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 Victor L. Henefield
Victor L. Henefield was born March 30, 1905 in Rye, the son of Victor L and Katherine Scanlon Henefleid. He had three brothers Frank, Joseph and William and two sisters Noray and Patricia. In Rye his family lived at 12 Palisade Place and were members of the Church of the Resurrection. Mr. Henefield was a graduate of Resurrection School and Rye High School.
Victor enlisted and served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was a sergeant in the 44th Tank Battalion during World War II and served in the South Pacific.
 On February 3, 1945, at 4 a.m., the the 44th Tank Battalion ordered to push into Manila (Battle of Manila) and destroy any enemy fighting positions along the way. Victor's unit reached the outskirts of the city just before dark, and proceeded to Bilibid Prison to free nearly 1,000 Allied prisoners of war.
The next morning the battalion reached the University of Santo Tomas in the heart of Manila, where several thousand civilians, most of them Americans, had been interned since 1942. Several miles west of the university, other American tank units liberated POWs who had survived the Bataan Death March.
Sergt. Victor Henefield Jr. Shares Awards In Philippines
 The month-long battle, which resulted in the death of over 100,000 civilians and the complete devastation of the city, was the scene of the worst urban fighting in the Pacific theater. Japanese forces committed mass murder against Filipino civilians during the battle.
Along with causing massive loss of life, Japanese resistance and American artillery destroyed much of Manila's architectural and cultural heritage dating back to the city's founding. Manila became one of the most devastated capital cities during the entire war, alongside Berlin and Warsaw.
The battle ended the almost three years of Japanese military occupation in the Philippines (1942–1945).
After the war, Victor returned home and was lifelong resident of Rye. He was a member of the Rye Fire Department since 1937. Victor was a past captain of the Poningo Engine and Hose Company, Rye Fire Department;
He was a member of the Rye Memorial Post 7550, Veterans of Foreign Wars; Rye American Legion Post 128; the Holy Name Society and the Dads' Club of the Church of the Resurrection
He operated the Victor L. Henefield Trucking Company in Rye.
Victor Louis Henefield Jr died Sunday night January 29, 1961 of a heart attack as he was leaving the Locust Avenue firehouse after a fire. He was 44.
Victors funeral was began from the William H, Graham Funeral Home, followed by a solemn requiem mass at the Church of the Resurrection. Interment was in St. Mary's Cemetery. The many floral tributes were carried in the funeral cortege in two fire trucks from the Rye Fire Department.
At the time of his death, in addition to his mother, he was survived by three brothers, William, Frank and Joseph Henefield; two sisters, Mrs. Thomas O'Neil and Mrs. William Caesar, and five nephews and fourteen nieces all of Rye.
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