William Jerome Reynolds

West Point, 1964

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Mark Brennan on March 11, 2019:

Bill was my roommate for plebe year in Company C-1. He kept me out of trouble because he was two years older and a lot smarter that me. I was just 18 years old at the time, and Bill had attended the University of Cincinnati already. He understood life in the Big World a lot better than me. I attribute my survival of plebe year to him. My favorite story about Bill concerned our ill-fated (for me) boxing match. I was taller that him and had a longer reach. We weighed about the same. In my naiveté, I figured we would dance around the ring and exchange enough blows that we would get a good grade. Bill obviously had other ideas. That's when I learned that he could jab with his left fist and follow with his right. This fact became very evident with the first encounter. I spent the next couple of minutes and rounds, which seemed like hours, fending for my life. I did land some punches but nothing like the hits he got on me. Outcome: Bill won the match and got a great grade because he drew blood. Me- I suffered two black eyes and a bloody nose. Lesson learned: Your roomie isn't your friend in the boxing ring. I don't remember if Bill got assigned to the company boxing team. I don't think he did because there were other plebes that the upperclassmen wanted to harass more that Bill. Bill saved me from the boxing team because he demonstrated how poor a boxer I was. I ended up playing water polo. Bill and I changed to new roommates during yearling year. His study habits had helped me academically so much that I got to help out other struggling. roommates. After graduation, our military careers did not cross but I always enjoyed seeing him at our reunions. I was greatly saddened by Bill's death. Though we didn't see each other much in later years, Bill was always one of those people I admired. HIs maturity and influence on me in my formative years helped prepare me for my journey though life. I will alway be thankful for having known him. Mark Brennan

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