Seventh Regiment Honors Fighting Doctor, Medal of Honor Recipient

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Colonel Bernard Irwin

NEW YORK (02/11/2011)(readMedia)-- Historian Thomas Fleming, author of noted histories of the American Revolution and historical novels, will join members of The Veterans of the Seventh Regiment Sunday, Feb.13 to honor a regiment member, Army doctor Col. Bernard Irwin, who won a Medal of Honor for heroism against Apache Indian chief Cochise in 1861.

WHO: Thomas Fleming, author of "Liberty! The American Revolution," "The Intimate Lives of the Founding Fathers," and "Now We are Enemies" among other works, and members of the Veterans of the Seventh Regiment, a historic National Guard unit which was founded in 1806. The New York Army National Guard's 53rd Army Liaison Team, which served in Baghdad Iraq in 2009, carries the lineage and honors of this historic unit.

WHAT: A ceremony and discussion honoring Col. Bernard Irwin, a 30-year Army veteran and medical officer, known as the "Fighting Doctor" who was born in 1830 and died in 1917. He was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1894 in recognition of an action he fought on April 13, 1861 in which he successfully rescued 60 men of the 7th United States Infantry Regiment who had been captured by Apache warriors led by the legendary chief Cochise. Irwin led 13 men who surrounded the Apache band and tricked them into releasing their prisoners and fleeing. His action is the earliest known fight that a Medal of Honor was awarded for. Irwin served in the 7th Regiment of the New York Militia from 1848 to 1851 when he a was a medical student.

WHEN: 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 13.

WHERE: The Park Avenue (Seventh Regiment Armory) 643 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10065-6122

Coverage Opportunities:

There will be opportunities to interview members of the Veterans of the 7th Regiment and Lt. Col. Trevor Jackson, commander of the 53rd Army Liaison Team, the current embodiment of the 7th Regiment. The ceremony will be held in the historic Tiffany Room of the Armory.

Background:

Thomas Fleming:

Fleming is the author of 18 history books and 15 historical novels. Born in 1927, Fleming's first book, "Now We Are Enemies" was a history of the Battle of Bunker Hill. An expert in military history he has written a history of The United States Military Academy. He will speak on Col. Irwin.

Col (Dr.) Bernard Irwin:

Born in 1830 and died on Dec. 5 1917, Irwin was known as "The Fighting Doctor" in the U.S. Army for his ability to lead men in battle when necessary. Following an incident in which the Apache leader Cochise captured 60 men of the Seventh Infantry Regiment, Irwin volunteered to lead a rescue party of 14 Soldiers to release the men. He caught up with Cochise and his prisoners at a place called Apache Pass.

Irwin positioned his small force in such a way that the Apaches thought he had more men than they did. The Apaches retreated, leaving the Soldiers behind. The freed Soldiers linked up with Irwin and his men and together they tracked the Apache band and rescued another prisoner.

Although the Medal of Honor was not established until 1862,Irwin's heroics were remembered and honored in 1894. This is the earliest military action for which the nation's highest medal was awarded.

The Seventh Regiment:

Founded in 1806 the Seventh Regiment of the New York Militia was the first unit to call itself the National Guard in the United States.

In 1825, the Marquis de Lafayette, the hero of the American Revolution, was visiting the United States. He reviewed the regiment and remarked that the men reminded him of the Garde Nationale he had commanded in Paris in the first days of the French Revolution. The officers immediately decided to call the regiment the English version of that name, the National Guard.

During the Civil War New York renamed it's militia the National Guard and in 1900 the name National Guard was applied to all United States militia units.

The regiment has been reorganized since the 19th century and today its lineal descendant is the 53rd Army Liaison Team. The unit is composed of officers and NCOs that assist different commands in working together. The unit deployed twice to Iraq, in 2005 and again in 2009 to serve in Baghdad as an interface between the Iraqi Army, the Multi-National Forces and United States service commands there.