Media invited to attend graveside ceremony for WWII USCG POW

Media Advisory

Oct. 29, 2019 U.S. Coast Guard 9th District Great Lakes Contact: 9th District Public Affairs Office: (216) 902-6020 After Hours: (216) 310-2608 9th District online newsroom

Media invited to attend graveside ceremony for WWII USCG POW

Who: Lt. Thomas Crotty, USCG WWII POW

What: Graveside ceremony with full military honors

When: Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019, immediately after chapel service

Where: Holy Cross Cemetery, 2900 South Park Avenue, Lackawanna, New York

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The U.S. Coast Guard is scheduled to conduct a graveside ceremony as part of a full honors military burial of the remains of a World War II service member in Lackawanna, New York, Saturday.

Lt. Thomas Crotty was the only Coast Guardsman to serve in the Defense of the Philippines. Crotty was the first Coast Guard prisoner of war since the War of 1812 and one of four USCG POWs during WWII. Crotty served in four different military branches while deployed to the Philippines. Crotty managed and coached Buffalo's 1929 American Legion Junior National Baseball Championship team and he was class president during his time at the Coast Guard Academy.

His remains were recently identified by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) and will be brought back to Crotty’s hometown of Buffalo, New York, for burial.

Media interested in attending the graveside ceremony can coordinate with Lt. Paul Rhynard at (216) 990-2611 or Ensign Joe Neff at (334) 224-5868. The ceremony is scheduled to occur immediately after a noon chapel service. Media should plan to arrive at the cemetery by 12:30 p.m. The family has asked media not be in attendance at the noon service.

-USCG-