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name
GILBERT, Robert D - Date of
birth
1922 -
Age
unknown - Place of
birth
Floral Park, Nassau County, New York -
Hometown
Queens, Queens County, New York
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
12087810 -
Rank
Staff Sergeant -
Function
unknown -
Unit
I Company,
3rd Battalion,
289th Infantry Regiment,
75th Infantry Division
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
15 January 1945 - Place of
death
Salmchateau, Vielsalm, Belgium
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Henri-Chapelle
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| B | 9 | 12 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Maximillian Gilbert (father)
Valentine (McArdle) Gilbert (mother)
Marie L. Gilbert (sister)
Paula Gilbert (sister)
More information
S/Sgt Robert D. Gilbert enlisted in New York City, New York on 19 June 1942.He was employed by American Airlines prior to entering the service.
They'd all watched helplessly as their sergeant, Gilbert had bled to death after receiving a shrapnel wound in the back. The medical corpsmen and the riflemen in Gilberts' squad had tried to reach him, but were pinned down under heavy fire. So Gilbert had died, alone in the bloody snow. They dug in on the ridge for another frozen night in the field. Salmchateau and "Bloody Ridge" as it would become known, were now in American hands.
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, Terry Hirsch, www.abmc.gov, www.archives.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, http://75thdivisiondad.com/kia_roster.htm#1, www.ancestry.com – Morgan Family Tree / WWII Enlistment Record / 1930 census, www.battleofthebulgememories.be - Daniel R Shine and son, American Airlines Flagship World - 1946
Photo source: www.findagrave.com – Des Philippet, www.ancestry.com – McArdle Family Tree