Robert Delmon Worden (18219326)

Rank: Tech 5

Enlisted: 12/2/1942 Little Rock Arkansas

Dates of Service: 2 Dec 42 to 23 Jul 44 United States

31 Jul 44 to 10 Dec 45 ETO

Discharged: 12/27/1945 St. Louis, Missouri

Robert "Bob" Delmon Worden was born 12/12/1923 in Weiner, Arkansas. He enlisted on December 2nd, 1942 at Little Rock, Arkansas. He served as a lineman in a signal corps construction battalion and a field artillery battalion. Laid telephone lines and installed small switchboards and field phones. Also spliced and repaired broken lines. He qualified as marksman with the rifle and expert with the carbine. His battles and campaigns are: Northern France, Ardennes, Central Europe, and Rhineland. He was awarded 4 bronze battle stars for those campaign and the Good Conduct medal. He had no lost time and was issued the lapel button (ruptured duck) and is entitled to wear the American Theatre Campaign, European-African Middle Eastern Theatre campaign ribbons, two overseas bars and the victory ribbon. He was separated Dec 27 1945 at the Jefferson Barracks Separation Center in St. Louis, Missouri. He left for European Theater of Operations on 23 July 1944 arriving there 31 July 1944. Coming home he left on 10 December 1945 and returned 21 December 1945.

Three stories told by Bob Worden to his son Robert:

1. He turned down a purple heart because he did not want his mother to know that he had been wounded. Many years later he went to the VA for treatment and was refused because there was no record of the incident.

2. One he ran across an airstrip dodging bullets to deliver a message to the commanding officer on board the plane. When he arrived at the foot of the steps to the plane a higher ranking sergeant took the message and gave to the commander. That other sergeant was awarded the bronze star for his heroism in delivering the message.

3. One when he and a buddy were in a foxhole he heard his mother calling from another fox hole. He convinced his buddy to crawl with him to the other hole. When they got there it was empty but the foxhole they just left exploded.