World War II Honoree

Robert James 'Bob' Norman

Branch of Service

U.S. Navy

Hometown

Nashua, Iowa

Honored By

Robert S. Cox

FIRST ENLISTED IN MILITARY SERVICE IN 1937. AFTER TRAINING, HE WAS ASSIGNED TO THE BATTLESHIP USS NEVADA (BB-36). HIS SHIP SAILED INTO PEARL HARBOR, TERRITORY OF HAWAII, ON DECEMBER 5, 1941. SERVED OVERSEAS IN THE ASIATIC-PACIFIC THEATER ABOARD THE BATTLESHIP NEVADA. HE IS A PEARL HARBOR SURVIVOR, AND WAS SERVING AS A BOATSWAIN’S MATE FIRST CLASS ABOARD THE NEVADA WHEN THE JAPANESE ATTACKED PEARL HARBOR ON DECEMBER 7, 1941. PARTICIPATED IN OPERATIONS AT PEARL HARBOR; ATTU ISLAND IN THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS OFF ALASKA IN THE BERING SEA IN MAY, 1943; AT NORMANDY, FRANCE DURING THE D-DAY INVASION IN JUNE, 1944; DURING THE INVASION OF SOUTHERN FRANCE IN AUGUST-SEPTEMBER, 1944; AT IWO JIMA IN THE BONIN ISLANDS ARCHIPELAGO IN FEBRUARY-MARCH, 1945; OKINAWA IN THE RYUKYU ISLANDS IN MARCH-JUNE, 1945; AND OFF THE JAPANESE HOME ISLANDS IN JULY-AUGUST, 1945. ON THE MORNING OF DECEMBER 7, 1941, HE WAS BELOW DECK AND SAW THE SHIP’S BAND MAKING THEIR WAY TOPSIDE TO RENDER MORNING HONORS TO THE COLORS. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, AS HE WAS PREPARING TO GO TOPSIDE, HE HEARD SHOUTS AND COMMOTION AS THE BANDSMEN AND THEIR INSTRUMENTS TUMBLED BACK DOWN THROUGH THE HATCH. THEY WERE UNDER ATTACK. HIS SECTION HAD NO AMMUNITION FOR THEIR WEAPONS, SO WERE UNABLE TO DEFEND AGAINST THE ENEMY PLANES. HE SPENT HIS TIME HELPING TO FIGHT FIRES AND TEND TO THE WOUNDED AND INJURED. HE WAS ABLE TO ASSIST AN INJURED SHIP’S OFFICER TO SAFETY BY LOWERING HIM ON A STRETCHER TO A BOAT DECK. THE OFFICER LOST HIS LEG BUT SURVIVED. HIS SHIP WAS THE ONLY BATTLESHIP ABLE TO GET UNDERWAY FROM ‘BATTLESHIP ROW’ DURING THE BATTLE BUT WAS HIT BY A TORPEDO AND SOME 5 BOMBS. THE SHIP INITIALLY WAS INTENTIONALLY BEACHED TO PREVENT SINKING, BUT SUBSEQUENTLY SANK IN THE HARBOR. USS NEVADA LOST 60 OF THE SHIP’S COMPANY KILLED IN ACTION, AND 109 WOUNDED IN ACTION. IN TOTAL, THE SURPRISE ATTACK KILLED 2,403 PEOPLE, WOUNDED 1,104 OTHERS AND CRIPPLED THE U.S. PACIFIC FLEET. FOLLOWING THE ATTACK, HE HELPED WITH CLEAN-UP AND REPAIR OPERATIONS ON HIS SHIP AND OTHERS. THE NEVADA WAS SALVAGED, TEMPORARILY REPAIRED, AND RETURNED TO THE USA TO NAVY YARD PUDGET SOUND AT BREMERTON, WASHINGTON IN APRIL, 1942 FOR REPAIRS AND MODERNIZATION. UPON COMPLETION SAILED TO THE NORTH PACIFIC AREA TO ATTU ISLAND TO PROVIDE FIRE SUPPORT. RETURNED TO THE NORFOLK NAVY YARD IN VIRGINIA IN JUNE, 1943 FOR ADDITIONAL MODERNIZATION AND THEN WENT ON ATLANTIC CONVOY DUTY. SERVED OVERSEAS IN THE EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN THEATER ABOARD NEVADA FROM JUNE-SEPTEMBER, 1944. PROVIDED FIRE SUPPORT AND BOMBARDMENT, IN THE EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO) DURING THE NORMANDY INVASION; AND IN THE MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTOUSA) AT TOULON DURING THE INVASION OF SOUTHERN FRANCE. AFTER A STOP AT NEW YORK TO REFIT GUNS, SAILED TO THE PACIFIC AND PROVIDED FIRE SUPPORT AT IWO JIMA AND THEN OKINAWA. WHILE AT OKINAWA, HIS SHIP WAS HIT BY A JAPANESE ‘KAMIKAZE’ SUICIDE PLANE ON MARCH 27, 1945, WHICH CRASHED INTO THE MAIN DECK, KILLING 11 AND WOUNDING 49 OF HIS SHIPMATES. THE SHIP SUSTAINED FURTHER DAMAGE WHILE AT OKINAWA ON APRIL 5, 1945, WHEN IT WAS HIT BY A SHORE BATTERY SHELL THAT KILLED 2 OF THE CREW. THE BATTLESHIP WAS AT SAN PEDRO BAY, IN LEYTE IN THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS WHEN THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT ACCEPTED THE ALLIED UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER TERMS ON AUGUST 14, 1945. BB-36 SERVED BRIEFLY ON OCCUPATION DUTY IN TOKYO BAY, JAPAN AFTER THE WAR. AWARDED THE COMBAT ACTION RIBBON, GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL, AMERICAN DEFENSE SERVICE MEDAL WITH ‘FLEET’ CLASP, AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN CAMPAIGN MEDAL WITH 2 BRONZE SERVICE STARS (2 CAMPAIGNS), ASIATIC-PACIFIC CAMPAIGN MEDAL WITH 1 SILVER SERVICE STAR (5 CAMPAIGNS), WWII VICTORY MEDAL, AND NAVY OCCUPATION SERVICE MEDAL WITH ‘ASIA’ CLASP. ALSO AWARDED THE PHILIPPINE LIBERATION MEDAL FOR SERVICE IN THE LIBERATION OF THE PHILIPPINES. HONORABLY DISCHARGED AND ISSUED THE WWII HONORABLE DISCHARGE LAPEL PIN. CONTINUED IN U.S. NAVY SERVICE AFTER THE WAR UNTIL HIS RETIREMENT WITH THE RANK OF CAPTAIN.