James W. Sweeney

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Lowell High School

James Sweeney Obituary

James W. Sweeney of Nashua In Nashua, NH, November 5, 2008 at his home. James W. Sweeney, 84, beloved husband of the late Marian (Roberts) Sweeney. Family and friends may call at the FAY McCABE FUNERAL HOME, 105 MOORE STREET, LOWELL, on FRIDAY from 3 until 8 P.M. Mr. Sweeney's Funeral will take place from the Funeral Home on SATURDAY MORNING at 9 o'clock, followed by his Funeral Mass at 10 o'clock at the IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CHURCH, 155 E. MERRIMACK ST. LOWELL. Burial will follow in St. Mary Cemetery. As an expression of sympathy, donations in Mr. Sweeney's memory may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, Mass Chapter, 311 Arsenal Street, Watertown, MA 02472. ARRANGEMENTS BY FAY McCABE FUNERAL DIRECTORS, 978-459-9222.

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Published by Lowell Sun on Nov. 7, 2008.

Memories and Condolences
for James Sweeney

5 Entries

Kathy Sweeney LaBrecque

November 24, 2008

Thank you God for the gift of salvation through your most Holy Son Jesus.

Meghan Perron

November 7, 2008

Dear Aunt Kathy, Uncle Stu, Beth, Nikki, Chris & Matt ~ I am very, very sorry to hear of your loss. My thoughts and prayers go out to all of you in this sadden time. I pray that you will find comfort in knowing he is in a beautiful place now....with his wife in the kingdom of heaven.

I love you all - take care....
May god bless you!

Lt JG Jim Sweeney's SB2C diving into the Pacific

Alex LaBrecque

November 7, 2008

Jim Sweeney was a good and decent man, a devout Catholic, and a quiet war hero. Jim was a dive bomber pilot of VB-94 based on the USS Lexington in 1945. Lt JG Sweeney bombed two moored Japanese battleships, the Ise and the Nagato, sinking them, and was awarded the Navy Cross.

The type of plane that Jim flew, the Curtiss SB2C Helldiver, was difficult to fly because Navy bureaucrats kept adding modifications that eventually made it overweight and unstable. Based on its official Navy acronym SB2C (for the Curtiss company's second scout bomber design), unhappy crews nicknamed the aircraft "SOB Second Class." At age 21 Jim was landing this unwieldy beast on an aircraft carrier's deck as it pitched in fog and rough seas. While he acknowledged the Helldiver had its shortcomings, in his dry way Jim said "I liked it," and "you flew what you were told to fly."

Jim had a harrowing experience upon returning to the carrier after a mission. His plane was descending to the carrier's deck and he had already cut throttle when he was waved off because the deck crew had not cleared from the arresting wire the previous plane, his skipper's. Averting a disastrous collision Jim gave his engine full throttle, while knowing that the sudden torque would corkscrew his plane into the sea. His plane plunged into the water upside down and submerged, with only the tail visible. On impact his face and eyes struck a wall of water and his wedding ring was jettisoned from his finger into the Pacific. The engine was ripped off by the violent impact, then the remainder of the inverted aircraft resurfaced. His vision was impaired but Jim managed to escape and he freed his injured gunner from the rear cockpit. They were in the water for fifteen minutes before a destroyer rescued them. By that time, the carrier had already reported the mishap, and after his rescue his wife Marian received a telegram that he was missing in action. The whites of Jim's eyes were blood-red from the water's impact and for a month the flight surgeon did not allow him to fly. He later returned to action and bombed the Japanese battleships.

A few years ago a photo was found online of a Helldiver like Jim flew; the aircraft was in an inverted position, diving into the sea after an aborted landing. From the photo it seems unlikely the crew could have survived this, and the website (daveswarbirds.com) appropriately named the file “doomed.” The aircraft had the white diagonal band of Jim’s squadron on the wing and tail, and its number was visible on the fuselage. Jim’s son-in-law Stu gave the photo to him; perhaps he had known the unfortunate crew. Jim immediately recognized it and exclaimed: "That's my plane!"

Another hero has passed from us, but he is forever in God's care through the risen Jesus Christ.

Eileen Shea

November 6, 2008

To the Sweeney family,
My thoughts and prayers are with all of you in this time of great sadness. Uncle Jimmy is now w/his beloved Marian. This will hopefully help you during this time of grieving.
Always in our thoughts and prayers,
Eileen Marie Shea(jr) and Ken Barden

Joanne McNamara

November 6, 2008

My deapest condolences to Donna, Kathy and their children /grandchildren. I loved Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Marion, they were such a perfect couple. I know they are together again, but will be missed by you all. Also, my love to Aunt Kay, Aunt Marie and Uncle Tommy. It is such an inspiration to see how well siblings can live so long a (good) life with help of each other.

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