"And they who for their country die shall fill an honored grave, for glory lights the soldier's tomb, and beauty weeps the brave." (Joseph Drake)
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
★★★★★★★ RECIPIENT OF THE PURPLE HEART ★★★★★★★
Original information capsule (edited lightly for clarity) posted before transfer of memorial page management:
2LT Robert Vernon Heneisen was born in Evansville, Indiana to William Dale and Lillian Young Heneisen.He was the 5th of their 8 children; he also had 2 older half siblings.
He graduated from Evansville Central High school in 1940 and worked at Hoosier Lamp before his induction into the National Guard on January 17, 1941; in May of 1942, it was reported that then Corporal Herneisen had been promoted to Sergeant at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. By February of 1943, he had received his commission as a 2nd Lieutenant at the Army Officer Candidate School, at Camp Hood, Texas. After serving in North Africa with a tank destroyer unit, he transferred to the airborne infantry, serving as a paratrooper in Sicily, Anzio and England.
According to the book "A Fine Sense of Honor: At War With the Men of the 504th Parachute Infantry from Sicily to the Fall of Germany" (author Tyler Fox), on October 6, 1944 2LT Herneisen was killed shortly before 21:00 when he "ran towards a German machine gun" near Thorensche Molen. His platoon was then forced to fall back and he was declared missing.
2LT Herneisen's body was found with that of PFC William K. Pierce in a shallow field grave by two farmers in 1947, near where they were killed. The remains of Herneisen and PFC Pierce were moved to temporary adjacent graves at the Ardennes American War Cemetery in Belgium; his final resting place is at Ardennes, Plot A, Row 26, Grave 16. A bronze star and Purple Heart were awarded for his service. He was 23 years old.
"And they who for their country die shall fill an honored grave, for glory lights the soldier's tomb, and beauty weeps the brave." (Joseph Drake)
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
★★★★★★★ RECIPIENT OF THE PURPLE HEART ★★★★★★★
Original information capsule (edited lightly for clarity) posted before transfer of memorial page management:
2LT Robert Vernon Heneisen was born in Evansville, Indiana to William Dale and Lillian Young Heneisen.He was the 5th of their 8 children; he also had 2 older half siblings.
He graduated from Evansville Central High school in 1940 and worked at Hoosier Lamp before his induction into the National Guard on January 17, 1941; in May of 1942, it was reported that then Corporal Herneisen had been promoted to Sergeant at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. By February of 1943, he had received his commission as a 2nd Lieutenant at the Army Officer Candidate School, at Camp Hood, Texas. After serving in North Africa with a tank destroyer unit, he transferred to the airborne infantry, serving as a paratrooper in Sicily, Anzio and England.
According to the book "A Fine Sense of Honor: At War With the Men of the 504th Parachute Infantry from Sicily to the Fall of Germany" (author Tyler Fox), on October 6, 1944 2LT Herneisen was killed shortly before 21:00 when he "ran towards a German machine gun" near Thorensche Molen. His platoon was then forced to fall back and he was declared missing.
2LT Herneisen's body was found with that of PFC William K. Pierce in a shallow field grave by two farmers in 1947, near where they were killed. The remains of Herneisen and PFC Pierce were moved to temporary adjacent graves at the Ardennes American War Cemetery in Belgium; his final resting place is at Ardennes, Plot A, Row 26, Grave 16. A bronze star and Purple Heart were awarded for his service. He was 23 years old.
Inscription
ROBERT V. HENEISEN, 2LT, 504 PRCHT INF, 82 ABN DIV, INDIANA, OCT 6 1944
Gravesite Details
Entered the service from Indiana.
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