General of the Air Force
Henry "Hap" Arnold
The Arnold Air Society at Manhattan College has been designated the Major William V. Holohan Squadron. William Vincent Holohan, the highest-ranking officer behind enemy lines in Italy during WWII, was born in New York City on 27 April 1904. A member of the Annunciation Parish, he entered high school at Manhattan Prep in 1917. From Manhattan Prep, he crossed the Quadrangle into Manhattan College, graduating on 4 January with a B.A. Degree.
Harvard Law School, class of 1927, was the next step in the career of this promising Catholic gentleman. As a Lawyer for the SEC he successfully tried the first stock manipulation case. He served in Central America for the State Department before Pearl Harbor.
In 1941, a reserve Calvary Officer, Holohan reported for duty at Fort Riley Kansas. In 1942, he transferred to the Army Air Forces, subsequently serving in Panama. At his own request he transferred to OSS in 1943-44.
In 1951, Major Holohan's body was returned to the United States where full ceremonies were accorded him at a funeral in Saint Patrick's Cathedral on 27 August of that year. His body rests at the Gates of Heaven Cemetery in Westchester County, New York.
Whenever possible, the Major William V. Holohan Squadron honors his life with a wreath laying ceremony at his gravesite.
Squadron Accomplishments
1956 - Hosted 8th National Conclave in New York City
1968 - Hosted 20th National Conclave in New York City
1993 - Area III Headquarters
2003 - Hosted Area II Conclave in New York City
2006 - Area II Headquarters