Retired Marine Colonel Thomas J. Flaherty has devoted much of his life to ensuring the courage of the young Marines he led in Vietnam is remembered accurately, a commitment that began on May 5, 1968, when as a lieutenant he led his platoon into combat and was wounded three times while helping rescue fellow Marines whose platoon had become surrounded.
Evacuated to a naval hospital in Japan, Flaherty spent weeks recovering from injuries that left him unable to walk. Before his own rehabilitation was complete, he began writing recommendations recognizing the Marines whose actions he believed deserved official recognition. From his hospital bed, he documented what he had witnessed on the battlefield, determined to ensure their actions would be accurately recorded and never forgotten.
Years later, after advancing through the ranks to become a Marine Corps Colonel, Flaherty learned that although several of those recommendations ultimately resulted in military awards, many had been downgraded during the approval process. Rather than accepting those decisions as the final record, Flaherty began assembling military records, battlefield maps, operational reports, command chronologies, award recommendations, and firsthand accounts from Marines who survived the battle. Working from those materials, he painstakingly reconstructed the events of May 5, 1968, applying the same discipline and attention to detail that once guided him as a Marine officer.
"My responsibility to those young Marines did not end when the battle was over," Flaherty said. "Many of them were only eighteen or nineteen years old. They carried out extraordinary acts of courage under impossible circumstances, and I believe history deserves to remember them accurately."
The recommendations he prepared from his hospital bed documented what he had witnessed firsthand and reflected his determination to ensure the actions of the Marines under his command would not be lost to history. After leaving the Marine Corps, Flaherty built a nationally respected aviation law practice representing pilots, mechanics, aircraft owners, airlines, manufacturers, and aviation professionals in complex litigation and regulatory matters. As both a pilot and attorney, he became known for careful preparation, professionalism, and steadfast advocacy.
Although his legal career earned national respect, Flaherty has consistently redirected attention away from himself and toward the Marines whose courage continues to inspire his work. "The story has never been about me," Flaherty said. "It's about those young Marines who went on patrol every day, knowing exactly what they might face, and who never backed down from their duty. They deserve to be remembered for what they did."
The thousands of pages of battlefield records, military documents, award recommendations, and firsthand accounts he has assembled over the years were never intended to elevate his own story. They preserve the stories of the Marines he believes history has not fully recognized while providing a detailed record of the events that unfolded on May 5, 1968. "As the years pass, firsthand witnesses become fewer," Flaherty said. "That makes it even more important to preserve the facts, protect the historical record, and make every effort to ensure these Marines receive the recognition they earned."
Flaherty's work continues, driven by a sense of duty that transcends his own recovery and career. For more information, visit his website at www.thomasjflaherty.com.
