Sergeant Reed was a member of the 2nd Platoon, Company H, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division. He was Killed in Action while fighting the enemy at Hill 812, near Hwang-gi, South Korea on 21 September 1951.

Reed was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.