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Corporal Reginald Atkins

An African American man wearing a white hat and track jacket.
  • Unit: Service Battery, 58th Field Artillery Battalion
  • Date of Birth: June 8, 1933
  • Entered the Military: March 14, 1952
  • Date of Death: May 9, 2020
  • Hometown: Des Moines, Iowa
  • Place of Death: Des Moines, Iowa
  • Award(s): Korean Service Medal with 2 Bronze Stars, National Defense Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal
  • Cemetery: Section 8B, Site 267 . Iowa Veterans Cemetery, Van Meter, Iowa
Contributed by Maya Carlyle, Arthur Chaplin, Samuel (Cole) Claibourn, Scarlett Drinkall, Levi Hillmer, Colin Johannesen, Wyatt Johnson, Samuel (SJ) Ketcham, Ryder Klobassa, Lucas Seifert, Clara Uthe, Braylon Whipps, and Langston Wilkins
Mentored by Mr. Jonathan Markus
Adel DeSoto Minburn Middle School
2024/2025

Early Life

Reginald Atkins was born on June 8, 1933, in Des Moines, Iowa, to Robert Atkins and Ethel Ritchie. He grew up with his older brother, Richard. His younger sister, Alice, tragically passed away as an infant. 

Atkins attended Des Moines East High School, where he graduated in 1951. There, he excelled in track and field and contributed to his school’s success at the Drake Relays, where he won numerous events in 1950 and 1951. He was also a member of the 1950 state indoor track championship 440-yard relay and 880-yard relay teams. The team was disqualified in the 880-yard relay, but won the 440-yard relay. Atkins also distinguished himself individually when he won the Iowa State High School long jump championship in 1951 with a leap of 21 feet 5 inches. In addition to track, Atkins played on the football team as the starting running back. Atkins’s dedication to teamwork and physical fitness in his early life was also an asset later on during his time in uniform.

Reginald Atkins’s 1951 yearbook photograph. Des Moines East High School.
Reggie Atkins (#55), was a running back for Des Moines East High School. Des Moines Register, November 11, 1950.
Des Moines East High School, c.1950. Des Moines Public Schools.
Drake Relay results showing Reginald Atkins and his teammates competing in the quarter-mile and half-mile relay races, 1950. Drake University.

Homefront

While Reginald Atkins served in Korea, his hometown of Des Moines, Iowa, played a vital role on the homefront. With a population of 119,553, the city was a predominantly White, working-class community that contributed to the war effort through manufacturing and agriculture. 

The nearby Iowa Army Ammunition Plant significantly ramped up production in response to the conflict, making sure a steady supply of munitions for United States forces was available. Iowa was known for its agriculture, so initiatives like Operation Pig Lift and Operation Noah’s Ark sent livestock—including 200 pigs, goats, chickens, and even honeybees—to South Korea to aid the people after the war. 

Des Moines was also engaged in early civil rights activism. For example, in 1948, a Black woman named Edna Griffin led a lunch counter sit-in at Katz Drugstore, challenging the racial segregation that existed in Des Moines at the time. This occurred over a decade before similar protests gained national attention. During this time, the city grew steadily, with an 11.4% population increase from 1940 to 1950.

In response to the Korean conflict, production at the Iowa Army Ammunition plant increased dramatically in 1950. United States Army Joint Munitions Command.
Hundreds of pigs were flown from Des Moines, Iowa, to Korea in Operation Pig Lift. Des Moines Register, August 1952.
Civil Rights protest at Katz Drugstore in Des Moines, Iowa, 1958. Des Moines Register, Black Past.

Military Experience

Reginald Atkins was drafted into the U.S. Army on March 14, 1952, in Des Moines, Iowa, and was assigned to the Service Battery of the 58th Field Artillery Battalion. His unit played a crucial role in supplying ammunition, fuel, and other supplies to the artillery batteries. This support was most needed at Outpost Harry in Korea’s “Iron Triangle.” 

Outpost Harry was a forward hilltop position that Allied forces were determined to hold. It was a heavily contested defensive position that had endured repeated enemy assaults. U.S. forces held the outpost throughout intense fighting. The successful accomplishment of this vital object was aided by the Service Battery’s constant resupply of ammunition, food, and medical aid, that made it possible for Allied forces to fulfill their mission. 

Most likely, Atkins worked to help supply these stockpiles or maintain vehicles—without ammunition and logistics, the guns would fall silent. He was promoted to the rank of corporal on June 9, 1953, and received several honors for his service, including the Korean Service Medal with two Bronze Service Stars, the National Defense Service Medal, and the United Nations Service Medal. 

By the time the Korean Armistice was signed on July 27, 1953, he had experienced the final violent months of the war. 

Reginald Atkins was honorably released from active military service on December 15, 1953, at Camp Carson, Colorado, and transitioned to the Army Reserves in Des Moines, Iowa.

Service Members of the 58th Field Artillery Battalion, B Battery, at Outpost Harry. Courtesy of Dewey McLean.
Map showing the Korean Peninsula with the Demilitarized Zone in red and the Iron Triangle marked in yellow, 2009. Courtesy of Dewey McLean.
Master Sergeant George Miller selects human blood for patient at the 8076th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital at Kunr-ri, Korea. November 27, 1950. National Archives and Records Administration (111-SC-354716).

Veteran Experience

After his honorable discharge from active duty on December 15, 1953, Reginald Atkins transferred to the U.S. Army Reserves to complete his required service under the Universal Military Training and Service Act. 

In 1960, he met Lenetta Braddy, a young educator from Mississippi, and the two later married. They did not have any children together, but Reginald had two children earlier in his life: a son, Kenneth, and a daughter, Regina, who Lenetta embraced as her own. As a father and grandfather, Atkins was known for his warm personality. His granddaughter Katiya wrote, “Oh how I miss you so much Grandpa . . . I wish I could have just one more conversation with you,” showing the deep affection he inspired.

Lenetta, who had a master’s degree in library science, worked as a librarian at Mercy Hospital. Her dedication to education and community service was a shared family value. Reginald worked as a parole officer for the state of Iowa, a position he held for many years. In that role, he supervised and mentored individuals released from prison on parole and helped them to reintegrate into society. His role as a parole officer reflected his dedication to public service and community safety.

Atkins acted as parole officer in a high profile case. Des Moines Register, April 15, 1982.
Reginald Atkins’s wife, Lenetta. Des Moines Register, February 3, 2017.

Commemoration

Reginald Atkins remained in Des Moines for the rest of his life. 

Lenetta Atkins died on January 29, 2017, and was buried at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery.

Reginald Atkins passed away at his home on May 9, 2020. He was laid to rest with full military honors at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery on May 19, 2020, leaving behind a legacy of military service, public service, and community involvement.

Reginald Atkins’s grave at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery in Van Meter, Iowa, March 28, 2025.

Bibliography

Primary Sources

Alice Marie Atkins. Iowa, Death Records, 1880-1968. https://ancestryclassroom.com.

“Atkins, 27, Hurt When Car Skids.” Des Moines Register [Des Moines, IA], November 27, 1959. Proquest (2102558380). 

“The Days Record Polk Licenses to Wed.” Des Moines Register [Des Moines, IA], March 12, 1952. Proquest (2102621255). 

East High School Yearbook. East High School, 1951. https://ancestryclassroom.com. 

Fuson, Ken and Pitts, Carol. “Suspect killed in car chase had missed parole hearing.” Des Moines Register [Des Moines, IA], April 15, 1982. Proquest (2134873379). 

“Hold Driver on Drinking Charge.” Des Moines Register [Des Moines, IA], February 21, 1960. Proquest (210269181). 

Iowa Army Ammunition Plant, Middletown, Des Moines County, IA. Manuscript. Historic American Engineering Record. Library of Congress (ia0157). https://www.loc.gov/item/ia0157/.

Iowa Farmer Feeds Berkshire Pigs, ca. 1952. Photograph. c.1952. State Historical Society of Iowa. https://history.iowa.gov/history/education/educator-resources/primary-source-sets/trade-responsibility-world-stage/iowa. 

Iowa High School Athletic Association. 2021 Track & Field Meet State Stat Book. December 22, 2020. https://www.iahsaa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/2021-TF-Stat-Book-12.22.20.pdf#:~:text=match%20at%20L7084%2051%20A,03. 

Iowa. Polk County. 1950 United States Census. Digital images. http://ancestryclasroom.com.

Kluender, Howard. “East’s Early Power Beats North, 13-6.” Des Moines Register [Des Moines, IA], November 11, 1950. Proquest (2102578000). 

“Lenetta Atkins.” The Des Moines Register [Des Moines, IA], February 3, 2017. Newspapers.com (267575064). 

McLean, Dewey. 58th Field Artillery Battalion, 3rd Division: Iron Triangle, Korea. Photograph. March 1953. https://www.flickr.com/photos/dmclean2009/3663142513/in/photostream/. 

McLean, Dewey. Outpost Harry, Iron Triangle, March 1953. Photograph. March 1953. https://www.flickr.com/photos/dmclean2009/3665738550/in/photostream/. 

Operation “Noah’s Ark” for Korea, ca. 1952. Photograph. c.1952. State Historical Society of Iowa. https://history.iowa.gov/history/education/educator-resources/primary-source-sets/trade-responsibility-world-stage-0. 

“Operation Pig Lift: 200 Pigs Flown from Des Moines to Korea.” The Berkshire News, August 1952. 

Reginald Atkins. Birth Records, Iowa State Department of Health, Polk County, Des Moines, Iowa, 1933. Digital Images. https://ancestryclassroom.com. 

Reginald Atkins, DD-214, Department of the Army. National Archives and Records Administration – St. Louis.

“Reginald Atkins.” Hamilton’s Funeral & After Life Services. Updated May 9, 2020. Accessed November 29, 2024. https://www.hamiltonsfuneralhome.com/obituaries/50380#obituary. 

“Results of Forty-First Annual Drake Relays.” 1950. Drake University. Accessed October 28, 2024. https://static.godrakebulldogs.com/custompages/Relays/Results/1950%27s%20Results/1950%20Drak41e%20Relays%20Results001.pdf.

“Results of Forty-Second Annual Drake Relays.” 1951. Drake University. Accessed October 28, 2024. https://static.godrakebulldogs.com/custompages/Relays/Results/1950%27s%20Results/1951%20Drake%20Relays%20Results001.pdf.

Rice, Corporal Fred. “M/Sgt. George Miller Selects Human Blood for Patient.” Photograph. November 27, 1950. National Archives and Records Administration (111-SC-354716). https://www.flickr.com/photos/imcomkorea/2919532015.

“Seek Divorces.” Des Moines Register [Des Moines, IA], August 27, 1954. Proquest (2102773993). 

United States Census Bureau. United States Census of Population: 1950, Volume 1, Part 18: Iowa. United States Government Printing Office, 1952. https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1950/population-volume-1/vol-01-18.pd. 

Secondary Sources

Bowers, William T., ed. “TASK FORCE GROWDON: 21–24 March 1951.” In Striking Back: Combat in Korea, March-April 1951. University Press of Kentucky, 2010:  131–50. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt2jcddd.11.

“East High Through the Years.” Des Moines Public Schools. Accessed February 24, 2025. https://east.dmschools.org/about-east/east-high-through-the-years/.

The Forgotten War: Iowans in Korea. Documentary. Iowa PBS. https://mpt.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/the-forgotten-war-iowans-in-korea/. 

 “The Korean War Era.” United States Army Center of Military History. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://www.history.army.mil/html/bookshelves/resmat/korea/intro/index.html. 

Lawrence, Noah. “Griffin, Edna Mae Williams.” The Biographical Dictionary of Iowa. Accessed November 4, 2024. https://uipress.lib.uiowa.edu/bdi/DetailsPage.aspx?id=144.

“Lenetta Braddy Atkins.” Find a Grave. Updated February 1, 2017. Accessed November 29, 2024. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/175918584/lenetta-atkins.

McClean, Dewey. Map: Korean Peninsula Showing DMZ and Iron Triangle. Flickr. Accessed March 24, 2025. https://www.flickr.com/photos/dmclean2009/3659178035/in/photostream/.

“Reginald Atkins.” Find a Grave. Updated February 1, 2017. Accessed November 29, 2024. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/210118956/reginald-atkins. 

“Reginald Atkins.” National Cemetery Administration. Accessed October 1, 2024. https://gravelocator.cem.va.gov. 

“Reginald Atkins.” Veterans Legacy Memorial, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Accessed March 3, 2025. https://www.vlm.cem.va.gov/REGINALDATKINS/99bde0. 

U.S. Army Joint Munitions Command. “Iowa Army Ammunition Plant Overview.” Accessed February 24, 2025. https://www.jmc.army.mil/Installations.aspx?id=IowaOverview.

This profile was funded by a grant from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The opinions, findings, and conclusions stated herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.