Pvt. James H. Reed, 18, and S/Sgt. John Dayton Reed, Jr. , both of who have been killed, were sons of Lt. John D. Reed, Sr., who is now serving at Fort Frances E. Warren, Wyo., and who was formerly a locomotive fireman at Ottumwa, Ia.
James died on Feb. 10, 1944, of injuries sustained when struck by an automobile as he walked from the entrance of his camp at Atlanta, Ga.
John, a gunner on a Liberator bomber based in Italy, lost his life in a bombing mission over Austria on April 12, 1944. He had been awarded the Air Medal, with an Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Purple Heart was bestowed posthumously. His widow, Mrs. Winifred H. Reed, has enlisted in the WAC.
Lt. John D. Reed, Sr, a former fireman of Ottumwa, Ia., had two sons and a daughter in military service, but the boys, Sgt John D. Reed, Jr. and Pvt. James H Reed have been killed. Lt Reed, the father, was with the Milwaukee Road's 744th Railway Battalion, but is now an instructor in locomotives and air brakes at Fort Frances E. Warren, Wyo.
Pvt. Alicia Reed of the WAC is stationed at McChord Fields, Tacoma, Wash.
Source: Milwaukee Road Magazine, November 1944 (photos included)
James Harden Reed was born Apr. 23, 1945 to John Dayton and Minnie May Reed. He died Feb. 10, 1944 and is buried in Ottumwa Cemetery, Ottumwa, IA.
Pvt. Reed served in World War II with the U.S. Army and died in Atlanta, George as the result of injuries suffered when he was walking with a friend and he spotted a car about to hit them. He pushed the friend out of the way, saving his life, but was unable to leap out of the way.
Source: ancestry.com
