusetts."
Slattery presented Staid with a citation from the House of Representatives.
The staff at the school gave Staid two large albums filled with photographs of events at the West School and McCarthy schools.
From the program distributed on December 14, 1969 at the Open House
of the McCarthy Memorial School
Educational and Physical Features
22 Regular Classrooms
2 Large Rooms Designed for Future Kindergartens
2 Rooms for Specialized Educational Instruction
All classrooms equipped with Projection Screen, Master Antenna System, Wash Sink, Water Fountain
Cafetorium
Complete Kitchen Facilities
Folding Tables with Individual Seats
Stage with Curtains, Lights, Sound System
Folding Chairs for Auditorium Use
Gymnasium
Equipped for Full Gymnastic Training
Basketball Court
Bleachers for Spectators
Library
1200 Square feet of Space
Cost Summary
Total Building Area……………………….. 56,000 sq. ft.
Total Site Area…………………………… 12.943 acres
Construction Costs:
Site Development………………. 156,124
Equipment………………………. 80,000
Architect and Engineers………… 77,138
Miscellaneous Expenses…………. 15,000
Total to date…………………….. $1,584,364
School Opened…………………………. Sept. 8, 1969
Building Capacity……………………….. 670 pupils
Architect……………………………….. Drumney, Rosane, Anderson, Inc.
General Contractor…………………….. Fay Construction Co., Inc.
Clerk of Works………………………… J. Paul Apostolides
From the Peabody Times, March 3, 1967, p. 4
He Died for His Beliefs
The distant war in Viet Nam was brought home poignantly
with the death of a native son, S. Sgt. John E. McCarthy.
John was cut down by Communist gunfire in the far reaches of that Southeast Asian country as he bravely led his troops down the gun barrels of the enemy last week.
His death shocked his family and cast a sodden gloom on his former friends and neighbors.
John McCarthy was the epitome of the American thirst for freedom and democracy around the world. He volunteered for the elite Special Forces, the famed Green Berets, after his military obligation already had been satisfied.
He again volunteered to fight for his inherent beliefs while countless people his age paraded shouting anti-war slogans.
He asked for no quarter as he led his men into the deadly fusillade of gunfire and paid the supreme price for his cherished ideals.
The tears, the brief military pageantry at this funeral, and the painful memories of his community will not bring John McCarthy back to life.
What remains in the remembrance of why this 24-year-old sacrificed his life in the jungles and heat of Viet Nam?
John died for what he sincerely believed in, and, for what his deeds would do for Peabody, the country, and hopefully, the world.
It isn't enough for we in Peabody to lower our flags, bow our heads and reminisce about McCarthy and then return to our routine activities. With this memory, it remains for all of us to ponder on our way of life, our freedom and our heritage.
John believed what he learned about democracy in school right to his untimely death. This bereaved community, which is fortunate to have McCarthy and his kind to keep the bombs and bullets away, should harken to this practical lesson in civics and remember it well.
from The Peabody Times, 3/1/1967
Peabody Hero in Vietnam
He Kept Moving….and Died
by Irving H. Shear
He was hit in the shoulder then in the hip. He kept moving forward. Then he got it for a the third time and that did it. That was how S. Sgt. John E. McCarthy of Peabody was cut down in a withering fire of automatic Communist weapons in the underbrush in South Vietnam.
His senior advisor and friend, S. Sgt. James P. Monahan of Fayetteville, N.C. has recommended the Peabody resident posthumously for the silver star, the third highest award for valor.
McCarthy, 24, of 30 Newcastle, is the first Peabody member of the famed Green Berets Special Forces to be killed in action in Vietnam.
McCarthy was one of four American advisors at a company of 158 Chinese Nungs which is stationed about 95 miles northwest of Saigon near Cambodia.
"We are part of a reaction force which goes out first to meet any Community attack and stop it before American reinforcements arrive," explained Monaghan.
McCarthy, who was with Monaghan for about a year, was with his platoon of 28 of the hired warriors on the afternoon of Feb. 22 in search of the enemy in thick undergrowth near the Cambodian border.
"We were caught in an L-shaped ambush," remembered Monaghan. "The adviser of the lead platoon signaled McCarthy to circle around the wall of fire in front."
McCarthy and his men were quickly cut down by a hail of fire from the side and suffered the worst casualties. Monaghan said that half of this platoon was killed in the ambush.
"When they're that close, the only thing to do is move forward," the Green Beret remembered.
McCarthy led his men through the sheet of bullets to blunt the enemy onslaught he said Monaghan and the attackers were in multi-battalion strength.
McCarthy, who had six months left in his tour of duty, was also recommended by Monaghan for the bronze star for combat several weeks previously.
McCarthy was taken to an aid station by helicopter where he was given the last rites of the Catholic Church. Monghan escorted the flag-draped casket home and stood as honor guard during the wake Monday and Tuesday and the funeral this morning.
Monaghan then was to return to Vietnam for five more months, a total of 32 months. The 11-year veteran who was wounded in Vietnam two years ago will become a province representative for the U.S. State Department in Thailand after his discharge. Monaghan is also a recipient of the silver star.
Monaghan while in Peabody stayed with Lt. Nicholas Manning, Kingdom Terrace, also a member of the Special Forces.
From The Peabody Times, March 1, 1967
Military Honors Given Green Beret McCarthy
S. Sgt. John E. McCarthy, 24, of 30 Newcastle Rd. was to be buried with military honors today in his native city after he died a hero's death in South Vietnam on Feb. 22.
McCarthy was killed while leading his Chinese hired warriors through a Communist ambush near the Cambodian border.
He leaves his mother, Mr. Mary (Leonard) McCarthy, three brothers, Peter C., a Peabody School Committeeman; James A., a University of Vermont medical student, and Robert A., a senior at St. John's Preparatory School, Danvers; and a sister Miss Anne E. McCarthy, a Salem Commercial School student.
Born in Peabody to Mary McCarthy and the late Charles McCarthy, he attended Carroll Elementary School and was graduated from Peabody High School in 1961.
McCarthy enlisted in the Army right after graduation and was assigned to the airborne. He re-enlisted in September 1969 and he became a member of the 5th Special Forces, Green Berets. He volunteered for duty in Vietnam.
