Wolfhounds and Holy Family Home History

The Holy Family Home was established in Osaka, Japan by the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. Their mission was to house and care for the many orphans living in Osaka following the devastation of WWII.  

On Christmas day in 1949, a dozen soldiers from the 27th Infantry Regiment "Wolfhounds" accompanied a Red Cross field representative to a holiday party at the Holy Family Home orphanage. The soldiers were touched by the conditions the orphans were forced to live under, due largely to a severe lack of funds.  On the regiment’s next pay day, the soldiers took up a collection and raised $143, which they donated to the orphanage on New Year’s morning.

By the following payday the plight of the orphans was common knowledge to all the soldiers of the regiment. For the next six months, the Wolfhounds, led by Sergeant Hugh O’Reilly, spent their spare time helping the Sisters repair the orphanage.  The soldiers came to know the children well and began collecting funds for Holy Family Home on a regular basis. 

The 27th Infantry Regiment was one of the first American troops sent to Korea.  When the time came to deploy, the soldiers believed that the orphanage was in peril.  A week before their first payday in Korea, soldiers reaffirmed their commitment to Holy Family Home and to the surprise of the Sisters, the Wolfhounds contributions kept coming.  The funds received from the soldiers during the years of occupation during the Korean War helped build a new orphanage complex that greatly improved the lives of the children.

The last payday in June of 1951 was a memorable one. The Wolfhounds raised a record breaking sum of $10,400 for Holy Family Home. 

As a result of their efforts with the Holy Family Home, the Wolfhounds -- already renowned as fierce fighters -- earned a new nickname, "The Gentle Wolfhounds." Their generosity to the orphanage became the focus of much public attention with features in the New Yorker, Life Magazine, and national newspapers. In 1955, the Columbia Pictures film, "Three Stripes in the Sun” told the story of Sergeant Hugh O’Reilly and the events surrounding this unique relationship between the Wolfhounds and Holy Family Home.

It is impossible to separate the actions of Sergeant Major Hugh O’Reilly from the association of the 27th Infantry Regiment and the orphanage. He was the catalyst and remains a source of inspiration to generations of Wolfhounds. But as Sergeant Major Hugh O’Reilly insisted, "the special relationship between the Holy Family Home and Wolfhounds is greater than one man; it has become part of the Wolfhound’s identity and lives on as a lasting symbol of American compassion."

Every year since 1957, the Wolfhounds have hosted children from the Holy Family Home for an once-in-a-lifetime trip in Hawaii. Another tradition began the following year when the Wolfhounds sent two soldiers to the Holy Family Home to act as “Father Christmas,” bearing gifts for all the children.  

For 60 years – one of the longest military/civilian relationships in the history of the Army – the Wolfhounds have given generously to the children of Holy Family Home and forged bonds that have changed the lives of both the children and soldiers.


O’Reilly Bio

Hugh Francis Xavier O’Reilly was stationed with the 27th Infantry “Wolfhounds” at Camp Sakai during the U.S. military occupation of Japan -- just five miles from the city of Osaka.

Christmas 1949 was a turning point in O’Reilly’s life.  As one of only a dozen soldiers who accompanied a Red Cross field representative to a holiday party at the Holy Family Home orphanage in Osaka, O’Reilly witnessed the poor conditions in which the orphans lived. He was moved to make a difference, and enlisted his fellow Wolfhounds to take up a collection for the orphanage.  By "passing the hat" they raised $143 and donated it to Holy Family Home on New Year’s morning.

O’Reilly eventually made the plight of the orphanage known to every company of the regiment.  As a result the Wolfhounds "adopted" the orphanage and donated their time and money to make the lives of the children better.

Throughout his life O’Reilly never turned his back on the Wolfhounds or the children of Holy Family Home orphanage.  Through wars, overseas deployment and conflicts, changes of command and military reassignment, and his own retirement from the Regiment, O’Reilly made sure that the Wolfhounds promise to the orphans was kept.

O’Reilly was named the Honorary Regimental Sergeant Major after his retirement from Bank of Hawaii and served in this position until his death on June 23, 2006.  His legacy lives on in the hearts of hundreds of orphans and all the Wolfhounds of the 27th Infantry Regiment, past, present and future.

Did You Know? The Wolfhounds of Schofield Barracks have an amazing history filled with unique and interesting stories.  The more you learn about them the more you will be in awe.  Did you know …

1. The Wolfhounds of the U.S. Army’s 27th Infantry Regiment of Schofield Barracks have been a part of Hawaii’s community since 1921.
   
   
2. The 27th Regiment is one of the most decorated, with more Medal of Honor recipients post WWII than other regiment in the U.S. Army.
   
   
3. The Wolfhounds have participated in 32 of the 97 Army campaigns since 1902, more than any other unit in the 25th Infantry Division and rivaling other regiments throughout the Army. 
   
   
4. The Army’s 27th Infantry were the first US ground forces to engage Japanese forces defending Kolekole Pass when Pearl Harbor was attacked in 1941.
   
   
5. In 1949 during the U.S. Occupation of Japan, the Wolfhounds began their relationship with Holy Family Home, which is the longest military civilian relationship in the history of the Army.
   
   
6. The Wolfhounds have been “passing the hat” monthly and collecting donations for Holy Family Home for six decades and have a drop-box for donations in the Wolfhounds headquarters at Schofield Barracks.
   
   
7. On their last pay day in June 1951, the Wolfhounds passed the hat for donations and collected an astounding $10,400 -- which in 2009 would equal $83,387.60 (US Inflation Calculator).
   
   
8. For 60 years, even during deployments and combat in Korea, Vietnam, Panama, Iraq and Afghanistan, the soldiers of the 27th Infantry Regiment have faithfully supported the orphans of Holy Family Home, earning a reputation for utter ferocity in combat and gentle compassion in peace.
   
   
9. Every summer since 1957, the Wolfhounds have provided funds to bring children from the orphanage for a week-long vacation on Oahu. 
   
   
10. Every Christmas since 1958, with the exception of four years during the Vietnam War, soldiers of the 27th Infantry Regiment have purchased gifts for all the children of the orphanage and sent them to Osaka with two soldiers who play "Father Christmas" for the children. 
    
    
11. December 2009 marks the 60th anniversary of the Wolfhounds relationship with the Holy Family Home orphanage, making it one of the longest in the history of the Army.