Robert Edward Blair was born April 5, 1918 in Oriskany Falls, NY to Raymond Blair (1889-1952) and Ellen M. "Nellie" Carney (1866-1948). His parents were married on March 2, 1916 in Waterville, NY. He had an older brother Henry, a younger brother Anthony and younger sister Helen. When he was young the family lived in Sangerfiled, NY and later moved to Waterville, NY.  He attended Madison Central School through the eighth grade and then graduated from Waterville Central School in 1935. While there he played basketball, baseball and soccer and was the winner in a number of Arithmetic contests at both the county and state level. His friends called him "Spike." After graduating he went to work in the Waterville Textile Mill.

Robert appeared often in the Waterville Times “community section” as being active in sports, camping, visiting friends, being in boy scouts, receiving awards in school, passing exams and more. The local 4-H Club, of which he was President, was named "Washington 4-H Club" because he once declared that, "Washington was a great man and was interested in agriculture, so why not name our club after him." His suggestion passed unanimously. His brother Henry and he were inducted into the Future Farmers of American in 1932. In May 1935 he won the New York State Business Association competition held in Syracuse, NY. Considered a great honor, he was granted the privilege of competing in the national competition in Chicago later that year. (I was unable to find anything on if he attended and if so, how he did.) He played baseball for The Waterville Independents Juniors in the summer of 1939. He was among those that pulled together to help 43 school children to safety when their school bus got "marooned" during a snow storm in February 1939. His named appeared on the village payroll in March 1940 as a "laborer". He was a member of St. Bernard's Church and its Holy Name Society.

Like many young men at the time, Robert registered for the draft on October 16, 1940 in Rome, NY. This date coincides with President Franklin D. Roosevelt's signing into law the Selective Training and Service Act which required men aged 21 to 35 to register for the draft. He was 5'-6" tall and weighed 135 pounds with blue eyes and brown hair. He was drafted into the service on July 6, 1942 with service number 32372818. He received training at Camp Lee, Virginia, Camp Edwards, Massachusetts and Fort Ord, California before going overseas on February 6, 1943. He was able to travel home in September 1942 while stationed at Camp Edwards to spend a weekend with his parents. He was assigned to the 592nd Engineer Amphibian Regiment, a key unit in the south Pacific during World War II. The 592nd conducted over 100 combat landings, operated landing craft and secured beaches in New Guinea, Leyte and the Philippines.

According to official Morning Reports, in September 1944, Pfc. Blair was with the 592nd when they traveled aboard the USS Silvestre Escalante to Los Negros Island (Admiralty Islands) , which by that time was a massive staging base for the upcoming invasion of the Philippines. While there, he was stationed near Red Beach on the southeastern shore of the island just south of Momote Airfield. A month later, on October 20, 1944 the Allies invaded Leyte. On October 26, 1944, Pfc. Robert Blair was almost certainly engaged in continuous amphibious supply operations along the Leyte beachhead—likely near Tacloban or Dulag—when he was killed during a period of intense Japanese air activity associated with the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

His older brother Henry was also stationed in the Pacific during World War II and was able to visit Robert's grave before being honorably discharged. After the war, during the government's body recovery program his remains are returned home and he is buried in the Saint Bernard's Cemetery, Waterville, NY Section 4, plot 97, grave 5.

On Memorial Day 1946 the Honor Roll of service men and women of Waterville Central School was dedicated during a memorial assembly. Pfc. Blair's name is etched on this roll with a star next to his name indicating he was killed in action. In September 1947 a World War II Memorial was placed on the village green in Sangerfield, NY with Pfc. Robert Blair's name etched on it along with other men from the area that were lost in the war.

On September 7, 1947 a monument was erected on Sangerfield Green in memory of residents of the Town of Sangerfield who gave their lives in World War II. Pvt. Robert Blair's name is etched on this monument along with 14 others. Pfc. Blair's remains were returned home during the government's body recovery program and he was buried in the St. Bernard's Cemetery in Waterville, NY on September 9, 1948 (Padula).

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project. This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 421,000+ of the US WWII fallen on Together We Served and Fold3.

(Please see - http://www.storiesbehindthestars.org).

Can you help us write these stories? Together We Served and Fold3/Find A Grave have smartphone apps that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery and read these stories of WWII fallen.

If you noticed anything erroneous in this profile or have additional information to contribute, please contact Jim Greenberg at jim.greenberg@oneonta.edu.

SBTSProject/New York/Oneida

Sources

Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1847-1849, 1907-1936 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016.

"Byrnes and Blair Win High Ratings", The Waterville Times, Waterville, NY, May 9, 1935, pg. 1.

"Central School Honor Roll To Be Dedicated Wednesday", Waterville Times, Waterville, NY, May 23, 1946, pg. 1

"Central School Notes", The Waterville Times, Waterville, NY, February 28, 1935, pg. 4.

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/108464169/robert_e-blair: accessed February 26, 2026), memorial page for Robert E. Blair (5 Apr 1918–26 Oct 1944), Find a Grave Memorial ID 108464169, citing Saint Bernard's Cemetery, Waterville, Oneida County, New York, USA; Maintained by Geanygal (contributor 48091759).

"Local Honor Roll Will Be marked With Gold Stars", The Waterville Times, Waterville, NY, October 25, 1945, pg. 1.

Miller, John, Jr., U.S. Army in World War II, The War in the Pacific, CARTWHEEL: The Reduction of Rabaul, Chapter XVI, Action in the Admiralties accessed at https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-P-Rabaul/USA-P-Rabaul-16.html on March 27, 2026.

"Monuments Honor War Veterans", The Waterville Times, Waterville NY, July 3, 1996, pg. 13.

National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Wwii Draft Registration Cards For New York State, 10/16/1940 - 03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147

New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1925; Election District: 01; Assembly District: 01; City: Madison; County: Madison; Page: 15

Obituary for Robert E. Blair, The Waterville Times, Waterville, NY, September 9, 1948.

Padula, Bonnie Mae, “Internment Date of World War II Fallen in St. Bernard's Cemetery”, Received by James Greenberg, March 30, 2026.

"Pvt. Robert Blair Killed in Action on October 26", The Waterville Times, Waterville, NY, November 22, 1944, pg. 1.

"Sangerfield Marker Dedication Sunday", The Waterville Times and Hop Reporter, Waterville, NY, September 4, 1947, pg. 1.

"Sangerfiled Plans to Erect Monument", The Waterville Times, Waterville, NY, July 31, 1947, pg. 1.

The Academic Union 1935, published by the Board of Editors, Waterville Central School, Central School District No. 1 of the Towns of Sangerfield and Marshall, Oneida County and Madison, Madison County, NY. Vol 55.

"Waterville, Pvt. R. E. Blair Killed on Leyte", Daily Sentinel, Rome, NY, November 24, 1944, pg. 14.

Year: 1920; Census Place: Sangerfield, Oneida, New York; Roll: T625_1243; Page: 1A; Enumeration District: 109

Year: 1930; Census Place: Madison, Madison, New York; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 0030; FHL microfilm: 2341181

Year: 1940; Census Place: Waterville, Oneida, New York; Roll: m-t0627-02700; Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 33-31

Supporting Documents