Robert C. Rathbun
Era: World War II
Military Branch: Army
Robert C. Rathbun of Duluth, Minnesota, was inducted into the Army on November 7, 1941. He was aTechnical Sergeant and stenographer with the Medical Corps, attached to Headquarters Squadron, 1300th Army Air Forces Base Unit in the China-Burma-India Theater. He participated in the central Burma Campaign, China.
He recalls, "While stationed at Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia, we were waiting to go overseas and while taking the names of new recruits in our unit, I was told that Tony Martin was soon coming in. I did not know who Tony Martin was until a soldier came in with dark glasses and said he was assigned to our unit. I asked him what his name was and he really became upset that I did not know him real well. He then joined the Special Services and was gone for a long time, singing with Lily Pons. He gave me a golf ball and said if I ever got to Hollywood I should come to see him...."
"Some of the events that happened during the war were humorous and we try to remember them in lieu of the unpleasant events. One in particular took place when we went through the Panama Canal aboard the U.S. Grant. We stopped at Alexandria, Egypt and the Egyptians were selling lots of goods made in Egypt. I was anxious to bring home something from a foreign country and we had to send our money down by rope which had a bucket attached to it. I wanted a tablecloth and napkins. So when I got them up to the ship and opened the package, I found a beautiful tablecloth and napkins. While we were bragging about the gift, one of the fellows looked it over and found a label: 'Made in New York City'."
He received the: Good Conduct Medal, Meritorious Service Unit Citation, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Service Medal with 1 bronze battle star, American Defense Service Medal, American Campaign Service Medal, World War II Victory Medal, and 2 overseas service bars.
He was discharged on January 3, 1946.
Source: Hometown Heroes: The St. Louis County World War II Project. 262.
