Robert served as a First Lieutenant & Pilot on C-47A #43-48223, 1403rd Base Unit, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Schenectady County, New York prior to the war. He was born and raised in Syracuse, New York where he was a member of the 1939 Nottingham High School Championship Football Team.
He enlisted in the Army on February 28, 1942 in Albany, New York. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a Radio Operator and also as Single, without dependents.
C-47A #43-48223 took off from England on a flight to France during the war. They were carrying a U.S.O. civilian entertainment group. They crashed, for an unknown reason, near Carmeilles-en-Vallangou, France.
Robert died in the "Line Of Duty" in this crash during the war.
It was noted by family member Dorry Dearstine Kelley that he married an American nurse in France, but he never told the family. She returned to her home state of Michigan after the war and according to research, she never took the Dearstine name, did not remarry, and died in her 80s.
Service # O-801557
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Those killed on this U.S.O. Flight:
Barschdorf, Alfred E ~ Pfc, Flight Crew, VT
Chapman, Lester I ~ Civilian, Wrestler, TX
Dearstine, Robert H ~ 1st Lt, Pilot, NY
Donor, Ruth G, Mrs ~ Civilian, NJ
Foster, Festus F ~ Captain, Navy, VA
Heeger, Paul J ~ Pfc, Flight Crew, OH
Heideman, Lawrence L L ~ Lt, Navy, MI
Hirth, Herbert H ~ 1st Lt, Flight Crew, LA
Hope, John G ~ Spec/1c, Navy, PA
Mansell, Paul A ~ 1st Lt, Flight Crew, NY
Matkovich, George ~ Civilian, Wrestler
McVey, Albert J ~ Sgt, Air Force, IL
Reuben, Benny ~ Civilian, Wrestler
Ross, George "Jack" ~ Civilian, Wrestler, IL
Sabath, Harold A ~ Civilian, Wrestler
Young, Gaius W ~ Civilian, Wrestler, MN
Note: The Associated Press reported that the European Division of the Air Transport Command stated that this ended a safety run in which 5 million miles of flying by that division had occurred without a loss of life.
( Bio & Flight Listing by: Russ Pickett )
( Burial Location found by: Anne Cady )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He resided in Schenectady County, New York prior to the war. He was born and raised in Syracuse, New York where he was a member of the 1939 Nottingham High School Championship Football Team.
He enlisted in the Army on February 28, 1942 in Albany, New York. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a Radio Operator and also as Single, without dependents.
C-47A #43-48223 took off from England on a flight to France during the war. They were carrying a U.S.O. civilian entertainment group. They crashed, for an unknown reason, near Carmeilles-en-Vallangou, France.
Robert died in the "Line Of Duty" in this crash during the war.
It was noted by family member Dorry Dearstine Kelley that he married an American nurse in France, but he never told the family. She returned to her home state of Michigan after the war and according to research, she never took the Dearstine name, did not remarry, and died in her 80s.
Service # O-801557
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Those killed on this U.S.O. Flight:
Barschdorf, Alfred E ~ Pfc, Flight Crew, VT
Chapman, Lester I ~ Civilian, Wrestler, TX
Dearstine, Robert H ~ 1st Lt, Pilot, NY
Donor, Ruth G, Mrs ~ Civilian, NJ
Foster, Festus F ~ Captain, Navy, VA
Heeger, Paul J ~ Pfc, Flight Crew, OH
Heideman, Lawrence L L ~ Lt, Navy, MI
Hirth, Herbert H ~ 1st Lt, Flight Crew, LA
Hope, John G ~ Spec/1c, Navy, PA
Mansell, Paul A ~ 1st Lt, Flight Crew, NY
Matkovich, George ~ Civilian, Wrestler
McVey, Albert J ~ Sgt, Air Force, IL
Reuben, Benny ~ Civilian, Wrestler
Ross, George "Jack" ~ Civilian, Wrestler, IL
Sabath, Harold A ~ Civilian, Wrestler
Young, Gaius W ~ Civilian, Wrestler, MN
Note: The Associated Press reported that the European Division of the Air Transport Command stated that this ended a safety run in which 5 million miles of flying by that division had occurred without a loss of life.
( Bio & Flight Listing by: Russ Pickett )
( Burial Location found by: Anne Cady )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Robert served as a First Lieutenant & Pilot on C-47A #43-48223, 1403rd Base Unit, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Schenectady County, New York prior to the war. He was born and raised in Syracuse, New York where he was a member of the 1939 Nottingham High School Championship Football Team.
He enlisted in the Army on February 28, 1942 in Albany, New York. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a Radio Operator and also as Single, without dependents.
C-47A #43-48223 took off from England on a flight to France during the war. They were carrying a U.S.O. civilian entertainment group. They crashed, for an unknown reason, near Carmeilles-en-Vallangou, France.
Robert died in the "Line Of Duty" in this crash during the war.
It was noted by family member Dorry Dearstine Kelley that he married an American nurse in France, but he never told the family. She returned to her home state of Michigan after the war and according to research, she never took the Dearstine name, did not remarry, and died in her 80s.
Service # O-801557
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Those killed on this U.S.O. Flight:
Barschdorf, Alfred E ~ Pfc, Flight Crew, VT
Chapman, Lester I ~ Civilian, Wrestler, TX
Dearstine, Robert H ~ 1st Lt, Pilot, NY
Donor, Ruth G, Mrs ~ Civilian, NJ
Foster, Festus F ~ Captain, Navy, VA
Heeger, Paul J ~ Pfc, Flight Crew, OH
Heideman, Lawrence L L ~ Lt, Navy, MI
Hirth, Herbert H ~ 1st Lt, Flight Crew, LA
Hope, John G ~ Spec/1c, Navy, PA
Mansell, Paul A ~ 1st Lt, Flight Crew, NY
Matkovich, George ~ Civilian, Wrestler
McVey, Albert J ~ Sgt, Air Force, IL
Reuben, Benny ~ Civilian, Wrestler
Ross, George "Jack" ~ Civilian, Wrestler, IL
Sabath, Harold A ~ Civilian, Wrestler
Young, Gaius W ~ Civilian, Wrestler, MN
Note: The Associated Press reported that the European Division of the Air Transport Command stated that this ended a safety run in which 5 million miles of flying by that division had occurred without a loss of life.
( Bio & Flight Listing by: Russ Pickett )
( Burial Location found by: Anne Cady )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He resided in Schenectady County, New York prior to the war. He was born and raised in Syracuse, New York where he was a member of the 1939 Nottingham High School Championship Football Team.
He enlisted in the Army on February 28, 1942 in Albany, New York. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a Radio Operator and also as Single, without dependents.
C-47A #43-48223 took off from England on a flight to France during the war. They were carrying a U.S.O. civilian entertainment group. They crashed, for an unknown reason, near Carmeilles-en-Vallangou, France.
Robert died in the "Line Of Duty" in this crash during the war.
It was noted by family member Dorry Dearstine Kelley that he married an American nurse in France, but he never told the family. She returned to her home state of Michigan after the war and according to research, she never took the Dearstine name, did not remarry, and died in her 80s.
Service # O-801557
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Those killed on this U.S.O. Flight:
Barschdorf, Alfred E ~ Pfc, Flight Crew, VT
Chapman, Lester I ~ Civilian, Wrestler, TX
Dearstine, Robert H ~ 1st Lt, Pilot, NY
Donor, Ruth G, Mrs ~ Civilian, NJ
Foster, Festus F ~ Captain, Navy, VA
Heeger, Paul J ~ Pfc, Flight Crew, OH
Heideman, Lawrence L L ~ Lt, Navy, MI
Hirth, Herbert H ~ 1st Lt, Flight Crew, LA
Hope, John G ~ Spec/1c, Navy, PA
Mansell, Paul A ~ 1st Lt, Flight Crew, NY
Matkovich, George ~ Civilian, Wrestler
McVey, Albert J ~ Sgt, Air Force, IL
Reuben, Benny ~ Civilian, Wrestler
Ross, George "Jack" ~ Civilian, Wrestler, IL
Sabath, Harold A ~ Civilian, Wrestler
Young, Gaius W ~ Civilian, Wrestler, MN
Note: The Associated Press reported that the European Division of the Air Transport Command stated that this ended a safety run in which 5 million miles of flying by that division had occurred without a loss of life.
( Bio & Flight Listing by: Russ Pickett )
( Burial Location found by: Anne Cady )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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