When war disrupts a dream: The story of Philly’s own Harry O’Neill BY Patrick Gordon November 13, 2011 pgordon@philadelphiabaseballreview.com ______________________________________ A handful of colored leaves danced across the grass at Arlington Cemetery in Drexel Hill on this blustery November morning. Nestled under a large pine tree in the Sunnyside section was Harry O’Neill’s grave marker, camouflaged by a trio of fallen tree branches. A product of Darby High School, O’Neill spent less than two months on a major league roster, yet he is forever linked to baseball as one of only two major league players to be killed in World War II. Born in south Philadelphia, O’Neill moved to Delaware County as a child and was a standout athlete at Darby in football, basketball, and baseball. He continued his athletic success at Gettysburg College and starred in baseball. He graduated in 1939 and within weeks signed with the Philadelphia Athletics for a monthly salary of $200. The 6-foot-3, 205-pounder spent the 1939 season as a third-string catcher, routinely working in the bullpen. He made his only major league appearance on July 23 as a late-inning defensive replacement for Frankie Hayes against the Tigers at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. The contest was a blowout when Earle Mack - who had taken over for his father (Connie) due to illness a few weeks prior - inserted O’Neill behind the plate. O’Neill never got an at-bat and was not involved in any plays in the field. O’Neill was released by the Athletics in September of 1939. By October he had joined the faculty of Upper Darby Junior High School as a history teacher and a three-sport coach. He gave organized baseball another shot in the summer of 1940 and signed with the Allentown Wings of the Class B Interstate League. In mid-season he was released and signed with the Harrisburg Senators. He played 16 games with the Senators, hitting .238 with a double and a home run. He was released at the end of the season. O’Neill enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in September of 1942. He graduated as a second lieutenant and was assigned to the newly-formed 4th Marine Division based out of Camp Pendleton, near San Diego. By January of 1944 he was promoted to first lieutenant and shipped out on the U.S.S. Calloway for the Pacific Theater. He made amphibious assaults at Kwajalein, Saipan, and Tinian as part of the division’s 25th Weapons Company  On Feb. 19, 1945, O’Neill’s 4th Marine Division arrived at Iwo Jima. The island was saddled with mortars and trenches and American forces were met by an estimated 21,000 defenders of Japanese soil. On the morning of March 6, 1945, O’Neill’s 4th Division attacked Japanese troops in a battle that resulted in American troops pushing forward 200 yards on the island. O’Neill was reportedly struck by sniper fire during the battle and killed. His wife was notified of his death a month later. According to experts, the 4th Division experienced over 17,000 casualties between December of 1943 and the summer of 1945. "We are trying to keep our courage up, as Harry would want us to do," wrote his sister, Suzanna, in a letter to Gettysburg College shortly after his death. "But our hearts are very sad and as the days go on it seems to be getting worse.  Harry was always so full of life, that it seems hard to think he is gone." O’Neill was inducted in the Hall of Athletic Honor at Gettysburg College in 1980 for baseball, football, and basketball. © Patrick Gordon, 2011