Robert Patrick Bickley was born January 17, 1924 in Prescott, Arizona to Ernest Angelo and Anna Blacne Haley Bickley. He had at least 4 siblings: John James (born 1918), Ernest David (1920), Mary Blanche (1924-his twin sister), and William Joseph (1926).

He completed four years of high school and completed his WW2 Draft Card on June 30, 1942 and listed himself as living with his family in Tucson. He was unemployed at the time.

Robert enlisted in the US Army on February 20, 1943. He was assigned to the 26th Infantry Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division. It is likely that Robert joined his unit while they were battling in the Tunisian Campaign which had started in November 1942 and would end in mid-May 1943. The 1st ID was able to rest for just a short time before Lieutenant General George S Patton asked for them to participate in Operation Husky. This would be the Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943. They saw heavy action during their amphibious landings in the Battle of Gela and also during the Battle of Troina along the Caronie Mountains.

Upon completion of their part in the Sicilian Campaign, the 1st returned to England in November 1943. They participate in extensive rehearsals in south Devonshire to prepare for the invasion of Normandy. As part of the first wave to land on Omaha Beach, the men ran into intense and devastating fire from the German soldiers stationed along the cliffs which ran along the entire beach. Some units suffered 30% casualties in the first hour and many had losses of over 60% in total.

Private Robert Patrick Bickley gave his life in the service of his country. He was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart and temporarily buried in St Laurent, France. In 1948, Robert was returned to the United States and is buried next to his brother, John James, in the Fort Bliss National Cemetery in El Paso, Texas. John was a 1st Lieutenant in the US Army Air Corps and attached to the 331st Bomb Squadron. He died on December 31, 1943 when the B-17 he co-piloted was shot down over Cognac, France.

We honor Robert’s service and sacrifice. We will remember his story.

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen here on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smart phone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen's name and read his/her story.

Robert P Bickley