GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Out of the millions of lives lost in World War II, only one held the distinct title of being a Gettysburg College graduate that played professional baseball. Today, March 6, marks the 70th anniversary of the passing of Harry O'Neill '39, a former Bullet great who was tragically killed at the battle of Iwo Jima.
 
O'Neill was recently featured in a piece put together by ABC27 in nearby Harrisburg. O'Neill is often remembered as one of only two Major League Baseball players killed during the Second World War, but he was much more than that on the Gettysburg campus.
 
O'Neill was a three-sport star for the Bullets in the late 30s, earning his letters on the gridiron, the hardwood, and the diamond. In football, the 6-2, 200-pounder out of Darby, Pa., was a force in the middle of the offensive and defensive lines, earning All-State and All-America Honorable Mention accolades from the Associated Press. He was also an efficient place-kicker, once booting home a 39-yarder in a 16-8 victory over rival Franklin & Marshall College.
 
When the winter winds blew across campus, O'Neill turned his attention to the basketball court. He teamed with Tom Weems '39 to lead the Bullets to unprecedented heights in hoops. From 1937 to 1939, Gettysburg posted a record of 45-9, including 31-5 as a member of the Eastern Pennsylvania Athletic Conference. O'Neill led the team in scoring in his final two seasons and was named all-conference and All-State in 1939. The Bullets captured two league championships during his tenure.
 
In the spring, "Porky" took to the baseball diamond where he helped the Bullets take down the likes of Penn State, Drexel, and Bucknell on the way to a conference title in 1937.
 
It was the sport of baseball that would lead to O'Neill's next career move. After graduating from Gettysburg with a degree in history on June 5, 1939, the slugger headed off to join manager Connie Mack and his Philadelphia Athletics. As the third-string catcher, O'Neill didn't see much playing time at the professional level. He made his only appearance as a late-inning defensive replacement in a lop-sided loss to the Detroit Tigers on July 23, 1939.
 
Following his stint with the Athletics, O'Neill bounced around various minor league and semi-pro teams around the state, not only in baseball but basketball and football as well. He eventually secured a job as a coach and teacher at Upper Darby Junior High School.
 
When World War II broke out, O'Neill didn't waste much time signing up. He enlisted with the Marine Corps in 1942 and by 1944 was commissioned as a lieutenant. That year, he headed to the Pacific to join the American forces in the fight against Japan.
 
O'Neill took part in assaults at Kwajalein, Saipan, and Tinian. At Saipan, he was wounded by shrapnel and was sidelined for nearly a month. In late February, 1945, the United States began the assault on Iwo Jima, an island 750 miles south of Tokyo. The fighting was extremely fierce as the Americans assaulted the entrenched Japanese forces, but eventually the enemy gave way.
 
Eleven days after the raising of the American flag on Mount Suribachi, O'Neill and his division were on the march inland when a sniper's bullet found its mark, killing the former Bullet two months shy of his 28th birthday.
 
Hundreds of Major Leaguers took part in World War II, men like Ted Williams, Bob Feller, and Joe DiMaggio. Only two lost their lives – O'Neill and Ohioan Elmer Gedeon, who played for the Washington Senators.
 
O'Neill would appear to be a footnote in the history of World War II, Major League Baseball, and Gettysburg College, but he has not been forgotten as the years have gone by. A number of major news organizations have covered his exploits, including the New York Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer. In 1980, he was inducted into the Gettysburg College Hall of Athletic Honor and in 2012 he was elected to the Delaware County Chapter of The Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.
 
No matter how much time passes, we will always remember Harry O'Neill.