J. Franklin Meehan (1899-1942) was a member of the renowned Meehan family of military heroes. He was the uncle of Thomas Meehan (1921-1944), whose name appears above his on the Chestnut Hill WWII Memorial plaque, and the younger brother of Thomas Meehan's father, Thomas II (1896-1963), who served in WWI and WWII and would continue his service in the Korean War.

Like his brother Thomas, J. Franklin Meehan served in both WWI and WWII. He graduated from Lafayette College and married Frances Feiser on March 1, 1935. In 1942, while a captain in the Army Air Corps, J. Franklin was killed in a plane crash in Danbury, Connecticut.

At the time of his death, he was 42 years old and was survived by his wife Frances, daughter Joanne, and one son, J. Franklin. Another son, Richard Woods Meehan, would be born on Dec. 1, 1942, just a few days after his father's death.

Many years later, the Meehan family's legacy of military service and sacrifice would continue. Sadly, Richard Woods Meehan was killed in 1966 while serving in the Vietnam War. His brother, Colonel J. Franklin Meehan, was a graduate of West Point who had a distinguished military career, which included tours in Korea and Vietnam.

Thomas II and J. Franklin were sons of the renowned landscape architect J. Franklin Meehan, who was known for his landscape designs, including those of the estates of famous Americans such as Theodore Roosevelt. He also directed the development of landscaping at various public parks and golf courses, including Philadelphia’s historic Cobbs Creek Golf Course.

The Meehans were also direct descendants of the famous 19th-century botanist Thomas Meehan, who is known as the father of Philadelphia Parks because, among his many other horticultural contributions, he was responsible for the creation of numerous parks throughout the city.

Thomas Phillips was born on Sept. 16, 1924, the youngest child and only son of Blanche and Walter Phillips. Walter worked as a fireman at the Chestnut Hill station, and the family was close-knit and active in their community. Thomas had two older sisters, Marie, who was ten years older, and Dorothy, seven years his senior.

In childhood photos, Thomas appears confident and happy. When the war broke out in December 1941, Thomas was a senior at Northeast Catholic High School. Early in 1942, he made the decision to leave school and join the war effort by enlisting in the Marines. He was 17 years old and needed his parents' permission.

After completing basic training, Thomas was deployed to the Solomon Islands and joined a team that aimed to capture the Japanese airfield on Guadalcanal.

In his early days there, Thomas seemed optimistic and wrote home about the good weather and how he was enjoying the leisurely swims in the ocean. His letters reveal his teenage interests. He wrote of missing the family dog, Rex. About the new radio he received shortly before enlisting, he writes, "I sure miss my new radio. I hardly got to use it." He also asks about his school friends, who he imagines are working or looking for jobs. He closes one of his letters as follows: "Well, don't worry and pray that I'll be home soon. Give everyone my love and have patience when you don't hear from me. Lots of love, your son, Thomas."

In his military diary, Thomas recounts more worrisome details, including the relentless assaults by the Japanese and the sinking of ships in the harbor. In one of his last entries, he wrote: "Tonight the ships are going to pull out of the harbor, leaving us on the island with what little food and equipment, which was landed on shore with us."

On Aug. 27, 1942, shortly after Thomas wrote this, he was killed in battle. News of his death became official when a letter dated Oct. 3, 1942, arrived at his home. The message was brief and included just two sentences, one of which reads: "There is little I can say to lessen your grief, but it is my earnest hope that the knowledge of your son's splendid record in the service and the thought that he nobly gave his life in the performance of his duty may in some measure comfort you in this sad hour."

Thomas Phillips' body was never recovered, but he and many other soldiers who died are honored at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, which is among the largest in the world.

Thomas Phillips' niece, Rita Lawless, has kept Thomas' memory alive these many years, and family members have visited the Manila Cemetery to see Thomas' name engraved on the memorial wall.