Second Lieutenant Robert Wallace

Lt. Robert C. Wallace, 21, of Bureau, was killed in action February 5, 1945, while serving in the infantry of the Fifth Army near Bologna, Italy. He enlisted February 6, 1943, and was sent overseas to North Africa in the fall of 1944. He was promoted from private to sergeant and awarded the Silver Star for gallantry as the result of action on May 29, 1944 in the vicinity of Lanuvio, Italy. All the officers of his platoon became casualties, and when the situation became desperate, Robert went from man to man calming them and planning a route of withdrawal, during which he personally led and carried a wounded comrade. The platoon withdrew successfully, holding off the enemy and inflicting heavy casualties. He rejoined the main body and continued directing the evacuation of wounded until all were safe. In addition to the Silver Star, he earned the Distinguished Service Cross, Presidential Unit Citation, Combat Infantryman Badge, and the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster.