US Army PFC Robert D. Loftin was born in Conecuh County, Alabama on December 3, 1923, the son of Levi Jackson Lofton (1879-1946) and Dealie Bell Smith (1888-1961). His father spent his entire life supporting his family by working in the timber and as a farmer. The family moved from Conecuh County, Alabama to the Muscogee/Molino area sometime before 1935. But with only a grammar school education and America still in the throes of the Great Depression, Robert chose to enlist in the Army in December 1939 (another form says 11-19-1940). He traveled to Montgomery and enlisted then after basic he was sent to the 92nd Armored Field Artillery Battalion. The battalion was under the command of the 2nd Armored Division stationed at Ft. Benning, Georgia. In May 1942, Robert completed an intensive radio school at Ft. Knox, KY before returning to his unit at Benning. This training qualified him to partake of the intricate "700-radio" communication system used by his division.
The 2nd Division was now equipped with the new M7 Priest 105-mm self-propelled guns and spent the next year training on them. With the focus of the war now shifting to Africa, the battalion embarked on the USS Thomas H. Barry to join the division at Casablanca in December 1942. The battalion used their time in Africa for training and was anticipating landing with the division at Sicily. However, the enemy resistance collapsed so quickly they were not needed. Finally, they embarked for Liverpool, England on November 24, 1943 and took up residence at Tidworth Camp. There, they began training for the Normandy landing but again they were forced to stand down due to the fierce German resistance on Omaha Beach. Finally, they were able to land there on June 11th whereupon they began their continuous fight from Normandy through the Battle of the Bulge and all the way to Germany.
On March 6, 1945, Patton's Third Army was moving so fast that the German army began to crumble. However, Robert's battalion was fighting near Julich, Germany when they encountered stiff resistance from the retreating enemy units. There, he was killed in action. His body was taken back to the Graves Registration unit and processed for burial. In November 1949, his family requested his remains be returned home to Pensacola. His body was re-interred and loaded onto the SS Carroll Victory along with several other home bound soldiers. Sharing the trip with Robert were Private O. D. Harris of Jay plus Andrew H. White Jr. and Tech5 George C. White from Pensacola. After his arrival, he was escorted to the Little Flock Cemetery in Molino, Florida and laid to rest with his family.
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