My local newspaper, the Temple Daily Telegram, had an awesome story in the paper yesterday that was inspiring and a proud moment in our history. But, because it’s a local story, the country will probably never read it. I asked the author of the story, Harper Scott Clark, if I could publish it here since there isn’t a link to the story online and received permission.
It’s a heartwarming story of heroism and service.
Robert Bearden of Belton stood front and center Monday at III Corps Headquarters wearing a crisply-pressed, vintage World War II Army uniform.
On D-Day, June 6, 1944, Bearden parachuted behind German lines with the 82nd Airborne Division.
Monday, 66 years later, 13 awards were pinned to his uniform by Maj. Gen. William F. Grimsley, acting commander of Fort Hood, during a ceremony that filled the west atrium at headquarters.
The presentation of the decorations that should have been pinned to his chest those many years ago didn’t happen for a variety of reasons. Commanders in the aftermath of the war didn’t submit the paperwork. It all fell through he cracks and Bearden never complained.
Grimsley said it finally came together from the combined efforts, hard work and diligence of U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, and her staff, the Department of the Army and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
He read a letter from Hutchison that charted Bearden’s military career beginning with his joining the Texas National Guard’s 36th Infantry Division in 1940. He went for training at the U.S. Army Parachute School at Fort Benning, Ga., in 1942. He parachuted into Normandy on D-Day in 1944.
Bearden was wounded twice in the first two days of battle. The Germans captured his unit when they were totally surrounded, out of ammunition and without food. He spent the rest of the war in a German concentration camp – Stalag IIIC just 15 miles from Berlin. The Russians liberated him there in January 1945.
Grimsley said it was a huge privilege to honor a living legend whose experiences are an account of courage and sacrifice.
“Finally, after 60 some-odd years we are about to reward him all of the awards he is due,” Grimsley said. “Courage, valor and willpower have no expiration date.”
It took about 10 minutes for Grimsley with the aid of Command Sgt. Maj. Archie Davis, the III Corps rear detachment command sergeant major, to affix so many medals at one time.
After a standing ovation, Bearden took the podium. He made no reference to the awards having come so late in life.
“I have been following this great Army since about 1940 – that’s about 70 years,” Bearden said. “I haven’t been separated from this Army by any distance for those 70 years. And I can tell you that today we have the best manned, most intelligent, best trained and best equipped fighting force ever.”
Bearden said he wanted to mention that a friend was in the audience who was a U.S. Marine.
“When I talk about D-Day I talk about Normandy,” he said. “But I can tell you he’s got several other D-Days he can talk about in the Pacific. Those great marines fought from one end of the Pacific to the other and if they hadn’t done a good job we would be speaking another language.”
Bearden said he appreciated the efficiency the III Corps military and civilian staff showed in putting together the ceremony.
“I just wish they had been planning the D-Day jump in Normandy,” Bearden said. “I might even have hit my drop zone.”
Bearden’s friends at the ceremony said he never once mentioned not getting the medals and the recognition.
“It’s just like him,” said Robert Dawson, 82. “He lived it. He didn’t need to fuss about it. He had the personal satisfaction of knowing even if nobody else knew.”
Jim Reichert, 83, said Bearden and Dawson were both cheerleaders for the U.T. Longhorns in 1946.
“He was always full of fun,” Reichert said. “He was always the center of attraction whenever we did anything. He made life worthwhile because of his positive attitude.”
Command Sgt. Maj. Donald Felt, the command sergeant major for the garrison command, told Bearden that World War II paratroopers were his heroes.
“It’s guys like you that inspired me to join the Army and the only thing I wanted to do was be a paratrooper,” Felt said.
How did Bearden feel about the honor?
“I am sharing some of the same emotions I feel when I go back to Normandy to visit,” Bearden said. “I go put my arms around the only man I lost there and I just talk to him.”
Medals Awarded:
Bronze Star Medal
Purple Heart
Presidential Unit Citation
Prisoner of War Medal
American Defense Service Medal
American Campaign Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with one Bronze Service Star and Bronze Arrowhead Device
World War II Victory Medal
Combat Infantryman Badge
French Fourragere
Expert Badge with Rifle Bar
Basic Parachutist Badge with one Bronze Service Star
Honorable Service Lapel Button: WWII
Story and photo by Harper Scott Clark
Temple Daily Telegram Staff Writer
Very cool! Thanks for sharing!
God Bless Bearden. What a great story…
Pingback: The Greenroom » WWII vet awarded 13 medals 66 years after D-Day
Pingback: WWII vet awarded 13 medals 66 years after D-Day « Hard Corps Wife
Pingback: Cassy Fiano » WWII vet awarded 13 medals 66 years after D-Day
What an awesome story CJ. That is really, really cool.
Bravo, sir. Bravo.
My dad was a screaming eagle in the battle of the Bulge…he lived his life and didn’t talk about it either…so from one hero to another, well done soldier!