Robert D. Booker (July 11, 1920 – April 9, 1943) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor ...

—for his actions in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Biography

Booker joined the army from his birthplace of

Callaway, Nebraska Callaway is a village in Custer County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 539 at the 2010 census. History Callaway was platted in 1885. It was named for S. R. Callaway, general manager of the Union Pacific Railroad. Geography Acco ...

, in June 1942, and by April 9, 1943, was serving as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

in the 133rd Infantry Regiment, 34th Infantry Division. On that day, near Fondouk,

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

, he advanced alone across open terrain despite intense hostile fire and began firing on the enemy with his

machine gun A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifl ...

. After being wounded, he continued to fire until receiving a second, fatal, wound. For these actions, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor a year later, on April 25, 1944. Booker, aged 22 at his death, was buried at Rose Hill Cemetery in his hometown of Callaway, Nebraska.findagrave.com id #6404207
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Medal of Honor citation

Private Booker's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty in action. On 9 April 1943 in the vicinity of Fondouk, Tunisia, Pvt. Booker, while engaged in action against the enemy, carried a light machinegun and a box of ammunition over 200 yards of open ground. He continued to advance despite the fact that 2 enemy machineguns and several
mortars Mortar may refer to: * Mortar (weapon), an indirect-fire infantry weapon * Mortar (masonry), a material used to fill the gaps between blocks and bind them together * Mortar and pestle, a tool pair used to crush or grind * Mortar, Bihar, a village ...
were using him as an individual target. Although enemy
artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieg ...
also began to register on him, upon reaching his objective he immediately commenced firing. After being wounded he silenced 1 enemy machinegun and was beginning to fire at the other when he received a second mortal wound. With his last remaining strength he encouraged the members of his squad and directed their fire. Pvt. Booker acted without regard for his own safety. His initiative and courage against insurmountable odds are an example of the highest standard of self-sacrifice and fidelity to duty.

Legacy

The

M10 Booker The M10 Booker is an armored fighting vehicle under development by General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) for the United States Army, developed from the GDLS Griffin II armored fighting vehicle as the winner of its Mobile Protected Firepower pr ...

, an armored fighting vehicle unveiled by the U.S. Army in June 2023, is named in Booker's honor.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Booker, Robert D. 1920 births 1943 deaths United States Army personnel killed in World War II United States Army Medal of Honor recipients People from Custer County, Nebraska United States Army soldiers World War II recipients of the Medal of Honor

Biography

Medal of Honor citation

Legacy

See also

References