Chief Gunner's Mate Reed was a crew member of the cruiser USS Saint Paul (CA-73). On 21 April 1952, while firing on enemy installations at the Kojo area off the east coast of Korea, there was an explosion in a gun turret and he died of asphyxiation.

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.