The Man Who Saved Corregidor

The year was 1968 and Reynolds, a former Royal Air Force bomber pilot now living in the United States, was appealing to them to see the major tourist potential of Corregidor, the island fortress at the entrance to Manila Bay, and that tourist access should be provided.

“They seemed amazed at my suggestion that Corregidor be reopened as a shrine,” Reynolds remembers. “They all had this look on their faces of, ‘Who is this nut?’ Then I saw their feet resting on the table and realized they’d already made up their minds.” Reynolds quickly figured out the reason for their reluctance: “Corregidor’s batteries still had guns, which they planned to scavenge.”

Dejected, Reynolds left the meeting. Later that day, he attended a reception for tourism leaders at Malacanjan Palace, hosted by President Ferdinand Marcos. During the reception, Reynolds was introduced to Marcos, who said, “Oh, you’re the man who wants us to reopen Corregidor?” Surprised to be recognized, Reynolds simply said, “Yes, sir.” Marcos nodded at him and said, “Please com to see me tomorrow at 9 a.m.,” then walked off to greet his other guests.

The next day, Reynolds had his talk with Marcos, who questioned and prodded him extensively on his vision for Corregidor and Bataan as major tourist draws. “It occurred to me from his questioning that Marcos had also been keen on the idea of making some money off of Corregidor’s scrap metal,” says Reynolds. But somewhere in their conversation, Reynolds persuaded Marcos that while salvaging scrap metal was a one-time moneymaker, developing a Corregidor-focused tourist industry would become a perpetual money earner that could employ hundreds of people.

Reynolds came away with a go-ahead from Marcos, which started him on a 34-year career as an initiator of and advisor to the creation of Pacific region war memorials. While Reynolds was embarking on a new career, the Philippines soon got their most popular tourists attractions ever.

Today, Reynolds is a partner in Valor Tours of Sausalito, CA, a travel agency that specializes in WWII battlefield tours. We asked him some questions about his earlier life as a pilot and his later life as a war memorial planner and tour organizer.

CT: Now that the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II is well past, are you seeing a drop-off in the number of people interested in touring battle monuments?

Reynolds: Well, 10 years ago there were predictions we’d be out of business now that veterans were fading away with the passage of time. But as the World War II generation died off, increasingly their sons and daughters, nephews and nieces, and grandchildren began taking up the slack. Usually not in huge groups – perhaps a busload at a time, about 45 people.

CT: But why relatives’ interest in something that happened so long ago?

Reynolds: Veterans never talked much, so there was always a huge curiosity among family members about their deeds. A combination of habits they picked up during the war made it hard for them to relate their experiences to their families. One of them was the “loose lips sink ships” habit of caution – you simply didn’t talk about what you were doing in the service, where you were or where you were going. Add to that the jargon they learned that civilians couldn’t understand and the habit of cussing that all soldiers seemed to develop. Those things tended to make them tight-lipped. Finally, they could not describe the horrors they’d seen.

CT: We’re you the same way?

Reynolds: I flew four-engine heavy Lancaster bombers over Germany in night raids, and piloting was like flying through a fireworks display. Only instead of oohs and ahhs, there was sheer horror because the “fireworks” were exploding anti-aircraft shells, fighter machine gun tracers and searchlight beams.

CT: How did you come to the States and how did you involved in war memorials and tours?

Reynolds: I met my American wife at a USO function in Chicago after the RAF sent me to Canada to train pilots, which explains of how I got here. My interest in the Pacific Theater of operations began during the war as I followed the various actions reported in the newspapers. The names of the battlefields, such as Bataan and Corregidor, just stuck in my mind.

Later, I went to work for the Pacific Area Travel Association as their director of marketing. Because I traveled extensively in the Pacific Area, I learned the travel infrastructure; the airlines, the shipping lanes, how to get around and where to stay.

I noticed that every fourth letter we received at PATA had a request for information about Corregidor, or Okinawa, or Tarawa, or New Caledonia, or Guadalcanal, or Peleliu, or Saipan, or Guam or Tinian, and I recognized all of those battlefield names. This inspired me to think that veterans needed someone to take them back to where they had fought.

CT: That’s what led to your meeting with Marcos?

Reynolds: Yes. I recognized that Corregidor, 20 miles across Manila Bay from Manila, had the potential to be a remarkable visitor attraction, which is why I pleaded with the Filipino government to reopen it. After Marcos agreed, it soon became the country’s number-one visitor attraction. I advised the Filipinos on how to set up Corregidor with camouflage-painted buses, uniformed drivers, signage and teaching guides.

Later, the Philippine government wanted to honor General MacArthur’s memory, so they designed a memorial at Leyte where he waded ashore in 1944. I heard about it and suggested that them that they help me find the surviving senior officers who had served under him, and let me plan a tour for them to attend its dedication. I eventually took 90 of MacArthur’s senior officers to that dedication.

Other units heard about the success of that tour to Leyte and asked me to plan a tour for their unit. It was the beginning of my total dedication to battlefield tours.

CT: How long does it take to build a war memorial?

Reynolds: It depends on the location of the memorial, its size and the budget available – anything from two weeks to 14 years! The simplest I ever worked on was the placing of kilometer markers along the path of the Bataan Death March. That took two weeks.

CT: Have you ever personally instigated the creation of a monument?

Reynolds: Yes, The American Guadalcanal-Solomon Islands War Memorial on Guadalcanal.

CT: What are the criteria for the location of a memorial?

Reynolds: There are two. First, it must be near the battlefield or invasion beach. Second, it not only has to be accessible to visitors but also to the trucks carrying the heavy stones for its construction.

CT: Who gets invited to a memorial dedication?

Reynolds: The local U.S. ambassador or consul and representatives of the country where the memorial is sited, and men from the divisions or units who fought there. These are usually infantry division associations that were formed after the war. And, of course, historians.

CT: What about post-dedication maintenance?

Reynolds: That’s a real sore point. Most memorial associations build a maintenance budget into the overall construction budget. But many countries, such as the Philippines, Solomon Islands or New Guinea, have no sense of preventative maintenance, and so the monuments decay and disintegrate. The monument to the Bataan Death March at Tarlac in the Philippines is a disgraceful example.

Two of the largest memorials with which I was involved were “adopted” by the American Battle Monument Commission because of Washington’s concern with maintenance. Locals are hired by the ABMC to do regular maintenance. Part of my work is becoming involved in attempts to preserve neglected memorials and correcting captions under paintings or photos that are historically incorrect.

CT: How do tour organizers get a good reputation?

Reynolds: Normally, entrepreneurial tour operators, such as Valor Tours, who assume the responsibility of operating tours to various countries do so with the units that fought there very much in mind, Not only must we have a sound knowledge of the tourism infrastructure, we also must have reliable contacts and a good working knowledge of the particular action a monument commemorates.

Also, the various military associations have their own “coconut wireless.” They pass the word if you do a good job – or bad.

CT: Which monument worldwide is the best conceived?

Reynolds: I do not know. But I have to think the Guadalcanal-Solomon Islands War Memorial is particularly good because it has directional walls pointing to each battle site and a thorough description of the battles.

CT: Why visit memorials?

Reynolds: For several reasons. Most important, to honor and keep alive the memory of brave men. A wreath-laying ceremony gives purpose to a visit and group participation creates a feeling of camaraderie. Although a battle zone is a prime attraction, people are also interested in a country’s customs and culture.

We make the memorial the central theme and purpose of a tour, but also make sure that clients have plenty of exposure to the country itself.