World War II Honoree

Robert Ray 'Bob' Heath, Jr.

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Stillwater, Oklahoma

Honored By

Richard L. 'Dick' Heath

Relationship

Brother

HE LEARNED OF THE JAPANESE SURPRISE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR, TERRITORY OF HAWAII ON DECEMBER 7, 1941, WHILE IN COLLEGE AT OKLAHOMA AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL COLLEGE (OAMC) IN STILLWATER, OKLAHOMA. ENTERED MILITARY SERVICE ON MAY 11, 1943 AT PARIS, TEXAS. AFTER INFANTRY BASIC TRAINING, HE WAS SELECTED FOR THE ARMY SPECIALIZED TRAINING PROGRAM (ASTP) AND ASSIGNED IN THE AMERICAN THEATER TO EASTERN KENTUCKY STATE TEACHERS COLLEGE IN RICHMOND, KENTUCKY, WHERE HE STUDIED FOR ABOUT ONE ACADEMIC YEAR. THE ASTP WAS A MILITARY TRAINING PROGRAM INSTITUTED BY THE UNITED STATES ARMY DURING WORLD WAR II AT A NUMBER OF AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES TO MEET WARTIME DEMANDS FOR JUNIOR OFFICERS AND SOLDIERS WITH TECHNICAL SKILLS. THESE PROGRAMS WERE ACCELERATED AND INCLUDED INTENSIVE COLLEGE COURSES. WHILE IN ACADEMIC TRAINING, SOLDIERS WERE ON ACTIVE DUTY, IN UNIFORM, UNDER MILITARY DISCIPLINE, AND RECEIVED REGULAR ARMY PAY. IN 1944, THE WAR DEPARTMENT CALCULATED THAT MORE COMBAT INFANTRY SOLDIERS WOULD BE REQUIRED IN ADVANCE OF THE PLANNED INVASION OF EUROPE. ASTP PROVIDED A LARGE POOL OF READY-TRAINED SOLDIERS. ACCORDINGLY, IN FEBRUARY, 1944, ASTP STUDENTS FROM ACROSS THE NATION BEGAN TO BE TRANSFERRED TO COMBAT UNITS TO MEET PROJECTED MANPOWER DEMANDS. IN SEPTEMBER, 1944, HE WAS REASSIGNED TO CAMP CAMPBELL AT HOPKINSVILLE, KENTUCKY. THERE, HE WAS ASSIGNED TO THE 14TH ARMORED DIVISION. HE STAGED WITH HIS UNIT AT CAMP SHANKS AT ORANGEBURG, NEW YORK ON OCTOBER 6, 1944 AWAITING OVERSEAS DEPLOYMENT. THE REGIMENT SAILED FROM THE NEW YORK PORT OF EMBARKATION ON OCTOBER 14, 1944 AND LANDED AT MARSEILLE, FRANCE ON OCTOBER 28, 1944. HE SERVED OVERSEAS IN THE EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN THEATER IN THE EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO) WITH COMPANY C, 19TH ARMORED INFANTRY BATTALION, 14TH ARMORED ‘LIBERATORS’ DIVISION. HE SAW ACTION IN FRANCE AND GERMANY AND PARTICIPATED IN THE RHINELAND, ARDENNES-ALSACE (BATTLE OF THE BULGE), AND CENTRAL EUROPE CAMPAIGNS. JUST BEFORE MIDNIGHT ON NEW YEAR'S EVE, 1944, THE GERMAN ARMY LAUNCHED OPERATION ‘NORDWIND’, THE LAST MAJOR GERMAN COUNTER-OFFENSIVE OF THE WAR. THE MAJOR FIGHTING BETWEEN JANUARY 1-8, 1945 OCCURRED IN THE VOSGES MOUNTAINS WITH TWO COMBAT COMMANDS OF THE DIVISION (INCLUDING HIS BATTALION) IN ALMOST CONTINUOUS ACTION AGAINST THE GERMAN THRUSTS. ON JANUARY 10, 1945, THE 14TH DIVISION WAS ORDERED TO TAKE UP POSITIONS IN THE VICINITY OF HATTEN AND RITTERSHOFFEN IN NORTHEAST FRANCE IN THE ALSACE REGION. THERE WAS HEAVY FIGHTING IN AND AROUND THE TOWNS, AND SUCCESS WAS MEASURED IN HOW MANY BUILDINGS WERE CONTROLLED BY EACH SIDE, AS THE AMERICANS CONTROLLED THE WESTERN HALF OF THE VILLAGES AND THE GERMANS THE EASTERN HALF. ON JANUARY 15, 1945, THE GERMANS STRENGTHENED THE FORCES IN BOTH VILLAGES AND HIS UNIT FOUND ITSELF INCREASINGLY ON THE DEFENSIVE. THE DIVISION’S 11-DAY STAND AT HATTEN AND RITTERSHOFFEN ALLOWED VI CORPS AND SEVENTH ARMY FORCES TO WITHDRAW TO PREPARED DEFENSIVE POSITIONS. ON JANUARY 21, 1945, THE 14TH DIVISION WAS ORDERED TO WITHDRAW FROM HATTEN AND RITTERSHOFFEN. THE STRONGEST ATTACK OF OPERATION ‘NORDWIND’, WAS HALTED BY THE 14TH ARMORED DIVISION IN THE BATTLE OF HATTEN-RITTERSHOFFEN WHICH RAGED FROM JANUARY 10-21, 1945, AND WAS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE GREATEST DEFENSIVE BATTLES OF THE WAR. HIS DIVISION RETURNED TO THE OFFENSIVE ON MARCH 15, 1945; IT DROVE ACROSS THE MODER RIVER, CRACKED THROUGH THE SIEGFRIED LINE AND BY THE END OF THE MONTH, HAD CAPTURED GERMERSHEIM, GERMANY ON THE RHINE RIVER. ON APRIL 1, 1945, THE DIVISION MOVED ACROSS THE RHINE RIVER NEAR WORMS, GERMANY AND ATTACKED TO THE NORTHEAST TO BREAK THROUGH THE SPESSART FOREST AND INTO THE REAR OF THE GERMAN FORCES TOWARD THE TOWN OF LOHR, GERMANY. ON APRIL 2, 1945, WHILE HIS BATTALION WAS OPERATING IN THE VICINITY OF LOHR, GERMANY, HIS SQUAD LEADER WAS KILLED BY ENEMY SNIPER FIRE WHILE MANNING THE VEHICLE’S MACHINE GUN. PRIVATE FIRST CLASS HEATH TOOK COMMAND OF THE VEHICLE AND MANNED THE MACHINE GUN UNTIL HE WAS MORTALLY WOUNDED. HIS PROMPT ACTION PREVENTED THE HALTING OF THEIR COLUMN OF VEHICLES IN AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND VULNERABLE OPEN AREA. HIS COURAGE UNDER FIRE, PERSONAL INITIATIVE, AND SELFLESS SACRIFICE TO PROTECT HIS FELLOW SOLDIERS SAVED THE LIVES OF MANY THAT DAY IN THAT PLACE. FOR HIS HEROISM IN ACTION, HE WAS POSTHUMOUSLY AWARDED THE BRONZE STAR MEDAL WITH BRONZE LETTER ‘V’ (FOR VALOR) DEVICE. HE WAS ALSO POSTHUMOUSLY AWARDED THE PURPLE HEART, GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL, AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN CAMPAIGN MEDAL WITH 3 BRONZE SERVICE STARS, AND WWII VICTORY MEDAL.