12. Robert White First Shone in WWII
Robert Arthur White was born in Clarion, Iowa, in 1924. After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, a teenaged White enlisted in the US Army in 1942, and ended up as an infantryman in the 100th Division. His unit was sent to the European Theater, and after landing in Marseilles in the fall of 1944, the 100th was assigned to the US Seventh Army. It ended up fighting in the Moselle region and the Vosges Mountains. On December 9th, 1944, White’s platoon came under heavy German attack, and he was wounded in his left hand, both arms, and his back.
The fight raged into the night, with both sides taking heavy casualties. By the following morning, the 36 man American platoon had been reduced to seven men, including a wounded White. Between them, they only had 90 rounds left. White was the only non-commissioned officer still alive, so he took charge of the survivors, and led them in a breakout to the nearest American lines. However, that involved crossing an open field, 600 yards wide, under enemy fire. White was wounded again, this time by shrapnel in his left leg and ankle. One of his men was severely injured, and was unable to continue, so White picked him and carried him to safety. His wounds in combat earned him a Purple Heart, and his conduct earned him a Silver Star.
