Council Approves Gold Star Sign for Irving Mycue

By Adam Swift

Sewall Avenue resident Irving Mycue was killed in action in World War II aboard the destroyer USS Meredith off the coast of Normandy in June of 1944.

Now, Mycue will finally be receiving the Gold Star memorial street sign in his honor from the town on Sewall Avenue.

At Tuesday night’s Town Council meeting, Veterans’ Services Officer Phil Ronan said there was a paperwork issue that delayed getting the street sign in honor of Mycue. He asked the council to act expeditiously in approving the request for the sign so it can be installed as soon as possible, a request the council unanimously approved.

Ronan said a request for the sign was made by Mycue’s granddaughter.

“This woman started crying on the phone and thought that the town of Winthrop had forgotten (them) and that (she) thought it was never going to happen,” said Ronan.

Ronan said Mycue’s granddaughter made the request for her mother, but that her mother died last year. He said Mycue does have one surviving child.

“She is 86 years old and in very poor health and she is the woman who made this request’s aunt,” said Ronan. “She is the one surviving relative, so time is against us.”

Ronan said Mycue was 41-years-old and a merchant marine, before being activated in the Navy and serving on the USS Meredith, which provided gunfire support to the landing forces on Utah Beach on D-Day. The next day, the Meredith struck a mine while patrolling offshore waters, and later sank following an enemy bombing run on June 9.

“There is no greater price a family can pay than when their relative is killed in action, and these folks suffered in 1944 and they also suffered when this paperwork was misplaced,” said Ronan.