103rd Cactus Division

KEITH H. REES 

 

From his hometown of Coalville, UT, he enrolled at Utah State Agricultural College 

where he was a member of the ROTC program.  He enlisted in the Army Reserves on October 1, 1942.  

He completed the Anti-Aircraft Artillery School at Camp Davis, NC on February 9^th, 1944 and 

entered active duty on February 10^th.  He reported to OCS for Infantry Training at Ft. Benning, GA 

and graduated a 2^nd Lt. on April 28^th, 1944.  He then served as an IRTC Training Officer and 

Platoon Leader at Ft. McClellan, AL through September 3^rd.  He deployed for overseas duty on 

September 19^th and arrived on the 25^th.  Upon arrival he was designated 

a Replacement Officer and was shipped to France where on November 10^th, 1944 he 

was assigned command of the 2^nd Platoon of D Company, 409^th Regiment of the 103d Division.  

He joined his platoon just as they were relieving the 30^th Regiment of the 3d Division at the front lines 

just East of Epinal, France.  2^nd Lt. Rees led his .30cal water-cooled (Heavy) machine-gunners 

over the Vosges Mountains into the Alsace Plains, through the Siegfried Line and into Austria.  

Lt. Rees was wounded on May 5^th, 1945.  Postwar, he was assigned to Company M of the 

179^th Regiment, 45^th Division where he was promoted to 1^st Lt. on August 8^th, 1945.  

On November 27^th, he was assigned Platoon Leader for Company M 

of the 23^rd Regiment, 2d Division.  

He served in this capacity until his separation from active duty on June 23^rd, 1946. 

 

Keith joined the Army Reserves on June 24^th, 1946 where he retired a Lt. Colonel in May of 1981.