Name:
Robert Reynolds Rockwell
Rank:
Private
Serial Number:
31387989
Unit:
507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne
Date of Death:
1944-06-11
State:
Massachusetts
Cemetery:
Central Cemetery, Dunstable, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA
Plot:
Row:
Grave:
Decoration:
Purple Heart
Comments:
Robert Reynolds Rockwell was born on March 1, 1925, in Lowell, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. He enlisted in the Army on June 16, 1943. He served in the 507th Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, as a Private during World War II.
On D-Day, Rockwell's regiment was part of the Normandy invasion, tasked with securing river crossings. However, bad weather and heavy German anti-aircraft fire scattered his unit, intensifying fighting. On June 11, 1944, just days after D-Day, Private Rockwell was killed in action at the age of 19. His body was returned to Lowell, where he was honored and buried in Central Cemetery.