In Memory OfPVT Robert D. Booker

Booker had a bit of a deceiving appearance. At only 5'9", 140lb, this 21-year-old man did not turn many heads, but onlookers would soon remember the old saying, "Never judge a book by its cover." What nobody could see was that his life of grueling labor had transformed his body into a specimen of solid, sinewy muscle, and that his intense mental fortitude made him the embodiment of what a soldier should be.

After breezing through basic training, Booker became an Infantryman and was assigned to Company B, 133rd Infantry Regiment, 34th Infantry Division, the "Red Bulls." In late November, his unit headed to the New York Port of Embarkation and boarded a transport ship destined for Africa. After two weeks at sea in U-boat-infested waters, the vessel safely reached the shores of Algeria and disembarked near the Port of Algiers.

After undergoing a post-travel medical examination, Booker's company was given nearly a month to acclimatize to the brutal desert conditions. During his period, he learned to manage food and water consumption in the searing heat, keep sand from disabling his weapon, and conduct field exercises in an environment hostile to everything with a heartbeat.

By January 1943, they trekked eastward toward the Eastern Dorsal Mountains, which separated Algeria from Tunisia. On their journey, Booker's company conducted recon patrols, scouting for German and Italian positions, and engaged in skirmishes with small groups of Axis patrols.

By February, they had solidified their forward position and continued to gain as much intel about the enemy's strength via recon patrols. They planned the operation, conducted mock battles, and learned the routines, routes, and daily operations of the German and Italian troops.

They continued to train relentlessly throughout March, with the addition of coordinating with nearby infantry, artillery, and armored units. However, encounters and engagements with enemy patrols became more frequent.

Both physically and mentally prepared, Booker's company knew that the assault on the entrenched Axis position had arrived.

Troops from Booker's 34th Infantry Division, coordinated with Britain's 6th Armoured Division and the French XIX Corps, were ready for what would become known as the "Battle of Fondouk Pass."

The assault began at dawn on April 8, 1943, with a relentless barrage of Allied artillery and airstrikes. As British armor and French infantry attacked the left flank, the Red Bulls assaulted the right. Booker, who was leading the unit, charged into a wall of machine guns, mortars, and rockets. The enemy was able to hold the high ground and keep Company B pinned down all night.

The next morning, Booker and his team were able to regroup and prepare for another assault on the Axis position. Knowing another head-on attack would be suicide, they attempted to flank the enemy position from the sides. While attempting to bypass the heavily fortified enemy position, his company was spotted and once again pinned down.
As Booker watched his brothers-in-arms being killed, he knew it was just a matter of time before the entire company was wiped out. He looked down and saw a Browning .30 caliber machine gun being clutched by a man who had died at the hands of the Germans. Booker pried the weapon from his dead friend's hand, grabbed a box of ammunition, and charged across 200 yards of open ground, braving a brutal stream of lead and mortars. There was no time to stop and aim, so he shot from the hip, his adrenaline pumping so hard that he didn't even notice that the barrel had become so hot that it was literally cooking his hand. Exhausted, with a body full of bullets and shrapnel, Booker finally reached the enemy position. He quickly silenced one of the machine gun nests, allowing his team to advance. As Booker moved to take out a second position, he was struck by yet another enemy bullet and passed away.

For his service, he earned a Purple Heart and the Medal of Honor.
Rest easy, Hero! Til Valhalla, Brother!