Reed, Herbert Blyth

Headstone of Herbert B Reed

NPS Photo/B.Hayes

Quick Facts

Significance:

United States Army

Place of Birth:

Williamson County, Tennessee

Date of Birth:

October 26, 1914

Place of Death:

Germany

Date of Death:

March 25, 1945

Place of Burial:

Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Cemetery Name:

Stones River National Cemetery

Herbert Blyth Reed was born in 1914 in Williamson County, Tennessee. During World War II, he served in the United States Army as a private in a field artillery unit, providing critical fire support to infantry forces as Allied armies advanced across Europe.

Reed’s service took him across multiple theaters of the war, including North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He participated in the D-Day invasion and continued fighting through the long and costly campaign to liberate Western Europe from Nazi occupation. Field artillery units like Reed’s played a vital role in every phase of the Allied advance, often operating close to the front lines under dangerous conditions.

On March 25, 1945, just weeks before the end of the war in Europe, Reed was killed in action in Germany when he struck a land mine. For his service and sacrifice, he was awarded the Purple Heart, three bronze service stars, and five campaign ribbons.

Herbert Blyth Reed is buried at Stones River National Cemetery in Plot P-6255, where his grave stands as a reminder of the global reach of World War II and the Tennesseans who gave their lives to liberate Europe from tyrany.