Tag: Syracuse New York

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Reynolds, Theodore Allen
Army Private 1st Class

Theodore Allen Reynolds from Syracuse, New York, Oneida county.

Parents: Claude B. Reynolds

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, November 2, 1950
Death details: On September 13, 2011, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC, now DPAA) identified the remains of Corporal Theodore Allen Reynolds, missing from the Korean War. Corporal Reynolds entered the U.S. Army from New York and served with Company B, 2nd Chemical Mortar Battalion, attached to the 8th Cavalry Regiment of the 1st Cavalry Division. On November 2, 1950, his company was supporting elements of the 1st Cavalry Division near Unsan, North Korea. That day, Chinese Communist Forces struck the 1st Cavalry Division’s lines, collapsing the perimeter and forcing a withdrawal, and CPL Reynolds was taken as a prisoner of war (POW) during this action. Following his capture, he was held at POW Camp 5 Pyoktong, North Korea, where he died from lack of medical care and malnutrition in 1951, though the exact date is unknown. His remains were not returned to the U.S. at the time of his loss. In 1954, during Operation Glory, the North Korean government turned over remains of U.S. service members, and in 2009, U.S. analysts using modern forensic techniques identified CPL Reynolds from these remains.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, New York Daily News (1953)

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Collins, James Frederick
Navy Electrician’s mate 3

James Frederick Collins, age 30, from Onondaga County Syracuse, New York .

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Monday, August 6, 1945
Death details: Killed aboard USS Bullhead SS-332 when it was sunk by air attack near the Lombok Strait.

Source: On Eternal Patrol

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Feeney, John Thomas
Marines Reserves Private

John Thomas Feeney, age 25, from Syracuse, New York, Onondaga county.

Parents: Mary C. Feeney

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Monday, November 22, 1943
Death details: From November 20 through 23, 1943, the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy conducted a large-scale amphibious assault on the Japanese-held atoll of Tarawa as part of Operation Galvanic, the Allied capture of the Gilbert Islands. Located 2,500 miles southwest of Hawaii, Tarawa was a crucial stepping stone in the planned U.S. offensive across the central Pacific toward Japan. The Japanese garrison on Tarawa’s main island of Betio was well-entrenched with hundreds of bunkers and gun positions behind formidable beach obstacles. The first wave of Marines approaching the shore encountered lower-than-expected tides, forcing them to leave their landing craft on the reef and wade the hundreds of yards to the beach under intense enemy fire. The heaviest number of U.S. casualties were suffered during this phase of the landing. Eventually, rising tides allowed U.S. warships to maneuver closer to shore and support the troops with effective naval gunfire. More Marines landed on the second day, launching attacks inland from the beaches and seizing the Japanese airfield on the island. However, the enemy launched vicious counterattacks and two more days of intense fighting were needed to secure Betio. The last enemy strongpoints were taken on the morning of November 23. The fighting on Betio cost the Marines nearly 3,000 casualties but enabled U.S. forces to press further across the Pacific and yielded valuable tactical lessons that reduced U.S. losses in future amphibious landings. Private First Class John T. Feeney, who joined the U.S. Marine Corps from New York, was a member of Company D, 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regimenmt, 2nd Marine Division. On November 22, 1943, he was killed in action during the Battle of Tarawa. His body was buried on Betio Island, but after the war his remains could not be located. Today, Private First Class Feeney is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

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Emond, Lawrence Gordon
Marines Private 1st class

Lawrence Gordon Emond, age 19, from Syracuse, New York, Onondaga county.

Parents: Clementine Emond

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Saturday, November 20, 1943
Death details: From November 20 through 23, 1943, the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy conducted a large-scale amphibious assault on the Japanese-held atoll of Tarawa as part of Operation Galvanic, the Allied capture of the Gilbert Islands. Located 2,500 miles southwest of Hawaii, Tarawa was a crucial stepping stone in the planned U.S. offensive across the central Pacific toward Japan. The Japanese garrison on Tarawa’s main island of Betio was well-entrenched with hundreds of bunkers and gun positions behind formidable beach obstacles. The first wave of Marines approaching the shore encountered lower-than-expected tides, forcing them to leave their landing craft on the reef and wade the hundreds of yards to the beach under intense enemy fire. The heaviest number of U.S. casualties were suffered during this phase of the landing. Eventually, rising tides allowed U.S. warships to maneuver closer to shore and support the troops with effective naval gunfire. More Marines landed on the second day, launching attacks inland from the beaches and seizing the Japanese airfield on the island. However, the enemy launched vicious counterattacks and two more days of intense fighting were needed to secure Betio. The last enemy strongpoints were taken on the morning of November 23. The fighting on Betio cost the Marines nearly 3,000 casualties but enabled U.S. forces to press further across the Pacific and yielded valuable tactical lessons that reduced U.S. losses in future amphibious landings. Private First Class Lawrence Gordon Emond, who joined the U.S. Marine Corps from New York, served with Company M, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. He was killed in action during the Battle of Tarawa on November 20. Although he was buried on Tarawa, his remains could not be located after the war. Private First Class Emond is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency