Dalton, a member of Summerside’s Lest We Forget committee, spearheaded a meeting Wednesday of family of deceased members of the elite fighting force.
Living members of the special fighting force are being awarded the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal of Honour, the highest honour bestowed to a civilian.
Dalton and others want the medal to be presented, posthumously, to families of Islanders who served in the brigade.
“They never lost a battle,” Dalton said of the brigade. “They were the toughest of any veterans’ group.”
The Devil's Brigade was the first special service force designed to operate behind enemy lines, the predecessor of the special ops units seen today.
A Hollywood movie, which was released in 1968 and starred William Holden, told the story of the highly trained commando force, which would dress in black and, under the cover of night, parachute behind enemy lines and traverse virtually impassable terrain and conditions to fight their enemies.
“They had to be fit. They had to snowshoe, climb mountains and do inhumane tasks,” said Dalton. “They were the unsung heroes. They came back home and just melted into the community.”
Only 17 Islanders served with the Devil’s Brigade, or as it was known during the Second World War, FSSF. The unit consisted of about 2,500 American and Canadian soldiers, 477 killed in action.
One Island member, Lawrence Durant, is still living and will receive the medal.
The late Charlie Deighan and the late Emmett Trainor, both of Summerside, were members of the brigade.
Charlie’s brother, Greg, along with Emmett’s son, Sterling, attended the meeting.
The Devil’s Brigade was something Charlie spoke little about, admitted his brother.
“I never heard him talk much about the Second World War,” said Greg. “They picked the elite people and the athletic and the bravest.”
That was his brother — an avid swimmer, baseball player and hockey player.
Charlie did speak about being wounded, twice, during an incident in Italy. Alongside him was Emmett during what Greg described as a “terrible” incident that saw them stranded and surrounded by the enemy for nine days.
“There was a great camaraderie among them.”
Charlie passed away in 2000.
“He would think it would be great to be recognized,” Greg said of his brother receiving the Congressional Gold Medal.
The Lest We Forget committee will begin its lobby with the brigade association, and, from there, go on to the U.S. Congress.
“The fact that they made a movie was a testament to the sacrifice that was made by that elite outfit during the war,” said Dalton, who recalled seeing the movie at the old Capital Theatre when it was first released, during which time Charlie, Emmett and others were honoured. “They never talked about it, these guys. They were a real band of brothers.
“It’s important that Islanders know about these people.”
He noted there’s also a movement afoot in the U.S. by families of deceased brigade members, who also want their loved ones to receive the honour.