Posted on 01/13/2008 9:45:38 AM PST by RedRover
It was my privilege to know Fred Reese, a World War II veteran who passed away on December 2, 2007.
Fred joined the Big One Red (E Company / 16th Infantry) as a replacement in England, following the 1st Division's campaigns in North Africa and Sicily.
On D-Day, Fred landed in the first wave on Omaha beach. His squad (led by Lt John Spalding) was the first to make a breakthrough up the bluffs on the Easy Red section by destroying German gun positions and machine gun nests. Their path cleared the way for hundreds of soldiers to follow.
Promoted to sergeant after D-Day, Fred was awarded the Bronze Star for his actions in Belgium on September 3, 1944, and a Silver Star for actions on March 30, 1945 in Wilgersdorf, Germany. Fred was shot twice in that action. He once said, "I was in from D-Day and through the Battle of the Bulge and never got a scratch until that day. Then the war was over in May. I almost made it."
An obituary appeared in the Beaver County Times & Allegheny Times on December 3, 2007:
E. Frederick Reese passed away Sunday, Dec. 2, 2007, in Kindred Care, following a brief illness.
Born May 13, 1924, he was the son of the late Harry and Ruth Reese of Beaver Falls.
He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Marguerite Farmer Reese; a daughter, Debbie Reese, Patterson Township; two sisters-in-law, Pauline and Wilfred Matthews, Franciscan Manor, and Marjorie Ledford, Center Township, and several nieces and nephews whom will miss him very much.
He proudly served his country in World War II as a Sergeant in the Army, was in the Battle of the Bulge, receiving many ribbons and medals, including a Purple Heart. Fred retired in 1979 as supervisor of the U.S. Postal Service in Beaver Falls. Post retirement, he was a security guard at The Medical Center, Beaver. He was a member of the New Brighton Lions Club, Masonic Lodge, and Veterans of Foreign Wars. Fred will be remembered for his ready smile, quick wit, meticulously clean cars, love of fishing and trains. He thoroughly enjoyed gatherings with family and friends, hosting summer picnics and holiday dinners, but what he cherished most of all was his life with his wife and daughter.
Friends are welcome to come and celebrate Fred's life and share their memories today from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. and Thursday from 10 a.m. until time of service at 11 a.m. in the LUTTON CHIPPEWA FUNERAL HOME, 117 Blackhawk Road www.luttonfuneralhomecom. Services will be conducted by Pastor Dennis Burnett of the College Hill Presbyterian Church.
Interment will be private in the Grandview Cemtery, Big Beaver.
The Beaver County Special Unit will meet at the funeral home at 11:15 a.m. to conduct full military honors.
Rest in peace, buddy.
The path taken up Omaha by Lt Spalding's platoon.
Aerial view showing movement of Spalding's platoon (labeled Company E) and elements of other companies.
A map signed (sometime after D-Day) by members of Lt Spalding's platoon. Fred (signed as Elmer Reese) is eighth from the top on the right hand column.
Fred Reese belatedly receiving his Silver Star from Bill Muns, left, director of the Beaver County Veterans Affairs office, on February 24, 2004. Fred never knew he had been awarded a Silver Star until some 60 years after the fact.
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Related thread: Rest in Peace: Vincent DiGaetano, D-Day Hero (16th Infantry, 1st Division, Omaha Beach)
Reporting for duty in God’s greater army. RIP.
Respectful salute!
Thanks for posting this. I had the privilege of commanding a battalion of the 16th Infantry, as my father did before me. I have known many of these men practically all my life. I have listened to their stories, watched them soldier in the peace time army and served alongside them in combat.
They were all legends, from the Medal of Honor receipients to the regular dogface with only a Combat Infantryman’s Badge and a Big Red One patch (those two were distinction enough). But, the men of Easy Company stand apart. They essentially ceased to exist as a unit within minutes of landing on Easy Red Beach at Omaha in the first wave. Many of them drowned, those who didn’t fell to deadly machine gun fire the minute the ramps dropped. That any of them survived was a miracle. That they not only survived, but climbed the bluffs and acheived their objectives is beyond comprehension. They paved the way for Capt. Joe Dawson and his G Company who followed.
The 16th Infantry of WWII was a unique outfit. Before WWII they were stationed at Governor’s Island in New York Harbor. They were called “Subway Soldiers” and their ranks were filled with street smart kids from Brooklyn, the Bronx, Staten Island, and New Jersey. They were often a pain in the neck to authority, but none fought better.
I’m glad to have known them.
Fred Reese and thousands like him came when their country called and defended our freedoms, they are truly America’s finest.
Thank you to them all!
Rest in Peace, Fred Reese, an American hero.
Rest in peace, Sarge.
One less hero in the world tonight.
RIP.
Beautiful tributes.
Sorrow at his passing, joy at his Homecoming.
Thank God for this hero!
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