World War II Honoree

Robert Osborne Greaves

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Honored By

Robert S. Cox

APPLIED, AND WAS SELECTED FOR AIRCREW TRAINING IN THE AVIATION CADET PROGRAM AS A PILOT. UPON SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF TRAINING, WAS EARMARKED FOR FOLLOW-ON TRAINING ON MEDIUM BOMBER AIRCRAFT, AWARDED HIS SILVER PILOT WINGS AND COMMISSIONED A SECOND LIEUTENANT. NEXT, ASSIGNED FOR TRANSITION FLYING TRAINING IN THE AIRCRAFT HE WOULD FLY IN COMBAT. THEN, WAS SELECTED TO PERFORM DUTIES AS AN INSTRUCTOR IN THE AMERICAN THEATER. DEPLOYED OVERSEAS AND SERVED AS A B-26 ‘MARAUDER’ MEDIUM BOMBER PILOT IN THE EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN THEATER, IN THE EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO), WITH THE 397TH BOMBARDMENT GROUP (MEDIUM) THE ‘BRIDGEBUSTERS’, 9TH AIR FORCE, DURING THE WAR. HIS GROUP SERVED AS PART OF THE TACTICAL FORCE OF ARMY AIR FORCES, INITIALLY BASED IN ENGLAND, AND THEN ON THE CONTINENT. HIS UNIT WAS AWARDED A (PRESIDENTIAL) DISTINGUISHED UNIT CITATION (DUC) FOR AN ATTACK ON THE RAIL BRIDGE AT ELLER, GERMANY ON DECEMBER 23, 1944. DURING 1945, THE GROUP SUPPORTED THE ALLIED ADVANCE INTO AND ACROSS GERMANY. AFTER GERMANY SURRENDERED UNCONDITIONALLY ON MAY 7, 1945, THE END OF HOSTILITIES IN EUROPE BECAME EFFECTIVE ON MAY 8, 1945, AND THE ALLIED VICTORY IN EUROPE (V-E DAY) WAS ANNOUNCED. HE WAS SUBSEQUENTLY PLACED ON OCCUPATION DUTY IN BERLIN, GERMANY. HE WAS SERVING IN THAT CAPACITY ON AUGUST 14, 1945, IN GERMANY, WHEN THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT ACCEPTED THE ALLIED UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER TERMS. WORLD WAR II FORMALLY ENDED ON SEPTEMBER 2, 1945 AND VICTORY OVER JAPAN DAY (V-J DAY) WAS PROCLAIMED. AWARDED THE AIR MEDAL, AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, WWII VICTORY MEDAL, AND ARMY OF OCCUPATION MEDAL WITH ‘GERMANY’ CLASP. HONORABLY DISCHARGED IN AUGUST, 1946, AND ISSUED THE HONORABLE SERVICE LAPEL BUTTON.