11. Robert White in Korea and Vietnam
In March of 1945, Robert White earned a Bronze Star with “V” device, for heroic action near Spitzberg, France. On that occasion, White, by then a technical sergeant, skillfully maneuvered his platoon to overcome an enemy blocking position, and thus allowed his unit to continue its advance. He was discharged after WWII, but reenlisted four years later – just in time for the Korean War’s outbreak in 1950. On August 19th, 1950, White earned another Purple Heart, when he was injured by North Korean artillery fire.
He recovered, and stayed in the Army, to serve two tours in the next major conflict, the Vietnam War. During his second tour in Vietnam, in 1971, White found out from the Army Times that he had been promoted to Command Sergeant Major. His last posting was CSM of an artillery battalion in Fort Carson, Colorado, where he served until retiring from the Army in 1975. He then moved to Wichita Falls, Texas, where he became a fruit farmer. On his free time, he did volunteer work in nearby Sheppard Air Force Base. He moved to Lawton, Oklahoma, in 1998, where he died in 2012.
