Bernard Michael McInerney – Lieuenant Colonel, United States Army

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Hi, once again. This time I am letting you know of the upcoming burial of my first cousin, Bernard McInerney.

At 1:00 P. M. on Thursday, 11 October 2007 Bernard Michael Mc Inerney will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia. It will be a Graveside Cremate Service. Full honors will be observed (band, escort, caisson, body bearers, firing party.) One body bearer will carry his first wife’s (Dorothy) urn. Anyone wishing to attend should be at the Administration Building in Arlington Cemetery at 12:30 PM. You must supply your own transportation throughout the service.

Lieutenant Colonel Bernard M. Mc Inerney, United States Army, died on 30 April 2007 in his home in Henderson, Nevada.

During his life he was known as Bernie or Mike depending when you first met him. He was born on December 17, 1936, to Bernard Ambrose McInerney and Margaret McConville, in Brooklyn, New York. His  early education was at Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary School in Red Hook, Brooklyn. He graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School and then went on to graduate from Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn with a degree in Chemical Engineering.

While at Poly he joined the Army Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC), which launched him on a different career path, the Army. While stationed at Fort Leonard Wood he earned a Master of Science, Industrial Engineering and a Master of Science, Civil Engineering from the University of Missouri. During his 21 years and six months of active service, he served two combat tours in Vietnam, as a fixed wing aircraft pilot, and one tour in South Korea as an Engineering Officer  A total of almost three years overseas duty. He earned the following medals and decorations:

Bronze Star Medal: Issued for heroism this nation’s fourth highest combat award.
Air Medal (1st -10th Awards): Issued for heroism and or for meritorious service with ten awards.
Army Commendation Medal: Issued for heroism and or for meritorious service.
Humanitarian Service Award: Issued for meritorious direct participation in a Department of Defense approved significant military action or operations of a humanitarian nature
National Defense Service Medal: Issued for service between 1 January 1960 and 14 August 1974.
Vietnam Service Medal: Issued for service in Vietnam between 4 July 1965 and 28 March 1973.
Vietnam Campaign Medal with 1960 Device: Issued by the Republic of Vietnam for service after 1960 in Vietnam.
Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm: Issued by the Republic of Vietnam
Senior Army Aviator Badge: Issued for serving over seven years as an Army Aviator with more than 1000 flying hours.

After leaving the Army in 1980 and while living in Connecticut he attended the University of New Haven and received a Master of Business Administration – Concentration on Computers and Information Science. He also worked for Cheseborough Ponds Corporation, a major textile manufacturer, as a Senior Project Engineer. He lectured many years for R. S. Means and Company, Incorporated traveling extensively throughout the United States giving lectures on Construction Cost Estimating and Project Management.

His first wife, Dorothy, died in 1997 after nearly 32 years of marriage. They had the three children, Michael, Cathy, and Patrick. Bernie remarried in 2003 to Wanda.  She is Cathy’s legal guardian and care giver and they will be relocating to Iowa shortly from Nevada. His two sons reside in Connecticut.

I miss his humor, wit, his many stories and the many good times we had together. May his soul rest in peace.

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