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| This is Company I, 335th Infantry Regiment. Pvt. Ory is likely in this photo. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10208053430328177&set=pcb.10154926559349671&type=3&theater |
Robert C. Ory, Sr. never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.
He was born on July 10, 1917 in Mississippi. His parents were also both born in Mississippi. His father worked as a shipyard carpenter and later a city truck driver. Robert had three older brothers, an older sister and a younger sister. Two twin siblings did not survive their birth. By 1940 Robert had completed seven years of schooling. He worked as a truck drive while still living with his parents.
He enlisted in the army on October 8, 1940 and was first assigned to serve in Panama. While in the service he married his wife Ruby Mary and they had a son born in 1943.
He became a private and cook in Company I, 3rd Battalion, 335th Infantry Regiment, 84th Infantry Division (nicknamed "The Rail Splitters"). The 84th Infantry Division was a late arrival to the European theater of operations. It first saw combat on November 18, 1944 north of Aachen, Germany. The 335th Infantry Regiment was in reserve on December 3, 1944, nevertheless, Pvt. Ory was killed in action that day.
His grave is at Griffin Cemetery in Moss Point Mississippi. His widow remarried after Robert's death and died in 1980. His son died in 2009.
Mr Wizard, B-24 Pilot
Also born on July 10, 1917 was Donald Herbert Kemske, better known to four decades of children as Mr. Wizard. Kemske joined the army as a private but transferred to the Army Air Corp and became a captain and B-24 pilot. He flew 56 combat missions and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross.
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| Mr. Wizard Don Herbert was a B-24 pilot in WW2. https://www.facebook.com/mrwizard/photos/pcb.1458416614202314/1458415000869142/?type=3&theater https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=19861079 |
After the war he starred in the early TV science program Watch Mr. Wizard which ran for 14 years and was revived in the 1970s and 1980s. Many scientists credit Herbert with starting them on their science careers. He died in 2007.
We will never know what similar contributions were lost from the 400,000 plus fallen who never came home.
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!
To mark having over 100,000 visits to my project to honor the fallen of WW2 on their 100th birthdate, I created this video to share. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY
Join the public Facebook group WW2 Fallen 100
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