The Lincoln times., 1955-03-10
Lincoln Man
Continued from page one)

Mark Chinchar from Plymouth.
Pa. in the lead. Germans in the
bridge towers cut loose with rifles.
Across the river. machine guns
and 20-mm. flax guns opened up.
Red tracerS hit and ricocheted on
the bridge framework.
Delisio took the left bridge tow
er. cleaned it out singlehanded, and
brought out a trembling machine
gunner and drunken lieutenant
who babbled that he and the other
man had been left behind to blow
the bridge and had failed. In the
other tower. Chinchar and two
buddies were clearing out another
machine gun nest.
LINCOLNTON MAN
Three engineers - Lincolnton'
Bill Reynolds, 1t. Hugh Mott of
Nashville, and Sgt. Eugene Dor
land of Chicago were racing
down the bridge with the rifle
men. yanking out every wire they
found. One wire led to half a ton
of unexploded INT. Reynolds,
Mott, and Dorland were yanking
and cutting wire every few feet
and kicking cases of dynamite off
into the SWirling waters below.
Bullets whiZzed by their heads. but
they ignored them and kept on
tranticsiiy Jerking the wires loose.
The rest of the platoon was
sprinting on across. Some stopped
to clean out infantry in the bridge
towers at the farther end. and by
that time Sgt. Alexander Drabik.
platoon leader. had reached the
eastern end and leaped onto the
soil of the inner Reich.
That was our first bridgehead
across the Rhine. The Lincoln
ton man and his two buddies
had got the wires clear just
few minutes before the Germans
would have blown it into smith
Greens.
Said 1t. Gen. John w. Leonard.
who commanded the 9th Division:
mo one can estimate the saving
in human lives and the speeding
of peace Cthis) valorouS exploit
achieved"
EISENHOWER COMMENT
Said Dwight D. Eisenhower: 1T
was one of those bright opportun-
tiles of war which, when quickly
and firmly grasped, produce in
calculable effect on future opera
tionS."
The capture of the bridge was
one of the great dramas of
World War ii. 1t saved thOus-
andS of lives and shortened the
war. Lincolnton's Bill Reynolds
and two buddies made it pos
Sible.
AWARDED DISC
In citation beStowing the Dis
tinguiShed Service Cross upon the
Lincolnton man. 1t. Gen. Court
ney H. Hodges. declared
For extraordinary heroiSm in
action against the enemy on 7
March 1854, in Germany. When
the vehicle in which he was riding
reached the Ludendorf railroad
bridge across the Rhine River,
S Sgt. Reynolds diSmounted and
approached the structure on foot.
Although the bridge was rocked by
demolition charges and intense
sniper. machine gun, and 20mm
gun fire was directed upon him,
he moved along the entire length
OF the bridge, cutting wires lead
ing to further demolitionS. BY
his unhesitating action and cool
courage, S Sgt. Reynolds prevent
ed the immediate destruction of
the bridge and enabled the First
Army to establish bridgehead on
the east bank of the Rhine River,
thus reflecting the highest credit
upon himself and the military SER
vice"
But like Steve Ramsour, Will
liam f. Shipp. Dwight LOckman.
and long files of other Lincoln
heroes in days past. Sgt. Bill
Reynolds never heard the plaud-
its of his grateful townsmen and
cOuntrymen. About two weeks
after the Remagen Bridge cpl
sOde, he made the supreme sac
rifice on another Scared slope
of German battle-ground.
His body was found and re-
turned, flag -draped to Lincoln
ton, where he now lies at rest
another hero returned to the
fold. his place of honor in his
tory made secure. for few ac-
complished more for Liberty,
and none paid a dearer price
than did Bill Reynolds.