WW2 Fallen - Robert Thacker, 90th Infantry Division

Sgt. Robert Thacker, shown with wife Veta, served with the 90th Infantry Division in France.
 https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/59145777/robert-aaron-thacker
https://www.ww2online.org/image/american-soldiers-cross-mosel-river-during-battle-germany-march-1945

Robert A. Thacker never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.

If you have enjoyed reading the stories of the WW2 fallen, Can you help write some stories? It's a big project. The more help, the better.  Announcing "The Stories Behind the Stars", see https://www.storiesbehindthestars.org. This crowd-sourced national project has the goal of compiling stories of all 400,000+ of the US World War 2 fallen in one free-to-access central database.  Anyone visiting a war memorial or gravesite will be able to scan the name of the fallen with a smartphone and his story will appear on the phone.

Robert was born on April 12, 1920 in Kansas. His parents George and Sarah were also both born in Kansas. His father worked as a farmer. Robert had six older brothers and three older sisters. By 1940 Robert had completed eight years of schooling and was still living at home working on the family farm.

He was drafted into the army in March 1942. While still stateside he married Veta B. Daugherty in September. He reached the rank of sergeant in Company B, 1st Battalion, 358th Infantry Division, 90th Infantry Division.

Sgt. Thacker and the 90th ID arrived in England in April 1944 and immediately began training for the invasion of France. The 90th ID was in action in Normandy the day after D-Day. It fought through Normandy and across France as part of General Patton's 3rd Army. From the middle of September, and for the next two months, it participated in the siege of Metz.

On November 8, 1944 the 358th IR got ready to cross the Moselle River at Koenigsmacher to encircle Metz. The regiment moved out on November 9, 1944 with the 1st Battalion given the additional role of repulsing any German counterattacks. The 1st Battalion crossed in rubber assault boats at 0330. The 358th IR achieved its objectives that day. The after action report says casualties were light, but losses did include Sgt. Thacker who was killed in action that day.

His grave is at Bunker Hill Cemetery in Bunker Hill, Kansas. His widow remarried and died in 2007.

Thank you Sgt. Thacker for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Robert.

Last year on this date I profiled James Brewer, 76th Infantry Division. You can read about James here.

On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!

I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.

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WW2 Fallen 100 is supported by

The Greatest GENERATIONS Foundation

“Where Every Day is Memorial Day”

http://www.tggf.org