Homefront to Battlefront: Bob Price’s Honored Sacrifice
- Stephen Gould
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
Although Robert “Bob” Price’s work as a farmhand exempted him from military service, he decided to join the U.S. Army out of a sense of duty and patriotism. His father, George, had served in France with the U.S. Army during the First World War. Bob was inducted into the army on July 10, 1944 and was quickly sent to Camp Wolters, a large basic training camp near Fort Worth, Texas. There he learned the basics of packing his knapsack and pitching a tent in the dark. One thing the army could not teach him was how to sleep comfortably in his tent. Looking for advice from a veteran soldier, Bob wrote to his brother Norman, “Ask dad…how you sleep comfortable in a pup tent.” After seventeen weeks of training, including truck driving instruction, Bob was ready for duty as a truck driver.
Although the Invasion of Normandy in June 1944 was successful, Nazi German resistance had slowed the Allied advance. One of the American infantry divisions that was in the thick of the fighting was the 28th “Keystone” Division. After landing in France in late July 1944, the Keystone Division had the honor of marching down the Champs-Elysées in Paris on August 29, 1944. However, the 28th suffered over 5,000 casualties during the poorly planned Battle of Hurtgen Forest near Aachen, Germany in the late fall. The loss of combat infantrymen in the late fall led to an overall manpower shortage throughout to U.S. Army. Pulled off the front line near Aachen to recover on November 14, the 28th Infantry was directly in the path of the German Ardennes Offensive (known as the “Battle of the Bulge”) on December 16, 1944. Again, the “Keystone” Division suffered heavy casualties.
While the 28th was fighting for its life on Christmas Day, Bob was on a boat heading for France. He later wrote to his aunt and uncle that he missed his family's Christmas dinner, writing, "I sure was thinking of that dinner..." By the end of February 1945, he joined Company K of the 110th Infantry Regiment of the “Keystone” Division. The division had lost so many infantrymen that Bob’s training as a truck driver was not needed and he was assigned as a replacement combat soldier.
Price's regiment was near Blumenthal, Germany, on March 19, 1945, when his platoon came under enemy fire from a concrete bunker along the German Siegfried Line. Unable to advance, Price, one of “the new guys,” volunteered to obtain a map of the enemy position from another squad. To obtain the map, Price had to cross an open field under heavy machine-gun fire. The platoon's sergeant later recalled, "He had the guts to run over that field while Jerry was throwing everything [at him]."
After getting the map, Price was making the dangerous return journey when he was mortally wounded by a land mine. Despite the painful wound, he crawled forward and delivered the map to a comrade. He died shortly thereafter in a Belgium hospital. Less than two months later, the war ended in Europe ("VE Day”).
Initially buried at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery in Belgium, among more than 7,000 American soldiers who gave their lives in the European Theater, Bob came home to Southampton and now rests at Southampton Cemetery.
Robert’s story is one of extraordinary courage, quiet determination, and ultimate sacrifice in the service of freedom. For his courage, Price was posthumously awarded a Silver Star, the military’s third-highest combat decoration, awarded for gallantry in action. Robert Price is remembered as a “Fallen Hero” on the Southampton High School Wall of Distinction.
Learn more about Bob Price and other Southampton heroes at Homefront to Battlefront: Southampton during WWII, the Southampton History Museum's exhibit featuring the legacies and sacrifices of Southampton's citizens during World War II. A selection of panel from this exhibition is on view in the lobby at the Southampton Cultural Center in Southampton Village.
As the voices of the "Greatest Generation" grow fainter with time, we invite you to help preserve their memory and honor heroes like Heinz and Hans. If you have a loved one who served or lived through World War II, we welcome you to share their story with us by clicking on this link: https://forms.gle/ZXxMabyJQyGvjc3m7