On Wednesday afternoon, led by police escort, Robert O’Malley became the first resident of Tuskegee Airmen Texas State Veterans Home in Fort Worth.
O’Malley, 81, the first U.S. Marine Corps recipient of the Medal of Honor in the Vietnam War, was accompanied by his stepdaughter Shannon Dear. She lives in Euless; O’Malley lived in a nursing home in Temple.
They have waited two years for the opening of the home and are ready to settle into the new routine.
“I’m excited to get a relationship going and be able to take him to do things here in Dallas and Fort Worth,” Dear said.
The Tuskegee Airmen Texas State Veterans Home, at 2200 Joe B. Rushing Road, held its grand opening on March 23.
The 100,000-square-foot home will provide long-term nursing care for 120 veterans. It will include 72 rooms, 24 of which are private, and up to 30 residents who may require memory care. Veterans with a 70% or more service-connected disability rating are eligible to live in the home at no cost. The location is adjacent to the Fort Worth VA clinic at 2201 SE Loop 820.
O’Malley’s parents came to the United States from Ireland. They had four other boys and one daughter while living in New York City.
He was a sergeant and part of Operation Starlite in the Vietnam war. He singlehandedly attacked a Viet Cong trench after his battalion came under mortar and small arms fire. He helped evacuate wounded Marines, and when he was hit in the legs, chest and arm with mortar fragmentation while leading his men to a helicopter, he did not stop fighting. He provided suppressive fire until every Marine boarded the helicopter.
The home is named after The Tuskegee Airmen, a group of more than 900 African-American military pilots and airmen who flew combat aircraft in World War II. They flew more than 1,500 missions in North Africa and Italy.
The group was subjected to discrimination, but has since been honored for its legacy and wartime achievements. The airmen were collectively awarded a Congressional Gold Medal in 2007, were inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame in 2008 and were commemorated in the George Lucas film “Red Tails” in 2012.
More residents are expected to move into the veterans home soon.
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