World War II Honoree

Robert Patrick Freemer

Branch of Service

U.S. Marine Corps

Hometown

Brockway, Pennsylvania

Honored By

Virginia E. Kohler Freemer

Relationship

Wife

ENLISTED IN THE MARINE CORPS APRIL 25, 1944. BOOT CAMP TRAINING WAS COMPLETED AT CAMP PENDLETON, CALIFORNIA. HIS MILITARY SPECIALTIES WERE IN AUTO RIFLEMAN 746 AND RIFLEMAN 745. HE WAS LISTED AS BEING IN THE 3RD REPLACEMENT DRAFT, CAMP PENDLETON, AUGUST 1, 1944. EMBARKED ON A SHIP AUGUST 14, 1944 AND WAS SENT TO SAIPAN, SOUTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS. DISEMBARKED SEPTEMBER 17, 1944. UPON ARRIVAL, HE WAS TRANSFERRED AS A 3RD REPLACEMENT DRAFT TO THE 5TH AMPHIBIAN CORPS AND JOINED UP TO SERVE WITH COMPANY F, 2ND BATTALION, 8TH MARINES. THEY EMBARKED ABOARD THE USS MIFFLIN AT SAIPAN, SOUTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS ON MARCH 8, 1945 AND SAILED FROM THERE ON MARCH 16, 1945. HE ARRIVED AT OKINAWA ISLAND, RYUKYU ISLANDS ON APRIL 1, 1945 AND PARTICIPATED IN OPERATION AGAINST THE ENEMY JAPANESE FORCES FROM APRIL 1, 1945 TO APRIL 14, 1945 AS AN ELEMENT OF THE X ARMY. HE ARRIVED AT SAIPAN, SOUTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS ON APRIL 14, 1945 AND DISEMBARKED ON APRIL 15, 1945. EMBARKED ABOARD USS LST 715 ON MAY 22, 1945 AT SAIPAN, SOUTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS AND SAILED THERE FROM ON MAY 24, 1945. HE AND HIS FELLOW MARINES OF COMPANY F, 2ND BATTALION OF THE 8TH MARINES WERE BEING CALLED UP FOR DUTY UNDER ACTUAL COMBAT CONDITIONS IN OFFENSIVE OPERATIONS AGAINST THE ENEMY JAPANESE FORCES ON IHEYA USHIRO JIMA, RYUKYU RETTO AND OKINAWA SHIMA, RYUKYU RETTO. ARRIVED AT OKINAWA SHIMA, RYUKYU ON MAY 31, 1945 AND SAILED FROM THERE ON JUNE 3, 1945. HE ARRIVED AT IHEYA SHIMA, RYUKYU RETTO THAT SAME DAY AND PARTICIPATED IN THE ASSAULT AND OCCUPATION OF IHEYA SHIMA, RYUKYU RETTO FROM JUNE 3, 1945 TO JUNE 12, 1945. ON JUNE 13, 1945 HE EMBARKED ABOARD THE USS LST 923 AT IHEYA SHIMA, RYUKYU RETTO AND SAILED FROM THERE ON JUNE 14, 1945. ON JUNE 15, 1945 THEY DISEMBARKED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ASSAULT AND MOPPING UP OPERATIONS AGAINST THE ENEMY JAPANESE FORCES ON OKINAWA SHIMA, RYUKYU RETTO. THE ENGAGEMENT AGAINST THE ENEMY LASTED FROM JUNE 15, 1945 TO JUNE 30, 1945. ON JULY 7, 1945 EMBARKED ABOARD THE USS ADMIRAL CAPPS AP-121 AT OKINAWA SHIMA, RYUKYU RETTO AND SAILED THERE FROM ON JULY 8, 1945. HE ARRIVED AT SAIPAN, SOUTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS ON JULY 12, 1945 AND DISEMBARKED. ON SEPTEMBER 14, 1945 EMBARKED ABOARD THE USS MENARD AND SAILED SEPTEMBER 18, 1945 ARRIVING AT NAGASAKI, KYUSHU, JAPAN ON SEPTEMBER 23, 1945 AND DEBARKED ON SEPTEMBER 24, 1945. PARTICIPATED IN THE OCCUPATION OF THE ISLAND OF KYUSHU, JAPAN AS A MEMBER OF THE 2ND MARINE DIVISION FROM SEPTEMBER 24, 1945 TO NOVEMBER 30, 1945 AND DURING THE PERIOD OF DECEMBER 1, 1945 TO DECEMBER 8, 1945 AS A MEMBER OF THE 5TH MARINE DIVISION. ON DECEMBER 8, 1945 HE EMBARKED ABOARD THE USS SARASOTA APA-204 AT SASEBO, KYUSHU, JAPAN AND SAILED FROM THERE ON DECEMBER 9, 1945. HE ARRIVED AT SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA ON DECEMBER 24, 1945. AT THIS TIME, HE WAS DRAWING $54 A MONTH AS A SOLDIER AND HAD ACHIEVED THE RANK OF PRIVATE FIRST CLASS. BY JANUARY 11, 1945 HE WAS PROCESSED OUT OF THE SERVICE WITH AN HONORABLE DISCHARGE AND FOREVER PROUD TO HAVE ENLISTED INTO THE U.S. MARINE CORPS TO SERVE HIS COUNTRY IN ITS NEED DURING A NATIONAL EMERGENCY IN STATE OF WAR.