By Russell W. Wylie
I remember fondly and miss my occasional conversations with Tony when he answered the office phone working on the Irish Edition very early in the morning. He would always reach into his ample bag of impish Irish humor to make a series of witty comments, which would inevitably result in my constant amusement. Tony always had a twinkle in his eye when I had the opportunity to meet him, whether it be in the office of the Irish Edition or at a garden party of the American Catholic Historical Society, while discussing some tenuous situation. He would inevitably inject humorous anecdotes and comment with a delivery and timing that were brilliant. You can see that same twinkle in the eyes of his tight circle of friends pictured together in an August 2017 Irish Edition article about Tony who were all alumni of St. Joseph’s College: Mike Stack Jr., Jim Duffin, Former U.S. Ambassador to Chile Ralph Dungan, and Tony Byrne.
After college, Tony enlisted in the U.S. Navy to attend flight school at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida for flight training of fixed-wing aircraft. Tony next joined the U.S. Marine Corps to receive helicopter flight training. He completed his training in 1955, and attained the rank of Major in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve flying out of the Naval Air Station in Willow Grove, PA. While living for a year in Japan during 1957, he earned a diploma in Ikebana (the Japanese art of flower arrangement) and exhibited in Yokohama. Tony joined Air America Inc. working as a Captain and instructor pilot from 1965 to 1974 piloting helicopters on covert missions in Southeast Asia. He recounted to me one of many near-death experiences when he faced down the Grim Reaper. During a mission in southern Laos, while Tony was taking off from the top of a mountain at an elevation of 3,000 feet, his helicopter was hit hard underneath by enemy fire. In the midst of diving straight down the side of the mountain to gain airspeed, the engine sputtered and shut off. Tony tried repeatedly to restart the engine in order to pull the aircraft out of its freefall as he plummeted down the mountainside toward certain death to the ground below. With no time left to spare, the engine jumped back to life and Tony was able to pull the helicopter out of its dive before it crashed. While flying back to base over rice fields the engine quit again. The flight controls were not operating properly and, with the help of his copilot, he was able to crash land in the paddy fields. When a rescue helicopter landed to pick up the soldiers and crew from the downed aircraft, the soldiers decided it would be safer to walk back to the airbase ten miles away.
Tony left his service with Air America Inc. in mid-1974 and returned to Philadelphia. He started the Irish Edition in February 1981. It was truly a wonderful accomplishment that began at Jane Duffin’s kitchen table in Chestnut Hill following Tony’s suggestion to start what became the prominent newspaper in Philadelphia devoted to the history and culture of the Irish diaspora with a particular focus in the Delaware Valley. Journalism was part of Tony’s DNA drawing from the background of a father who worked for newspapers all his life.
I was proud to have initiated with the support of President Joseph P. Heenan a special presentation to Jane M. Duffin and Anthony R. Byrne at the 245th Gala of The Society of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, in recognition of their many years providing important news to the Irish American community in Philadelphia as the respective Editor and Owner of the Irish Edition newspaper. This 245th Gala of the Society on March 16, 2016, was particularly noteworthy when Her Excellency Anne Anderson, the Ambassador of Ireland to the United States of America, became the First Female Adopted Member of one of America’s oldest Irish societies that opened its doors to women members after 245 years as an all-male organization. I was similarly proud to have presented the introductory speech for Anthony Robert Byrne when he was presented with the prestigious Commodore John Barry Award on November 12, 2017, at the Delaware Valley Irish Hall of Fame Dinner.
Tony related to me with much pride the Celtic origin of his family name Byrne, which in the Irish Gaelic Ó Broin means “descendant of Bran”. The name has been traced back to the ancient Celtic chieftain, Bran mac Máelmórda, King of Leinster. He was descended from Cathair Mór, an earlier king of Leinster, who according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, also was monarch of all Ireland around 200 AD. The clan’s motto is the Latin phrase Certavi et vici, meaning “I have fought and conquered”; it speaks volumes in tribute to his life.