DeLano, Robert A.

Description

Robert A. DeLano

Robert Andrew Delano was born on August 21, 1920, in Yonkers, New York, to Della Dorothy Shick, age 32, and James K. Delano, age 32.He had two sisters Dorothy and Mary and a younger brother James.

In Rye his family lived at 96 Apawamis Avenue and were members of the Church of the Resurrection. Robert was a Rye High School Graduate, Class of 1941. He enlisted and served in the U.S. Army during World War II.

Robert served two and a half years in New Guinea, Netherlands East Indies, the Philippines and Japan as a member of an Amphibious Engineers Corps.

These Army Corps of Engineers units were a specialised group of hybrid soldier-sailors. Their mission was to transport men and equipment in shore to shore operations, construct pier and dock facilities, roads and landing strips. These brigades were composed of 360 officers, 7500 enlisted men and 550 landing craft – 36-foot LCVPs (Landing Craft Vehicles and Personnel) and 50-foot LCMs (Landing Craft Mechanised).

The 2nd, 3rd and 4th Engineer Special Brigades were assigned to the Southwest Pacific Area, and participated in the campaigns in the Bismarck Archipelago, New Guinea, Leyte, Luzon, the Southern Philippines and Borneo campaign.

Robert returned home to Rye after his honorable discharge in January 1946.

Robert Andrew Delano died on December 16, 2001, in Bridgeport, Connecticut, when he was 81 years old.