World War II Honoree

Robert T. Hillard

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Strawberry Plains, Tennessee

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

Rank: Private 1st Class. Inducted into the United States Army October 6, 1942 at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. Deployed to the European Theater after completing his Basic Infantry Training and experienced combat with the 60th Infantry Battalion attached to the 9th Armored ‘Phantom’ Division. Tuesday, December 19, 1944 he was severely wounded while fighting in the defense of Bastogne, Belgium ‘Battle of the Bulge’ and was captured by the German Armed Forces. His captors evacuated him to a German dressing station for medical attention, where he died Friday, December 29, 1944. German authorities returned his body to U.S. Army personnel and he was later buried in the Saint Avold Battlefield Cemetery, Metz, France. After the cessation of hostilities in Europe, his remains were transferred to the Lorraine American Cemetery located at St. Avold (Moselle), France. In Memory and Honor, his name is inscribed on Pillar XVIII, Top Panel at the East Tennessee Veterans Memorial Knoxville, Tennessee. Decorations and Citations Purple Heart, American Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal and the Combat Infantry Badge. This Soldier, an American Patriot awarded the Purple Heart posthumously, who so gallantly gave his life for his country.