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I waved goodbye to Bob from the deck of the U.S.A.T. Washington on the morning of May 14, 1941. The times were troubled and the evacuation of families from the Philippines was well under way. We had arrived on Corregidor on the 31st of the previous October—still honeymooning after our July wedding— “and our hearts were young and gay”.</p>
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During that short time together, I had come to know Bob as only a wife can. Oh, I had “known” him for three years while he was a kaydet at the academy: but that was in a star-dust-in-my-eyes sort of way. He was a glamorous figure and I was immensely proud of his honors and the esteem in which his classmates held him.</p>
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After our marriage, I came to see Bob through realistic, earthly eyes—I came to know the man his classmates regarded so highly through having lived with him for four years. I came to enjoy that rare sense of humor that made it possible for him even to laugh at jokes on himself. I came to prize that sincerity, honesty of purpose, and deep rooted sense of honor to home and duty, which formed the core of Bob Wheat:—Officer and Gentleman.</p>
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<em>Robert Ila Wheat</em> was born in DeWitt, Arkansas on March 6, 1918, the eldest child of Ila and Shirley Peak Wheat. Soon afterward, his parents moved to Conway, Arkansas where a sister, Ann, arrived to complete what was to become a happy, closely knit family.</p>
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Bob attended the Conway public schools and spent three years at Hendrix College. He excelled in his studies, being chosen salutatorian of his Conway High School graduating class. His interests were varied, though he preferred sports as hobbies, becoming proficient at tennis and swimming. This love of sports served as an outlet for that intense competitive spirit with which Bob was endowed. Though a hard fighter in everything he did, his sportsmanship and sense of fair play were never failing.</p>
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Although Bob “ranked” the Engineers in his class of ‘40, he chose the Coast Artillery and went to Fort Monroe in August, 1940 for Anti-aircraft training. On September 14, 1940 we sailed from New York City on the U.S.A.T. Grant and arrived on Corregidor on October 31, 1940. Bob was made Transportation Officer of the 92nd Coast Artillery (Philippine Scout) Regiment.</p>
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It is a credit to Bob’s Academy training and participation in sports that he was able to endure the ordeal of the ensuing years almost to the very end—to victory. He survived the Fall of Corregidor and, finally, the sinking of the ill-fated December 13, 1944 Prison Ship. This last ordeal, however, left him in such a weakened condition that, because of lack of food, care, and livable quarters, he died suddenly on February 22, 1945 while administering to the illnesses of his fellow prisoners.</p>
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Bob was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster “For distinguishing himself by meritorious achievement and service on Corregidor, Philippine Islands, from 8 December, 1941 to 6 May, 1942. As Supply and Ammunition Officer of the 92nd Coast Artillery and Group Three, he displayed unusual initiative and judgment throughout the campaign, which coupled with meritorious conduct under fire, made his service in the Corregidor defense of outstanding value”.</p>
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<em>—Mrs. Dorothy Fairlamb Wheat</em></p>
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