Career
Reese joined the Army from his birth city of Chester, Pennsylvania in November 1941, and by August 5, 1943 was serving as a private in the 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division. On that day, at Mountain. Vassillio, Sicily, Reese led his mortar squad in a defense against an enemy counterattack. When the hostile fire intensified, he ordered his squad to fall back while he manned the weapon alone.
After expending all the mortar ammunition, he continued in the fight with his rifle until being killed.
Reese, aged 23 at his death, was buried in Chester Rural Cemetery, Chester, Pennsylvania. After the second world war, the Reese Barracks in Augsburg, Germany, were named in his honor.
A United States Army Reserve Center in Upland, Pennsylvania was named in his honor.