Pvt. James Reynolds

Our Hometown Heroes

James Reynolds

One of First to Parachute onto French Soil During Normandy Invasion

Private James Reynolds was one of the first men to parachute into enemy territory during the Normandy Invasion in World War II.

Son of Mrs. Effie Gaddy Reynolds and Mr. Homer Reynolds of Griffin, the young man was born on February 10, 1924. He entered the service on December 7, 1942, a year after the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. Before joining the US Army, Reynolds was employed by Goen’s Printing Company.

Reynolds trained and was a member of the US Army 101 Airborne Division, nicknamed “The Screaming Eagles.” The 101st Airborne Division is an elite modular specialized light infantry division of the United States Army trained for air assault operations. It is the most potent and tactically mobile of the U.S. Army’s divisions.

Pvt. Reynolds was among the first to parachute onto French soil during the Normandy Invasion, helping free France from German and Nazi occupation. Sadly, Reynolds was declared, Missing and later Killed in Action, on November 6, 1944.

His mother, Mrs Effie Gaddy Reynolds, requested a grave headstone for her son and in 1948 the young man was buried in the Oak Hill Cemetery, Griffin.

A plaque will be installed in Griffin honoring this true Hometown Hero.