As Veterans Day approaches, I am reminded of Marine Cpl. Phillip A. Reynolds, a U.S. Marine and lifelong Freehold Borough resident who died heroically during the Korean War at the young age of 20. He is buried in St. Rose Cemetery, a short distance from the bridge on Route 9 in Freehold that is now named after him.
When Cpl. Reynolds returned home, he was buried without the military burial he deserved. Dan Savino of the Marine Corps League Cpl. Philip A. Reynolds Detachment was determined to give him the military funeral he deserved and to have the bridge named after him. Cpl. Reynolds’ sister, Lucille Dill, was supportive of the naming of the bridge and hopeful for the military funeral.
Dan mailed letters to every representative at the time from Gov. Jon Corzine to local officials to get support to rename the bridge. He was discouraged when nobody was interested in his quest and he asked for my assistance.
When Sen. Jennifer Beck was elected to office, we informed her of Dan Savino’s request. She was the first legislator to work on the bill to have the bridge dedicated, and she advocated to the Legislature and the governor to provide Cpl. Reynolds with the legacy he deserved at a dedication ceremony on Nov. 29, 2009, the anniversary of his death.
It was a moment in time that I shall never forget; from the gun salute to the playing of “Taps” to the presenting of the American flag to Cpl. Reynolds’ sister.
There is no better advocate in the Legislature for our veterans in District 11 than Sen. Beck.
Barbara McMorrow
Freehold Township
