ROBERT LAVERNE GILMAN b. Mar 11, 1921 Freeport, Ill
d. Mar 30, 1945 Killed in Action
Luzon Island, Philippines
Pfc 36573446 Army 152nd Inf Reg 38th
Inf Div
Buried Ft. Wm McKinley, Manila, Philippines
Parents: Glenn C & Beulah
F. (Sullivan)
Siblings: Donald H., John D., Kenneth E., Evelyn G.,
Glenn N. Spouse: Eleanor Sylvia Beacome b. 1924
Child: Sharon Ann b. 1943
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| 14150 Blackstone |
Father Glenn was born in Iowa and mother Beulah in
Illinois. They moved their family to Detroit from Illinois in 1924 where he
worked as a dock laborer at the auto factory. They lived more than 20 years in
their 836 sq. ft. home at 14150 Blackstone in Detroit; daughter Evelyn had
moved by 1940 so there were just 6 of them in the home. Three of the sons were
in the military in WWII.
Robert registered for the draft 16 Feb 1942 in
Wayne, MI at 140 lbs, 5’10” with gray eyes and brown hair. He worked as a
laborer for a retail building supply company. He married Eleanor in Detroit on
Aug 23, 1941; her family lived not too far at 17586 Ferguson, another modest
house of 859 sq ft built in 1900. He was 20, she 17 so if she attended Redford
High she wasn’t likely to have graduated. she remarried and died in Florida in the 1990's.
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| Herman Gardens 1942 |
The notification address for the headstone record
has Eleanor living at Herman Gardens. The Gardens were long known as a public
housing project but it’s not clear whether it was originally built as such. It's unknown whether the all 3 Gilman's lived there or just the
war widow with a child who might have qualified for public housing. After the Detroit 1947 race riots blacks began to move into this project and the cities racial problems continued.
On 29 January 1945, the 38th Infantry Division took part in the combat landing against the Japanese held Southern Zambales Province on the island of Luzon. Afterwards, the 38th Infantry Division took part in the operations to clear Zig Zag Pass and the Bataan peninsula, and to secure Corregidor and Manila Bay. The recapture of the Bataan peninsula on Luzon enabled American forces full use of Manila Bay and its world-class deep water port.
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| 38th Inf Div Luzon |
Robert’s induction was on Feb 18, 1943 and he
received training at Camp Howe, TX and Camp Livingstone, LA before going
overseas to Oahu, Hawaii then on to New
Guinea in the southwest Pacific. He participated in campaigns on Leyte, Luzon
and in the Philippines before taking part in the recapture of Baatan and
Corregidor. Then it was on to Luzon when he was killed. This account of his
service is from his obituary carried in the Free Journal-Standard, Illinois
where they had relatives.
On 29 January 1945, the 38th Infantry Division took part in the combat landing against the Japanese held Southern Zambales Province on the island of Luzon. Afterwards, the 38th Infantry Division took part in the operations to clear Zig Zag Pass and the Bataan peninsula, and to secure Corregidor and Manila Bay. The recapture of the Bataan peninsula on Luzon enabled American forces full use of Manila Bay and its world-class deep water port.
He received the Purple Heart.
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