Ceremony will honor
fallen Freehold soldier
Cpl. Philip A. Reynolds
was killed in action

Cpl. Philip A. Reynolds

in Korea in Nov. 1950

BY MARK ROSMAN

Staff Writer

FREEHOLD — A solemn ceremony that will honor one of the borough’s fallen war heroes will be held at St. Rose of Lima Cemetery, Route 522, on the day after Thanksgiving.

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Philip A. Reynolds will be formally honored in his hometown during the memorial service scheduled for 1 p.m. Nov. 28.

Daniel M. Savino, chaplain of the Cpl. Philip A. Reynolds Marine Corps League Detachment, said he believes this will be the first time Reynolds has been so honored in Freehold.

Reynolds, 20, was the son of Abraham and Lucy Reynolds. He was killed in action near the village of Koto-Ri, Korea, on Nov. 29, 1950.

His survivors include his sister, Lucille Reynolds Dill, who is still a resident of Freehold.

Dill said her brother grew up in the Smithburg section of Freehold Township. He attended elementary school at St. Rose of Lima School in the borough. The family moved into the borough sometime in the mid-1940s, Dill said. Reynolds was a 1948 graduate of Freehold High School and entered the Marine Corps after his graduation.

Another of Reynolds’ sisters, Jean Reynolds Brown, who died in June, was herself a member of the Marine Corps, according to Dill.

Asked to recall her brother, Dill said, "He was a good person, a fun-loving person. He had no enemies; he was just a good guy; and he died too young."

Reynolds was posthumously awarded the Silver Star. The citation issued in his name states:

"For conspicuous gallantry and intre­pidity while serving as a machine gun­ner of Company E, 2nd Battalion, First Marine Regiment, First Marine Division (Reinforced), in action against enemy aggressor forces in Korea on 29 November 1950. With his company un­der attack by a vastly outnumbering hos­tile force, Cpl. Reynolds repeatedly ex­posed himself to a devastating barrage of enemy automatic weapons and small arms fire to deliver a large volume of ac­curate fire on the attackers. Mortally wounded while attempting to clear his gun and put it back in operation after it had jammed during the furious action, Cpl. Reynolds served to inspire his com­rades to heroic efforts and contributed immeasurably to the successful repulse of the enemy attack. His outstanding courage and loyal devotion to duty in the face of overwhelming odds were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country."

Shortly after Reynolds was killed in action, his parents received a letter from one of his Marine Corps buddies, Cpl. Jack Leistler. He informed Reynolds’ parents of their son’s actions.

Leistler wrote, "When the attack came, Phil manned his machine gun and cut the enemy in his sector to ribbons. Had it not been for his action the loss of life would have been great. The enemy was about to break when Phil was hit and killed instantly. ... He went down fighting and died a true Marine. There could have been no more honorable death. ... I consider it an honor and a privilege to have been a friend of such a man as Phil. He was a son any parent would be proud of."

Savino noted that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the end of the Korean War. The public is invited to attend the Nov. 28 ceremony, which will include a 21-gun salute and the reading of Reynolds’ Silver Star citation.