Indomitable Spirit, Unforgettable Grace: The Story of Sheila Reed
Updated: Aug 21
Behind every Air Force officer stands a partner with a story of equal courage and adaptability, but few begin quite like Sheila Reed’s. From surviving WWII escapes as an infant to navigating high-level diplomatic protocols with refreshing candor, Sheila’s journey as the wife of Colonel James Reed (USAFA '59) is as deeply inspiring as it is unforgettable. This is a story of resilience, unexpected beginnings, and a dynamic partnership that opened doors around the world.
Indomitable Spirit, Unforgettable Grace:
The Story of Sheila Reed
An Extraordinary Beginning
To understand Sheila Reed’s remarkable life as an Air Force spouse, one must first look at her extraordinary origins. Sheila’s father died in WWII before she was born, so she never had a chance to meet her father.
In 1944, her mother, Yam Wai Lan, a Hong Kong resident, married Wong Kam Cheung, a soldier in the Chinese army, and moved to his family home in a small village in central China. Tragic circumstances struck again when Wong Kam Cheung died in combat against Japanese forces. Pregnant with Sheila and determined to protect her unborn child, Sheila’s mother walked from central China all the way back to Hong Kong so her baby could be born in a safer environment. That indomitable spirit and grit were passed straight down to Sheila.
Meeting Jim in Hong Kong
By the time Jim Reed met Sheila in Hong Kong, she was already living an adventurous, fast-paced life.
She worked as a flight attendant for a Danish airline—flying charter missions out of the Philippines. She also was a hostess at the Paris Air Show for two American companies. For that she wasn’t paid, but they flew her to Paris, put her up at a classy Paris hotel – and took her shopping! But her full-time position was working for Far East Airways at Kai Tak Airport. In that role, handling arrangements for incoming passengers, Sheila frequently interacted with senior military leaders of various ranks from around the world, as British-governed Hong Kong was a major hub for military travel.
Jim, an Air Force officer serving at the American Consulate General in Hong Kong as the Air Liaison Officer, met Sheila at a weekly "Aviator’s Dinner" which was held every Sunday for the local aviation community. As Jim’s tour in Hong Kong neared its end, the couple decided to marry. However, there was a problem! Jim was in Hong Kong as a diplomat, with a diplomatic passport and it was necessary to wait until his diplomatic assignment was officially over before getting married. Thus, it was on July 28, 1983, two days before their scheduled departure, that Jim and Sheila were married in a civil service in the Hong Kong Government building.
Two days later, they were en route to a new assignment, with stops in Washington and Wright Patterson AFB before arriving in Honolulu, where Jim would hold a high-profile position. He would be on the CINCPAC staff overseeing foreign military sales throughout the Asia-Pacific region. So Jim and Sheila had just 48 hours to pack their lives, ship their belongings, and embark on married life together.
Trial by Fire (and Water)
The first few days didn’t work out well. First, there was a fire at the warehouse in Hawaii where their household goods had been shipped, which destroyed the entire shipment. Then, later, when Sheila and Jim had just moved into their house on Hickam AFB, Jim had to leave on a long business trip. On the first night in their house on Hickam, the phone rang. Sheila’s first phone call, alone in the new house, was a threatening and obscene phone call! But Zita Hosmer (Brad Hosmer’s wife) helped get Sheila oriented and she began married life as a member of the Class of ’59 family.
Ghosts, Flashlights, and K-9 Patrols
It took a little time, but the Reeds settled into base housing at Hickam just one day before Jim had to depart for an extended official trip to Australia and New Zealand. They had a home, new furniture, and Sheila had secured a job at a local business, so things were returning to normal. Sheila didn’t have a driver’s license yet, so to get to work she would ride a bicycle to a local bus stop and take the city bus back and forth to work into Honolulu.
On the very first night Jim was away, Sheila was eating dinner alone in the large, quiet house when the phone rang—their first call in the home. It was an anonymous, threatening, and obscene call. Now frightened and completely alone in a new unfamiliar country, she hung up.
The next day, before going to work Sheila happened to meet Zita, who asked how things were going. Sheila told Zita about the phone call and how it frightened her, and being alone in the big empty house. Then Sheila left for work, parked her bike at the bus stop and went into Honolulu on the bus. Zita, knowing her way around the Air Force, contacted the Air Force Police and told them about the situation—new wife, phone call, empty house, etc. The police responded and sent an armed guard with K-9 to patrol the street next to the house.
Later that evening, Sheila took the bus back from work, picked up her bicycle, and began riding home after dark. On this particular night it was exceptionally misty—the rain mist kept fogging up her glasses. Unable to wipe them clean while steering with one hand and holding her flashlight in the other, Sheila clamped the flashlight between her teeth to free up a hand.
As she wobbled down the street in the dark on her bike, the Security Police K-9 officer saw a strange, mist-obscured light floating six feet in the air.
"STOP! Who is that??" the officer shouted into the dark.
Sheila, seeing only the glowing eyes of the police dog in her beam and holding the flashlight firmly between her teeth, couldn't answer.
It took several tense minutes for the officer and Sheila to sort out the situation. Afterward, the Air Force policeman admitted with a chuckle that local base legends claimed the area was haunted by ghosts of victim from the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor—and for a split second, he thought he had proof of their presence!
En route to Hawaii there was a short Foreign Military Sales course at Wright-Patt, and at the end of that course there was a Faculty – Student baseball game. Each side had to have at least one female player, and Sheila joined the Student team. There were two problems: Sheila had never played baseball, and she had never seen a baseball game!
So they put her in right field and tried to explain the game to her. It was just another learning experience.
There was another unexpected cultural difference. Sheila was from Hong Kong, a huge city of paved streets and tall buildings. The only grass was in city parks where there were predominant “Keep Off The Grass” signs. The U.S. was different, and it was a shock to discover that you could actually walk on the grass – just one of the learning experiences.
Sheila did some research and found out how much time she should spend working for American companies in order to be eligible for Social Security. Once arriving in Hawaii, she quickly got a job at the Honolulu Airport, as a jewelry salesperson at the airport’s jewelry concession. She did well, because she already had a background in jewelry and had such an outgoing personality.
One day she came home from work, and asked Jim – “Guess who I saw today at the jewelry store! She’s a famous singer that’s visiting Hawaii, and her name is Dolly Parton! I sold her a necklace! She’s very pretty, and you know what’s the most impressive thing about her?”
With some preconceptions about the answer, Jim answered cautiously, “No, what impressed you the most?”
Sheila: “She has the most beautiful skin!”
"Hi, Bill. I'm Sheila."
Although Sheila was unfamiliar with military courtesies and protocol, she has always been a very outgoing person, which served her well when working with passengers for Far East Airways in Hong Kong. Shortly after arriving in Hawaii, Jim and Sheila attended a formal reception at the home of Admiral William Crowe, Commander in Chief, Pacific Command (CINCPAC).
It was a formal event and Jim and Sheila were dressed in formal attire preparing to go to the reception. Jim was browsing through one of Sheila’s photo albums when he spotted a picture of her standing next to an elderly gentleman that looked familiar.
Jim asked Sheila: “Who is that in the picture with you?”
Sheila: "Oh, that’s Jimmy. He’s in the Air Force."
It took a few minutes, but they finally determined the picture of "Jimmy" was none other than legendary WWII hero, General James Doolittle. Then they left for the reception.
Entering the reception, they followed normal protocol. There was a receiving line that included Admiral Crowe. Jim introduced himself to Admiral Crowe, and then formally introduced his wife Sheila to Admiral Crowe, whereupon Sheila turned to Crowe and said, “Excuse me, what was your name?”
Startled, Jim interjected, "Sheila, this is Admiral Crowe. He is the commander of all military forces in the Pacific Region, and I work for him!"
Sheila smiled, "I know that!" Turning back to the Admiral, she asked, "What’s your FIRST name?"
Crowe laughed and replied, "It’s Bill."
Sheila extended her hand for a warm handshake: "Hi, Bill. I’m Sheila."
Later that evening, Jim told Admiral Crowe that he was in good company, and told him the “That’s Jimmy, he’s in the Air Force” story, much to the Admiral's amusement. But it doesn’t end there—
A year later, Admiral Crowe was selected to become the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. His place in CINCPAC would be taken over by Admiral Ron Hays. There was another formal reception at the Hickam Officer’s Club, which Jim and Sheila attended – Jim in the Mess Dress uniform and Sheila in a lovely formal gown. Again, going through the reception line, Jim made the proper introductions, and Sheila again shook hands with Admiral Crowe. Next in the receiving line was Admiral Hays, and Crowe passed Sheila to his successor, and remarked with a grin: “Sheila, this is Ron. He’s in the Navy!”
"I'll Have to Ask Him When He Gets Home"
Adaptable as ever, Sheila attended her first Hickam Officers’ Wives Club welcoming luncheon, presided over by Zita Hosmer. During introductions, new members stood up one by one, defining themselves by their husbands' ranks and duties. It went something like this:
“Hello – I’m Mrs. Brown. My husband is Captain Brown. Captain Brown is the safety officer in the fighter squadron, so the lives of all the pilots depend on the work of my husband.”
“Hello – I’m Mrs. Jones. My husband is MAJOR Jones. Major Jones works at Pacific Air Force headquarters, so he gets involved in all the flight activities in the entire region.”
“Hello – I’m Mrs. Thompson. My husband is LT. COLONEL Thompson. Lt. Col. Thompson is the commissary officer, so all the food that comes here and you buy at the commissary is the responsibility of my husband, Lt. Col. Thompson.”
When it was Sheila’s turn, she stood up and offered a refreshingly honest perspective:
"Hello, I’m Sheila Reed, and I feel like I’ve just joined a big new family. I don’t know what my husband does—I’ll have to ask him when he gets home tonight!"
A Lifelong Partnership
Sheila got off to a rough start when she joined the USAFA Class of 1959 family, but she did well! While B class romance novels and old movies often rely on the cliché "you complete me," Jim and Sheila’s dynamic was one of true mutual expansion. She opened doors to places that hadn’t existed for Jim, and he opened experiences that were unique for Sheila.
They became a team, supporting each other and getting more done together than either could have done alone. For example, together they founded the China Forum within the Hawaii military community, bringing in prominent speakers on U.S.–China foreign relations. This resulted in extended contacts with members of the U.S. and Chinese communities that improved the understanding of the lives on both sides of the Pacific Ocean. The China Forum resulted in U.S. and China travel by officials from both countries that could not have resulted from any other effort.
Sheila and Jim recently celebrated their 43rd wedding anniversary and continue to inspire those around them. Sheila’s indomitable spirit, vivacity, and infectious energy remain a bright, enduring light in the USAFA Class of 1959 family.
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