John Noah Reese, Jr. (June 13, 1923 �?? February 9, 1945) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration�??the Medal of Honor�??for his actions in World War II.

Biography. Reese joined the Army from Pryor, Oklahoma in 1942, and by February 9, 1945 was serving as a private first class in Company B, 148th Infantry Regiment, 37th Infantry Division. On that day, during an attack on the Paco Railroad Station in Manila, the Philippines, Reese and fellow soldier Private Cleto L. Rodriguez went ahead of their unit, took a position closer to the station, and began firing on the Japanese defenders. Together they killed over eighty Japanese soldiers before a shortage of ammunition forced them to turn back. Reese was killed while trying to return to the American lines; he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor eight months later, on October 19, 1945. Private Rodriguez survived the battle and was also awarded the Medal of Honor.

Reese, aged 21 at his death, was buried in Fort Gibson National Cemetery, Fort Gibson, Oklahoma.

Medal of Honor citation. Private First Class Reese's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

He was engaged in the attack on the Paco Railroad Station, which was strongly defended by 300 determined enemy soldiers with machineguns and rifles, supported by several pillboxes, 3 20mm. guns, 1 37-mm. gun and heavy mortars. While making a frontal assault across an open field, his platoon was halted 100 yards from the station by intense enemy fire. On his own initiative he left the platoon, accompanied by a comrade, and continued forward to a house 60 yards from the objective. Although under constant enemy observation, the 2 men remained in this position for an hour, firing at targets of opportunity, killing more than 35 Japanese and wounding many more. Moving closer to the station and discovering a group of Japanese replacements attempting to reach pillboxes, they opened heavy fire, killed more than 40 and stopped all subsequent attempts to man the emplacements. Enemy fire became more intense as they advanced to within 20 yards of the station. From that point Pfc. Reese provided effective covering fire and courageously drew enemy fire to himself while his companion killed 7 Japanese and destroyed a 20-mm. gun and heavy machinegun with handgrenades. With their ammunition running low, the 2 men started to return to the American lines, alternately providing covering fire for each other as they withdrew. During this movement, Pfc. Reese was killed by enemy fire as he reloaded his rifle. The intrepid team, in 2½ hours of fierce fighting, killed more than 82 Japanese, completely disorganized their defense and paved the way for subsequent complete defeat of the enemy at this strong point. By his gallant determination in the face of tremendous odds, aggressive fighting spirit, and extreme heroism at the cost of his life, Pfc. Reese materially aided the advance of our troops in Manila and providing a lasting inspiration to all those with whom he served.
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Soldier Sacrifices Himself for Comrades

A Tulsa soldier was killed during a two-man attack on more than 300 heavily armed and well-entrenched enemy soldiers in a 2-1/2-hour battle for a Manila railroad station during World War II.

The Tulsan, Pfc. John N. Reese Jr., 22, was hit by a sniper's bullet while reloading his rifle as he and Pfc. Cleto Rodriguez were crawling back toward the American lines for more ammunition.

Reese's cousin Betty Lamarr, of Tulsa, said Rodriguez told her that Reese saved his life. "You go first because you have a family," Rodriguez said Reese told him. And Reese provided covering fire as his companion crawled away.

"The intrepid team, in 2-1/2 hours of fierce fighting, killed more than 82 Japanese, completely disorganized their defense and paved the way for subsequent defeat of the enemy at this strong point," according to the citation awarding Reese the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military award.
Rodriguez also received a Medal of Honor.

The battle occurred on Feb. 9, 1944, when Reese and Rodriguez decided to attempt to secure a position closer to the railroad station that was protected by soldiers in pillboxes containing machine guns flanked by dug-in riflemen. In addition, a large concrete pillbox in a building had a 37 mm gun and heavy mortars.

The station's defense, manned by a battalion of Japanese under orders to defend their position to the last, was holding up the Americans' advance until Reese and Rodriguez decided to make their attack.
According to the medal citation, the soldier's efforts aided in the advance of American troops in Manila and provided a lasting inspiration to all those with whom he served.

Reese attended Woodrow Wilson Junior High School before moving to Central High School but was never a member of any clubs there. He was on the track team but never won any prizes. A notation on his record card reveals he was a "quiet, sensible sort of boy."

Reese and Rodriguez were members of the 148th Infantry Regiment of the 37th Division.

The medal was presented to Reese's parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Reese Sr., on Nov. 11, 1945, in Pryor where the elder Reese worked at the Oklahoma Ordnance Works. Reese, who graduated from Central in 1941, also had worked at the OOW briefly before enlisting in December 1942.

When his body was returned, it was buried at the Fort Gibson National Cemetery.
The Army Reserve Center, 4000 E. 15th St., was named in Reese's honor, but that building now is vacant. Military units moved to Broken Arrow several years ago.
Reese's memory also was honored in 1993 when the Central High School Foundation placed a plaque in his honor in the Hall of Fame at the school at 3101 W. Edison St.

And just a year ago, a nine-mile section of Oklahoma 20 between Pryor and Salina was named the "John Reese Jr. Medal of Honor/Purple Heart Memorial Highway."
Legislation to rename the highway in honor of Reese was introduced in the House by Rep. Ben Sherrer, D-Chouteau, after the Mayes County Commission approved a resolution asking that the highway be named for Reese.

The highway has been named but the signs have not been installed, Sherrer said.

Reese, John Noah, Jr., PFC