Donald Emerson Reid

West Point, 1955

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Carl H. McNair, Jr. on July 4, 2008:

When I think of Army football, I always think of Don Reid, who was a Yearling football manager on the "A/B" squad when I served as manager on the "C" Squad in the Fall of 1951. On the field of friendly strife, Don became a mentor and friend to whom I could turn on many things. As two years passed and Don experienced his illness and turnback, that friendship continued then into our active duty days when we were both assigned to Fort Campbell. What a fun evening for a bachelor LT in 1957, get out of the BOQ for dinner at Don's quarters, dishes washed early and sitting by the TV to catch the latest episode of the West Point TV series. Often as not, we identified closely with the scenarios since we had lived them ourselves. And thru the years, Don was ever faithful, never failing to attend our class reunions. Jo Ann and I had the pleasure of sharing a table with him at the Alumni Dinner in June 1965, the 10th reunion for us and the 50th for Ike and Mamie. What a celebration, with VIP's including the Eisenhowers and General Omar Bradley surrounding us - our spouses were able to go over and say hello to the Class of 1915, heroes all. But the highlight at our table was Don's young son, perhaps all of four years old who was with him. When dinner was over and we were enjoying the camaraderie and "war stories" of yesterday, we looked down and young Don's head was on the table sound asleep. We asked Don why he brought the little one to the dinner which ran so late. Don commented, "I want him to love West Point as much as I do." - And he did. On Feb 15, 2007, as we laid Don to rest at Arlington National Cemetery on the coldest day of the year, snow and ice covering the ground, his son, then a LTC, dressed sharply in his green uniform and black beret, home on emergency leave from Iraq, stood before his father's grave and rendered the final salute to this fine soldier we all admired so much. I have probably told more of my friends around the world about Don Reid's special and enduring love for West Point and the US Army than any other graduate I know. He stood tall among our ranks and is sorely missed by all. Rest in peace, faithful warrior. CARL McNAIR

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