Daniel P Bird

Daniel J. Bird was a paratrooper who served in WWII, participating in some of the most challenging and costly, in terms of loss of human life, during the War in Europe.  In 1944, prior to leaving their base near Braintree, England, he and numerous other members of the U.S. Forces serving in the district generously donated to the local Catholic church, The Church of Our Lady, Queen of Peace, to fund an American Memorial Window.  A devout, life-long Catholic, Daniel attended that church and was honored to participate in this remembrance.  In a letter he received from the local pastor in 1948, the stained glass window is described as "a magnificent work of art that gives great beauty to this local church and will remain a perpetual memorial to the service of these members and their generosity to this parish".  A picture of the completed window was also included.  He valued this remembrance and the lives and losses it represented, keeping the letter and picture for the remainder of his life.  He died 27 May 1973 at 64 years of age.