Johnney R. Reynolds was born June 23, 1917 in Mallie, Kentucky. Back in the time of his grandparents and great-grandparents the area was known as 'Runnels Fork' or 'Reynolds Fork' depending on who was doing the spelling. I wish that I could have known him when he was young, or paid better attention to some of the stories he told me when I was a child. I'll share a few of those stories and some of the pictures with you.

Johnney R. was also known as Randolph John Reynolds (which is what shows on his Army discharge papers). He went into the service on November 4, 1939 and was stationed in the Panama Canal. While he was there he had a pet monkey and the pictures taken there look like everyone was having a good time. Of course, that was before Pearl Harbor. He was on a ship headed back to the US to be discharged when Pearl Harbor was attacked. He threw his discharge papers in the ocean, and stayed in the Army until September 16, 1945 when he was finally discharged.

Johnney serviced in the Panama Canal and the European theatre during WWII. He told us stories of serving under General Patton, and other general 'war stories'. He was a cook, butcher, truck driver, carpenter and rifleman during his career in the Army. When I was growing up, he did all those tasks (except for rifleman of course).

Johnney met my mother in August of 1944 and they were married on September 23 1944. A fast romance, but I doubt that was unusual during the war. I overheard a conversation between adults when I was a child and know that he was married to a 'Beth' who committed suicide before he married my mom but I have never been able to find out who that 'Beth' was or where they were married.

As a child you never think about your parents and their feelings towards you. I was awed a couple of years ago when I found in my dad's photo album a post card he mailed addressed to me when I was about two weeks old. He was out of town and said that he loved me and hoped I was fine. That's the kind of thing that brings tears to my eyes.

Respectfully submitted by:

Phyllis Reynolds Goelz