WWII · Battle Death Record
Robert Emery
First Lieutenant, U.S. Army
Personnel File — Core Information
- Name
- Robert Emery
- Rank
- First Lieutenant
- Service
- U.S. Army
- Unit / Regiment
- Corps of Engineers, 1st Infantry Division
- War
- WWII
- Date of Death
- November 8, 1942
- Awards
- Distinguished Service Cross, Purple Heart
- Burial / Memorial
- North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial, Carthage, Tunisia
- Grave
- Plot H, Row 12, Grave 10
Their story
During Operation Torch near Djebel in Algeria on November 8, 1942, when an enemy machine gun in a commanding position was holding up the advance of U.S. troops, First Lieutenant Emery left cover and attacked the nest single-handed, armed only with a submachine gun, advancing across terrain swept by enemy fire. He was killed approximately twenty-five yards from the hostile position, but his action distracted the enemy long enough for assault elements to outflank and eliminate the machine gun nest. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and the Purple Heart.
Compiled from American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) and National Archives (NARA) records and public sources.
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