Corporal Thomas Joseph Mooney
Written by Ahava © March 1, 2009



A Patriot is a person who loves; supports and defends their country. Patriotism is the love and devotion within one’s heart to the United States of America.

What is the love of a Patriot?
The love of a patriot is a heart woven together and beats in deep tenderness, sincere affection and passionate concern for his brothers and sisters in the armed forces and his country. This intense devotion is sealed in the blood stained battlefield in which these Patriots gave their service and many their lives to provide freedom for the American people. To these heroes’s we owe our very existence.

What represents the life of a Patriot?
It is the character that such a person possesses that stems from the depth of their being in which they live their life in firm allegiance to their homeland which is the United States of America.

Such an example has been seen in the life of Corporal Thomas Joseph Mooney of the  432nd Engineer Battalion, United States Army. For his service to our country he has received the Korean Service Medal with two Bronze Service Stars and the United Nations Service Medal. Corporal Thomas J. Mooney is a living example of the soldier’s loyalty to his country and family.

Dear Mr. Mooney,
Thank you for serving in the Armed Forces in the defense and protection of the United States of American. It is because of your service that I have my freedom of speech to acknowledge all Warfighters on this website. The Korean Warfighters have an important part of our History. Thank you for your involvement in the History of America, for your part in making her the land of the free.

Besides faithfully serving your country I want you to know that you have served your family in a way of excellence. The bible says in the book of Proverbs chapter 22 verse 06 “Train a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.”

I had the privilege of meeting your son Tom. Truly he is an example of your Patriotic raising. He shared with me his childhood memory of you sitting at the kitchen table with three things, a pencil, paper and a big black Underwood Typewriter. He told me of your love of politics.

One of Tom’s adoring childhood memories of his dad was the way you would write a rough copy of some issue of concern whether it was taxes or our military involvement somewhere in the world. After the rough copy was corrected, you would start to bang away on the typewriter keys. The final copy would be sent to the Editor of various newspapers.

Tom praised you for the way you showed him as a child that you were exercising your right to freedom of speech, something you and all your comrades fought for in Korea. Mr. Mooney the following words were spoken to me out of your son’s mouth. He is a tribute to you as a father and a tribute to your service to your country.

The words of Thomas J. Mooney Jr.
Many people in America take the right of freedom of speech for granted but I never will because my father reminds me of it every time I see the picture of me and my father standing in front of The New Jersey Korean War Veterans Memorial in Atlantic City.

Dedicated To:
Corporal Thomas Joseph Mooney
432nd Engineer Battalion,
Unites States Army

Husband of: 
Joan Peters Mooney

Father of:
Thomas Joseph Mooney Jr. 
Lydia Joan Mooney Zolla

Grandfather of:
Thomas Joseph Mooney III
Melissa Lynn Zolla
Matthew  Frederick Zolla
Joseph William Zolla