Walter Glenn "Pete" Reeves (1914-1996)

ca. 1933

Arrive In England

Word has been received that Cpl. William McLellan and Sgt. Walter (Pete) Reeves, both members of the same outfit, have arrived safely in England.

Three More Local Boys Now in France

Three more Lowell boys have been added to the long list of those from this community already in France, according to letters which all have been written recently. They are Cpl. William McLellan and Sgt. Walter (Pete) Reeves, both stationed there in a field artillery unit, and Pvt. Lindy Wieler, in the mechanized infantry.

The Brownells also [received] the following letter from Sgt. Pete Reeves, who is stationed "somewhere in Belgium":
Received your V-mail yesterday so I think I'll set a record and answer it right away. We have been pretty busy the last few weeks and I haven't had time for letter writing.

I have a calendar tour under my belt. I spent Thanksgiving day in France, Christmas in Germany, New Years' day in Luxembourg and now I'm in Belgium. At least I am sure getting around -- but not in the right places.

I saw Bastogne the other day and it's just as beat up as the papers and radio say it is -- but that other big town is worse. The only reconstruction that can be done there is to begin from the ground and build everything over again.

All of our snow is gone and now the mud is just as deep as it was. It will certainly be great to get back and walk on sidewalks and see a few street lights again. I have been in black-out for so long I think night lights would hurt my eyes.

Yes, this work or fight bill will wake a lot of people up -- but I think it is a little late, don't you? It should have been started about three years ago.

Pete

Pete and Bill McClellan are in the same company.

Writes from Germany

The following letter, from Sgt. Walter (Pete) Reeves, was received by the Ed Brownells recently:
"It seems ages since I have written you and it probably has been. We haven't been busy, but just doing different things. We weren't in action when the war ended and had not been since the latter part of March. The last action we had was when Patton crossed the Rhine. We laid down an awful barrage for about 24 hours for that and he was off. We couldn't begin to keep up, so they put us to working at other things, mostly security guard, but some of it was guard P.W.'s. We were guarding one P.W. cage that had about 20,000 Germans in it, then we have had guard duty at German hospitals filled with SS troops and everything else. We also have had to round up displaced persons, putting them in a center to await transportation home. They were slave laborers of all nationalities and were certainly a happy bunch when they were liberated.

"Once we had the dubious honor of cleaning out a pocket that had been by-passed by the advance of our troops. We got quite a few prisoners out of it with no resistance. Of course we got a few souvenirs, but that was all.

"According to the Stars and Stripes today, we will get two more campaign stars for our part in the war. That will make us four and add ten points to our score, which doesn't help much toward a discharge. I don't know what is going to happen to us as far as the rest of our career in the army is concerned. I don't know whether we will be left here for the occupation army or go to the Pacific. If we go there, I hope we go through the good old U.S.A.

"Once this spring we found out the hard way what they mean when they say 'strategic withdrawal.' We moved up to a forward position and just got the batteries 'registered' (laid on a base angle), when all hell broke loose. After getting shelled for about 4 hours, we got out of there, and went back to our old positions. Believe me, it was touch and go for a while. That took place on the Rhine, opposite Coblenz, just before the 3rd army crossed the Moselle. We have been in several hot spots, but I believe that one was hottest.

"The large cities in Germany have really taken a beating, but the small towns are mostly intact. Have seen quite a few large places here in the southern part of Germany. Frankfort and Mainz are in very bad shape. There was a pretty big battle there. Wurzburg, too, was about wrecked. We were in charge of a displaced persons camp there, and the people told us that it took the air force just 35 minutes to destroy it. The city that got the worst beating of the places I saw was Nuremburg, the birthplace of the Nazi government. The air force and artillery surely had a field day there. There are very few whole buildings left standing. I would sure like to see Berlin, but that is quite a bit out of our territory. Nuremburg is just 15 miles north of the town of Roth, where I am now. We are billeted in a large school house at the edge of town. It is near a swimming hole in a creek and we have been taking advantage of that.

"We are back to living a garrison life with everything from reveille at 7 a.m. to foot drill and retreat. It is quite a change from what we have been doing the past year. We have organized athletics in the afternoon and we always wind up by taking a swim. We have not been in for the past few days though, because it has been pretty cool and rainy.

"I wish I could tell you when I can come home -- I'm still looking forward to some golf at Castlebrook 'some summer.' I have seen but one course and that was just south of Paris. Guess they don't know what they're missing.

As ever,
Pete"

Walter Glenn Reeves, age 82, of Michigan City, formerly of Lowell, passed away Fri., Aug. 9, 1956, after a lengthy illness. Survivors include: his wife, Viola R. (nee Swinford) Reeves; one daughter, Karen Wallisch; one son, Kelvin "Butch" Reeves; four grandchildren; five sisters; and one brother, Harold Reeves of Lowell. Services were conducted at 2 p.m. Aug. 12 at the Chapel Lawn Memorial Gardens Chapel in Schererville. Visitation was held from 3 to 9 p.m. Aug. 11 at the Ott/Haverstock Funeral Chapel in Michigan Ciry. Walter Reeves was born July 16, 1914, in Remington, the son of Charles and Maude Apger Reeves, and married Viola R. Swinford on Dec. 24, 1936, in Chicago, Ill.