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Robert Ware [1942]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Service Unit/Ship: 104th Medical Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division
  • Location of Service: Fort Meade, Maryland; Fort A. P. Hill, Virginia; Florida; England; Omaha Beach, Normandy, France
  • Highest Rank: Captain
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/41351

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"The Secretary of War desires that I tender his deep sympathy to you in the loss of your husband Captain Robert B. Ware." (Telegram to Mrs. Ware, 8/5/1944)

Unlike many who fought, Captain Robert Barnes Ware did not wait to be drafted, or enlist following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Forgoing an internship at Lynchburg General Hospital, he volunteered for the Virginia National Guard in 1940 and was assigned to the Army's 104th Medical Battalion. On D-Day, he chose to launch with one of the first waves of the invasion, instead of waiting for the beach to be cleared, and was killed while attempting to disembark from his landing craft. Official correspondence from the military about his death was slow in coming: a telegram confirming his status as killed in action did not arrive until August 5th, nearly two months after D-Day. His collection--with letters sent between Ware and his wife, as well as official military correspondence relating to life insurance and benefits--conveys the devastating emotional and financial impact on families when a servicemember is killed in action.

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[ Photo Album ]

More Resources

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[ Telegram notifying Robert Ware of his promotion to Captain Medical Corps [4/13/1942] ]
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[ Special Orders #60 [5/11/1940] ]
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[ Personal Report of Reserve Officer [blank] ]
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[ Orders appointing Robert B. Ware a 1st Lieutenant [6/4/1940] ]
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[ Special Orders #115 [5/16/1941] ]
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[ Report of Physical Examination [7/9/1941] ]

Show more resources (33)

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[ Application for National Service Life Insurance Policy ]
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[ Special Orders #150 [6/11/1942] ]
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[ Last will and testament of Robert Barnes Ware [9/16/1942] ]
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[ Letter from Major General T. B. Larkin informing Mrs. Ware of the burial location of her husband [ 7/18/1946] ]
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[ Notice of settlement of claim of pay and allowances for Mrs. Ware's deceased husband [10/8/1945] ]
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[ Notice of settlement of National Service Life Insurance claim [10/20/1944] ]
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[ Letter from Brigadier General Edward Witsell to Mrs. Ware, including a copy of General Orders #73 in which Robert Ware's regiment was cited for outstanding performance of duty [12/8/1944] ]
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[ Letter to wife from Robert Ware [12/9/1941] ]
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[ V-mail from Robert Ware to his wife [2/1/1943] ]
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[ V-mail from Robert Ware to his wife [4/13/1943] ]
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[ Telegram Valentine Greeting from Robert Ware to his wife [2/14/1942] ]
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[ Telegram to his wife on Mother's Day from Robert B. Ware [n.d.] ]
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[ Letter from Robert Ware to his wife [n.d.] ]
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[ Letter from Robert Ware to his wife [n.d.] ]
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[ Telegram from Robert Ware to his wife [n.d.] ]
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[ Christmas telegram from Robert Ware to Dr. Reuben Ware [n.d.] ]
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[ Letter from Robert Ware to his wife [6/3/1943] ]
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[ Postcard from Robert Ware to his wife [1/11/1944] ]
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[ V-mail to Mrs. G. N. Wood from Robert Ware [2/16/1944] ]
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[ Letter from his wife to Robert Ware [6/4/1944] ]
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[ Father's Day card from Robert Ware's son, Bob [6/5/1944] ]
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[ Greeting card to Robert Ware from his wife [6/5/1944] ]
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[ Telegram informing Mrs. Ware that her husband has been MIA since June 6, 1944. ]
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[ Letter from Major General J. A. Ulio, confirming Robert Ware's MIA status [7/20/1944] ]
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[ Telegram to Mrs. Ware from "Vernon" expressing condolences [8/5/1944] ]
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[ Telegram to Mrs. Ware from the Adjutant General on behalf of the Secretary of War, reporting Robert B. Ware killed in action [8/5/1944] ]
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[ Letter from J. A. Ulio, the Adjutant General, to Mrs. Ware confirming Robert Ware's status as killed in action [8/8/1944] ]
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[ Letter from the Secretary of War, Henry L. Stimson, informing Mrs. Ware of the posthumous award of the Purple Heart to Robert B. Ware [11/7/1944] ]
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[ Letter from Brigadier General G. A. Horkan to Mrs. Ware, including a photograph of the United States Military Cemetery at St. Laurent, France [1/29/1947] ]
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[ Letter from Major Richard B. Coombs to Mrs. Ware regarding the disposition of her husband's remains [5/2/1947] ]
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[ Letter from Major General H. Feldman to Mrs. Martha W. Ware informing her that her husband has been permanently laid to rest in France [4/15/1949] ]
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[ Biographical information ]
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[ Essay: "If you have lost a son" by Dr. A. W. F. Blunt ]

About this Item

Title

  • Robert Barnes Ware Collection

Names

  • Ware, Robert Barnes
  • Ware, Robert B.

Headings

  • -  Ware, Robert Barnes
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Male

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1939-1945

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Service Unit/Ship: 104th Medical Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division
    • Location of Service: Fort Meade, Maryland; Fort A. P. Hill, Virginia; Florida; England; Omaha Beach, Normandy, France
    • Highest Rank: Captain
    • Dates of Service: 1940-1944
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: veteran
    • Service History Note: The veteran was killed in action during the D-Day landings and subsequently buried in the Normandy American Cemetery at St. Laurent, France, overlooking Omaha Beach.

Materials

  • Manuscript: Printed matter [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Biography [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 2005)
  • Manuscript: Clippings [11 items] -- Typewritten document (collected 1944)
  • Manuscript: Correspondence [28 items] -- Mixed (handwritten and typewritten documents) (collected 1941-1949)
  • Manuscript: Military Papers [10 items] -- Typewritten document (collected 1940-1945)
  • Photograph: Mixed (Multiple types of photographs) [6 items] -- Photographs (collected 1937-1996)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/41351

Online Format

  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Ware, Robert Barnes, and Robert B Ware. Robert Barnes Ware Collection. 1940. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.41351/.

APA citation style:

Ware, R. B. & Ware, R. B. (1940) Robert Barnes Ware Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.41351/.

MLA citation style:

Ware, Robert Barnes, and Robert B Ware. Robert Barnes Ware Collection. 1940. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.41351/>.