The 1969 Norwich Native Son Monsignor Terence Finnegan was present at the battle of Pearl Harbor in 1941, and served in the Guadalcanal Campaign, and later in Europe. He was Chief of Chaplains for the US Air Force.
He was born in Norwich in 1904. He was a graduate of St. Thomas Seminary and St. Mary’s Seminary and University.
He was ordained as a priest of the Roman Catholic Church May 30, 1930 at St. Joseph’s Cathedral, Hartford, and served for six years as a priest in the Diocese of Hartford. On the creation of the Diocese of Norwich in 1953, he was transferred to that diocese.
On April 12, 1956, His Holiness Pope Pius XII appointed Chaplain Finnegan a domestic prelate with the title of right reverend monsignor. The appointment was made in recognition of his fine contributions to the spiritual welfare of personnel of the Armed Forces whom he had served for nearly 20 years.
Appointed chaplain (first lieutenant) in the U.S. Army Reserve Jan. 4, 1937, he entered active military service the following April. His first assignment was district chaplain of the Civilian Conservation Corps unit at Silver City, N.M. Assignments followed in Texas, South Carolina and Illinois. He was appointed first lieutenant in the Regular Army in August 1940.
In September 1941, he was transferred from Fort Ord, Calif., and was assigned as assistant battalion chaplain, 25th Division Artillery, at Oahu, Hawaii. Two days after Pearl Harbor Day, Dec. 9, 1941, he was named division chaplain of the 25th Infantry Division.
Chaplain Finnegan received the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service against the Japanese Forces at Guadalcanal during the period Dec. 17, 1942 to Feb. 9, 1943. He was air evacuated to a hospital in New Zealand in June 1943 suffering from pneumonia and malaria. In January 1944 he was returned to the United States and held various assignments in this country before being named theater chaplain, USA Forces, Mediterranean Theater of Operations in August 1946. He attended Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., from September 1947 to July 1948.
Chaplain Finnegan transferred to the U.S. Air Force July 1, 1949, and was named air chaplain, Headquarters, Continental Air Command, Mitchel Air Force Base, N.Y.
In January 1950 Chaplain Terence Finnegan reported to the Far East Air Forces as deputy air chaplain and later became air chaplain of Far East Air Forces. During this assignment, he was awarded the Legion of Merit for meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service in Japan and Korea during the period July 23 to Nov. 2, 1950. He was awarded an oak leaf cluster to the Legion of Merit for exceptionally meritorious service with the Far East Air Forces from July 1951 to November 1952.
In December 1952, Chaplain Finnegan was named command chaplain of Headquarters Air Training Command, Scott Air Force Base, Ill. He was assigned as deputy chief of chaplains, U.S. Air Force Aug. 1, 1953 in his then grade of colonel, and was promoted to the grade of brigadier general in October 1953.
Chaplain Finnegan was promoted to the grade of major general July 1, 1958 and took over his duties as chief of chaplains, U.S. Air Force, Aug. 15, 1958.
He was awarded the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, the American Defense Service Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Korea Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the Air Force Longevity Service Award.
Monsignor Terence Finnegan passed away in 1990.