Reed Pelfrey

Born: 17 Jan 1921 Breathett County, Kentucky
Enlistment date: 13 May 1939 National Guard
17 January 1941
Deployments: Europe and China
Units: 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment 101st Airborne Division.
Rank: 1st Lieutenant
Specializations: Tank Platoon Leader, Mortar Platoon Leader, Intelligence
Qualifications: Combat Infantryman Badge
Decorations: Presidential Unit Citation, EAME Campaign Medal with 3 Bronze Stars and 1 Arrowhead, Army Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, World War II Victory medal, French Croix de Guerre with Palm, Defense of the Americas Medal, Bronze Star, China Burma India Theater Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Korean Conflict Medal, French Fourrager.
Discharge Date: Jul 1948

Other Information: Reed has had a long and distinguished military career dating back to 1939 when he joined the National Guard at Camp Shelby Mississippi where he trained with Special Troops as an MP. Attending Harrisburg Vocational School for MPs, he graduated in 1941 and transferred to D Company, 729 MP Battalion based at Fort Benjamin Harris, Indiana. As a Staff Sergeant with 7th Company based in Fort Knox, he attended Officer Candidate School in 1942 and graduated as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1943 where he was assigned to the 12th Armoured Division based at Camp Campbell Kentucky.

While with B Company, 1st battalion 44th Armoured Regiment, he volunteered for Parachute service and was assigned to Fort Benning, Georgia for Jump School training in May 1943. Reed graduated on 14th June 1943 and was assigned to Pool to wait further assignment. He was later assigned to 515 Parachute Infantry Regiment and participated in the Tennessee War Games as a Co Umpire and on 26 October, he was returned to Fort Benning to prepare deployment overseas.

On 10 February 1944, Reed departed for Europe by ship and duly arrived in Ireland on 21 February 1944 where he, on 04 March, was assigned to the 502 PIR, 101st Airborne Division and commenced final preparations for the invasion of Normandy. On 01 June 1944, Reed was assigned to the 101st Pathfinders that led the Allied invasion of Normandy.

Reed remained in Normandy until 23 August 1944 when he was transferred from the 502nd PIR to the OSS in London where he began special training and made one special parachute jump as an OSS officer.

In November 1944, Reed was once more on the move as on 13th November he boarded the Queen Mary for transfer back to the USA, eventually arriving in New York on 19 November 1944, where he transferred to Washington to take up duties there with the OSS. On 02 February 1945 he moved once more to China, arriving in Kunming on 04 March where he set up operations working with Chinese War Lords and attempting to disrupt and destroy Japanese forces in the region. He remained in China until 01 October 1945 when he finally returned to the USA, arriving on 11th October 1945. Although finally discharged on 05 December 1945, Reed remained in the Army Reserve and was called back for duty during the Korean War. On 02 January 1951, he was assigned to the 12th Infantry Regiment as I & R Platoon Leader and sent to Germany. He was finally discharged in June 1952.