Robert Swadener
Robert Swadener
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Harry Robert Swadener
Male
86 years old
BEECH GROVE, Indiana
United States
Last Login: 7/27/2009
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Robert Swadener's Details
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| Status: | Single | | Orientation: | Straight | | Religion: | Protestant | | Zodiac Sign: | Virgo | | Children: | Proud parent | | Education: | College graduate | | Occupation: | Retired |
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Robert Swadener's Blurbs |
About me:
Born in Logansport, IN, September 5, 1923.
The picture of the medals is from the wall in the hallway.
Top row:
Presidential Unit Citation. Only 12 were awarded in the Division and given to the men of the units.
French Freedom Medal
T-Patch Pin
Special troop Insignia
Next row:
Good conduct Medal and ribbon.
ETO Medal and ribbon with arrowhead for southern France landing and 7 campaign stars.
Victory Medal and ribbon.
Next row:
T-Patch shoulder patch for uniform.
Corporals Stripes
2 years Overseas stripes or bars.
Ruptured Duck for Honorable Discharge.
The dog tag is an original one issued when I was drafted.
I remember a few things of my early age. Going to Grandpa Hetherington's home out at Pottawatomie Point and Grandpa Swadener's home at the same place. We walked out to the point on the hottest day of the year that year and I got sunburned through my shirt with little blisters all over my back.
When Daddy died, we were shipped out to friends' houses til the funeral. I remember daddy in the coffin and having to stay upstairs as the people came in for the funeral.
I did a lot of yard work, shoveled snow, sold vegetables to get spending money.
I remember going to Florida with Grandpa Hetherington by car. Going through Georgia or Alabama with red clay roads. His house in Florida was on a canal and close to a ship building company. In Florida was the first time somebody washed my hair and I didn't get soap in my eyes!! Also there was an alligator in his backyard one time.
Went to school at Daniel Webster School up by Highway 24 then went to Logansport High School down on Broadway about a mile and a half from Home. We came home for lunch then went back to school in the afternoon.
After moving to Indianapolis, I finished school at Arsenal Technical School majoring machine shop. While at Tech I was in ROTC classes there and was a corporal. I was led to believe we needed the money so I had enough credits to graduate so I got a job through the school. I went back a little while later and was told that if I had stayed in school another week longer I would have been a 2nd Lieutenant in the ROTC!!
I worked a year from February 13, 1942 to February 13, 1943 at Engineering Metal Corporation. I was drafted February 13, 1943 and was inducted at the Armory and sent to Fort Harrison. From Fort Harrison I went to Camp Wheeler, GA for Basic Training in the infantry. The third week of training my foot got broken but the people thought I was “goldbricking” and so I finished Basic Training, ten more weeks, with a broken foot. I didn't start the forced march at the end of training but went to the hospital to let my foot heal. The ones I had trained with went somewhere else and when I got out of the hospital I was sent to Camp Swift, Texas for some more infantry training.
From Camp Swift, I had a short leave home then went back to Texas and then to P.O.E. And overseas.
Took us 23 days to get to Oran, Africa and there was some more training. Got on a boat again and ended up in Naples, Italy and eventually in the 36th Division Military Police Platoon.
We went up through Italy and later found out my brother Bill had died, when I got home. I was below Cassino Abbey and almost had been hit by shell from the Germans. I watched the bombing of Abby, which was awesome!! We did a lot of road patrolling at first then we were moved farther up in Italy. We took care of prisoners just after they were captured. While in Italy,
We got up to the Northern Part of Italy and were pulled back south and found out we were going to make the Southern France Landing. We were roused out of bed on shipboard at 3:00am supposedly for breakfast before landing. Never did have breakfast and we went ashore at 3:00pm, August 15, 1944. I remember climbing down the side of a ship and landing on French soil. One of the ships was hit by a bomb and it drifted under the CP in a house and blew up about 4 times knocking us to our knees each time. Went up France, where the Lt. tried out his French and got nowhere ..cause the Frenchman spoke English!!! we went through France, going into Austria, Bavaria, Germany till the end of the war. There were a couple of close shellings but I lived through them.
Came home and was mustered out on November 12, 1945 at Camp Atterbury, IN.
Started College at Indiana Technical College in Ft Wayne, IN and graduated with a BSMS.
I met a wonderful girl and on October 27, 1946 we were married and a year later we had a daughter named Janet.
Took an apprenticeship course and was a Journeyman Machinist. In 1968, EMPCO was sold and I was out of a job for that company. I started with Egenolf Machine Co. with not a payday missed.
At Egenolf's I went up through the ranks. First just as a machinist then got into the Union end of the deal and was a Shop Steward. From Shop Steward, Vice-President of the local here in town. That lasted a year or two. Work got more interesting as time went and I was getting more and more jobs other people didn't want to do. I did them and when the bosses didn't say “thank you”, I let it leak that people like to have their accomplishments noticed. After that I did a different job, there was a “thank you” given. I was also Working Foreman for a awhile at both EMPCO and Egenolf.
I worked at Egenolf's for twenty years. I tripped and fell and bashed my head in. There was a concussion, skull fracture and I was off work for about five months. When I went back to go to work, the Company held a retirement party for me with the watch thing and nice know you bit.
Since that time I have retired, we have been enjoying life and doing what we want, when we want!!
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