Robert Craig
Robert was born on the 7th of June 1919, in Scotland, and his family emigrated to Toledo, Ohio, where he grew up with his brother and sister. At the age of 22, Robert joined the US Army and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant of infantry. It was his actions with Company L, 15th Infantry, 3rd Infantry Division, that would cost him his life and earn him the Medal of Honor. The citation reads:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty, on 11 July 1943, at Favoratta, Sicily. Second Lt. Craig voluntarily undertook the perilous task of locating and destroying a hidden enemy machine gun which had halted the advance of his company. Attempts by three other officers to locate the weapon had resulted in failure, with each officer receiving wounds. Second Lt. Craig located the gun and snaked his way to a point within 35 yards of the hostile position before being discovered. Charging headlong into the furious automatic fire, he reached the gun, stood over it, and killed the three crew members with his carbine. With this obstacle removed, his company continued its advance. Shortly thereafter, while advancing down the forward slope of a ridge, 2d Lt. Craig and his platoon, in a position devoid of cover and concealment, encountered the fire of approximately 100 enemy soldiers. Electing to sacrifice himself so that his platoon might carry on the battle, he ordered his men to withdraw to the cover of the crest while he drew the enemy fire to himself. With no hope of survival, he charged toward the enemy unitl he was within 25 yards of them. Assuming a kneeling position, he killed five and wounded three enemy soldiers. While the hostile force concentrated fire on him, his platoon reached the cover of the crest. Second Lt. Craig was killed by enemy fire, but his intrepid action so inspired his men that they drove the enemy from the area, inflicting heavy casualties on the hostile force.
Robert Craig was 24 years old when he died, and his father received his posthumous Medal of Honor on the 16th of May 1944. He is buried with his parents in the Toledo Memorial Park in Sylvania, Ohio: Section 36, Lot 188, Grave 5.
