Family’s emotional visit to Carrickfergus to see relative’s US Rangers legacy

Members of an American family have made an poignant trip to the US Rangers Centre in Carrickfergus.
By The Newsroom
Published 11th Jul 2019, 11:04 BST
Graham Walton welcomed Cynthia Reed and her two nieces Alicia and Isabella Buchner to the US Rangers Centre.Graham Walton welcomed Cynthia Reed and her two nieces Alicia and Isabella Buchner to the US Rangers Centre.
Graham Walton welcomed Cynthia Reed and her two nieces Alicia and Isabella Buchner to the US Rangers Centre.

Cynthia Reed and her two nieces Alicia and Isabella Buchner, from California, toured the Boneybefore location which tells the story of the only US Army unit to be activated on foreign soil.

Cynthia is the daughter of the late Robert Reed, a member of the 1st US Rangers Battalion.

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Robert was recruited and began training in Carrickfergus on June 19, 1942. Along with 14 other veterans, he then returned to Carrickfergus in 1992 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the formation of the unit. Cynthia accompanied him on that visit.

The centre tells the story of the elite US Ranger Battalion formed in Carrickfergus.The centre tells the story of the elite US Ranger Battalion formed in Carrickfergus.
The centre tells the story of the elite US Ranger Battalion formed in Carrickfergus.

Alicia and Isabella were only two years old when their grandfather passed away, 15 years ago. Their visit was an emotional one as many of the items now on display in the US Rangers Museum belong to him. These include personal letters sent to home from Northern Ireland and his Silver Star medal, the third highest US award for personal valour in combat.

Related topics:CarrickfergusRangersAmerican