Robert D. Maxwell was born in October 1920 in western Kansas. With the winds blowing the land away, the family headed to Oregon in about 1939. Not making it that far, they settled in Fort Collins [Annotator's Note: Fort Collins, Colorado]. Maxwell became a timber cutter on a timber farm. He was drafted and trained on .30 caliber machine guns and 81mm mortars. He deployed to Africa and joined the 3rd Infantry Division in February 1943. Initially, the main objective for his division was to keep the border with Spain secure. There were concerns with Spanish reactions and the potential for a German sweep through Spain to hit North Africa. With the problems at the Kasserine Pass, the 3rd was deployed to Tunisia. They traveled by rail and vehicle across North Africa. The war in Africa ended before the division entered into combat. Instead, the division was ordered to oversee about 40,000 enemy prisoners after Rommel's [Annotator's Note: German Army Field Marshall Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel] forces capitulated [Annotator's Note: in May 1943]. Maxwell and a buddy, Jack Miller, scouted the desert to assure there were no remaining active enemy troops. They found none. The division next went into amphibious training near Bizerte [Annotator's Note: Bizerte, Tunisia]. The unnamed objective was to be Sicily. At this time, General Lucian Truscott took over the 3rd Division. He was to become a praised and well-known general in the Army, recognized by Eisenhower [Annotator's Note: General of the Army Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower, Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force; 34th President of the United States] and Patton [Annotator's Note: US Army Lieutenant General George S. Patton, Jr.]. Truscott had experienced the scrap at Dieppe and formed Darby's Rangers. He trained his new division as he trained the Rangers. He was an advocate of heavy marches. He was a great battle commander. The 3rd Division assaulted Sicily and made its way to Palermo before Patton made it there with his cameras and flags. [Annotator's Note: Maxwell chuckles.] The division had some resistance but less than other areas where the Germans suspected the landings to occur. The paratroopers and glider infantry assisted in the invasion. There was a friendly fire incident that cost the lives of many of those airborne troops when anxious Navy gunners fired on Allied aircraft. Despite the losses, the landings were successful with Sicily taken in 38 days. Maxwell experienced no enemy fire when he landed. He and his buddy, Jack Miller, had been assigned as wiremen for headquarters. Maxwell did carry an M1 rifle [Annotator's Note: .30 caliber M1 semi-automatic rifle, also known as the M1 Garand] and surplus ammunition that would be transferred to riflemen. He did not experience enemy fire until about 30 miles from the initial landing spot. He had a scare near Palermo when he was on the switchboard. A call came in that tanks were approaching. It turned out to be friendly armor and not panzers [Annotator's Note: German tanks]. The terrain in northern Sicily was challenging. The Germans knew which bridges to blow. Engineers put up a new bridge and Truscott tested it before sending his men across. Most of the advance had to be through the mountains. Pack trains used mules to haul equipment and supplies. Using his cavalry background, Truscott organized a small cavalry troop using horses from the island. The 3rd Division reached Messina just before Montgomery [Annotator's Note: British Field Marshall Sir Bernard Law Montgomery] did. Unfortunately, much of the enemy equipment and troops made it across the straits to the Italian mainland.

Robert Maxwell was sent to western Sicily to defend an airfield along with General Patton's [Annotator's Note: US Army Lieutenant General George S. Patton, Jr.] headquarters in Trapani [Annotator's Note: Trapani, Italy]. Patton was the commander of Maxwell's division. The Allied landings at Salerno occurred which were followed by a German counterattack. Two divisions were called in to reinforce the landings. One of the divisions was Maxwell's 3rd Infantry Division. That commenced the division pushing up the Italian boot toward Monte Casino. The biggest bottleneck along the way was the Volturno River. Maxwell recounts that 90,000 engineers had been trained in the area of Bend, Oregon. They were trained to cross rivers and build bridges. The training was important when the division hit the Volturno River. The river was at flood stage and extremely swift. The engineers built pontoon bridges for vehicles to cross. A beachhead was established on the opposite side of the river. It was a struggle to get across. Volturno was a major fight prior to Casino. Before the assault on Casino, the 3rd Division was withdrawn to Naples for amphibious landing training. Their next objective turned out to be Anzio. Germans were fighting a delaying action all through this time. The division had to take the high ground to eliminate German artillery forward observer positions. The enemy made a major defensive stand at the Volturno and later Monte Casino. Afterward, a Winter Line was established north of Casino. No troops got passed the Winter Line. The 3rd Division regrouped and got back up to division strength and then hit Anzio. Upon landing, there was little resistance in Maxwell's sector. Soon enough, the Germans reacted and hit the beach forces hard, pinning them down. Maxwell was wounded and spent the winter in the hospital. As a wireman, he had to string communication wire from the command post to forward positions. He continued setting up the communications link thus he delayed digging in and was hit in the left leg by a shell fragment from an 88mm gun [Annotator's Note: German 88mm multi-purpose artillery]. He went back to the command post but had to be withdrawn to the beach and then to Naples where he stayed in an unfinished hospital. Despite criticisms of the Anzio campaign, the commanders did what they could with the available supplies. Two of General Darby's [Annotator's Note: US Army Brigadier General William O. Darby] Ranger battalions were destroyed. In late May or early June, enough reinforcements had arrived that the Americans made a push for Rome [Annotator's Note: Rome was liberated on 5 June 1944]. This was aided by a breakthrough of the Winter Line. After Rome, the 3rd Division returned to Naples for restocking and casualty replacements. Maxwell rejoined them at that time with a minor limp. Maxwell's friend, Jack Miller, was stringing wire during the day at Anzio. Germans continuously fired on targets of opportunity as they spotted them. Miller was wounded by an 88mm and treated for his injury. His father was ill so Miller returned to the United States. He was subsequently assigned to another division. Involved in the D-Day [Annotator's Note: Allied invasion of Normandy, France on 6 June 1944] assault on 6 June, Miller found himself fighting into Germany where he was captured. He escaped to the Russians but did not like them so got away from them. Miller ultimately made it back to American lines. Maxwell and Miller were reunited in Boulder, Colorado after the war.

Robert Maxwell and the 3rd Infantry Division was battle ready when the next objective, Southern France, was assaulted. Many of the landing craft and ships used for Normandy were available at the time of this invasion [Annotator’s Note: Operation Dragoon occurred on 15 August 1944 about ten weeks after Operation Overlord on 6 June 1944]. Maxwell's 3rd Battalion [Annotator's Note: Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division] was to be held in reserve during the assault [Annotator's Note: the Invasion of Southern France on 15 August 1944]; however, enemy artillery fire was so heavy that the troops were released to land. They had been held back initially because of the cliffs that had to be climbed. The division advanced to the northwest after landing. They overwhelmed major German defense position at Montélimar [Annotator's Note: Montélimar, France]. A different American division surrounded a large German force. The 3rd Division advanced and captured a huge cache of high caliber weapons that were being moved to face Patton's [Annotator's Note: US Army Lieutenant General George S. Patton, Jr.] forces moving in from the west. The 19 months in combat prior to D-Day for the 3rd Infantry Division, as well as others in the Mediterranean Theater, are largely forgotten except for historians like those in New Orleans [Annotator's Note: at The National WWII Museum]. Had those German divisions not been bottled up in the Mediterranean, the Normandy invasion might have had many more enemy troops facing it. Troops and equipment captured in the Mediterranean operations could have made Allied success far more difficult. The 3rd Division moved on to a railway intersection at Besançon, France. That was where Maxwell got his second wound which ended his wartime combat.

Robert Maxwell was laying communications wiring on the left side of a road at Besançon, France when he discovered that Colonel Ramsey [Annotator's Note: US Army Colonel Lloyd Ramsey] had established his command post on the opposite side of the road. In order to get to that location, Maxwell had to string wire from the roof of a house on the left side of the road to the roof of the command post. In the process, the Germans spotted him and opened up with a 20mm antiaircraft gun. Tiles flew everywhere with the explosive shells. Maxwell jumped off the roof and spent the rest of the night tying in the communication links. The CP [Annotator's Note: command post] had a four foot wall outside in a courtyard. Maxwell and three other men had to defend their position crouched behind that wall armed only with .45 pistols [Annotator's Note: .45 caliber M1911 semi-automatic pistol]. He had previously griped about the M1 [Annotator's Note: .30 caliber M1 semi-automatic rifle, also known as the M1 Garand] being so heavy. That night was the first time he had to use his weapon. It was two o'clock in the morning and pitch dark. The Americans shot at every muzzle flash they could see. The Germans had thrown several grenades that had fallen short and not gone over the wall. Finally, the enemy managed to get a grenade over the wall. In the dark, Maxwell could not find the grenade so he grabbed a blanket and fell to the ground where he thought the explosive might be. He used the blanket and his body to absorb the blast. His right foot was severely injured. The grenade was between the wall and Maxwell's foot. Maxwell was put out of action. His only thought at the time was to find the grenade and throw it back at the enemy. In his desperation in not seeing the grenade, he dropped with the intent of shielding others. There did not seem anything else to do. No one else was wounded. The enemy was about platoon strength and 100 feet away. The CP personnel were in the process of evacuating under Colonel Ramsey's order. It was thought that Maxwell was dead so he was left behind. When he came to, he had no hearing. Only Lieutenant Johnson, the communications platoon leader, was left in the building. The officer was disconnecting the last of the equipment. He assisted Maxwell to the rear after completing his work. Germans fired at them and then took over the building. Lieutenant Johnson prevented Maxwell from being captured or killed. Some supporting troops to the right of Maxwell's position came under heavy fire and withdrew. One man attempted to join Maxwell's group but was killed by a hand grenade outside the wall. As Maxwell and Lieutenant Johnson retreated, it was like a three legged sack race. Maxwell's foot was in great pain. The Lieutenant advised Maxwell to hurry up because the Germans were right behind them. Later, Johnson would tell Maxwell that an enemy grenade knocked them down. The officer had minor shrapnel wounds. At the rear, a jeep was located and the men went to the aid station. The nervous medic was worried about artillery fire overhead. Maxwell reassured him that it was American because of its trajectory. Later, Maxwell found out that the former CP was destroyed by American artillery. The battalion rifle companies counterattacked and Besançon was taken after a three day battle. [Annotator's Note: Maxwell was awarded the Medal of Honor as well as an Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Second Award of the Silver Star for his actions at Besançon, France. He had previously been awarded the Silver Star for his actions at Anzio, Italy.]

Robert Maxwell was transferred to the hospital in Naples, Italy. He learned about the extent of his wounds there. [Annotator's Note: Maxwell suffered severe injuries to his foot when he absorbed the explosion of a German hand grenade with his body. He was awarded the Medal of Honor as well as an Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a second award of the Silver Star for his actions at Besançon, France.]. After Naples, he transited on a hospital ship back to the United States about the time that the war ended. The ship went through a storm off Virginia. As a wounded veteran, he had good accommodations on the ship. He recovered at several hospitals back in the United States. In Naples, he found out that he had been nominated for the Medal of Honor. The two men he had fought beside had recommended him to General Ramsey [Annotator's Note: US Army Major General Lloyd B. Ramsey]. It went to General Truscott [Annotator’s Note: US Army General Lucian K. Truscott, Jr.] and then General Patch [Annotator's Note: US Army General Alexander M. Patch] along with others up the line. They had to vote on his receipt of the Medal of Honor or the Distinguished Service Cross. It eventually reached President Roosevelt's [Annotator's Note: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States] desk along with Walt Ehlers. [Annotator's Note: Walter Ehlers received the Medal of Honor for his actions in Normandy, France in June 1944. Ehler's oral history interview is also available on this Digital Collections website.] The President died before the medal was presented. The medal was presented by General G. W. Danielson in Colorado. The preparation for the presentation and the arrival of his family was all happening so fast. On the way to the presentation, Maxwell got lost. A policeman stopped him while he was driving the wrong way on a one way street. The officer recognized Maxwell and gave him an escort. The ceremony included the posthumous award to the mother of a soldier who was killed in action. The ceremony had a pass in review presentation and speeches by officers. Maxwell did not feel comfortable speaking in public. He was 24 years old at the time.

Robert Maxwell stayed in the military shortly after recuperating from his foot wound. [Annotator's Note: Maxwell received the Medal of Honor as a result of his actions in absorbing the explosion of a German grenade with his body. The sacrifice he made potentially saved the lives of three men defending a position with him.] After his discharge at Fort Lewis [Annotator's Note: outside Tacoma, Washington], he caught up with his family. They had moved near Eugene, Oregon. He used the G.I. Bill to go to school to become an automobile mechanic. In 1947, he moved to Redmon. He met his future wife in church and married her 12 August 1951. They had a good life with four daughters, seven grandchildren, and four great grandchildren. Maxwell went on to become an automobile mechanic instructor. He had been through Army auto mechanic training which helped him during his nine years of teaching at Central Oregon College. He was the first teacher of auto mechanics in Bend [Annotator's Note: Bend, Oregon]. He later returned to Eugene to instruct at a vocational technical school. Maxwell was afforded the opportunity to design his portion of the building in the new school. He left the war in the past after his discharge. He was too busy building his family, career, church and the nation. That was the case with most World War 2 veterans. They hoped for no future wars. Unfortunately, that would not be the case. Maxwell and other Medal of Honor recipients went to Europe to dedicate three American cemeteries for those killed in action during the war. In Italy, he saw a 3rd Infantry Division monument and other sites where he fought. It was 1956. He soon was invited to more events including President Eisenhower's inauguration [Annotator's Note: General of the Army Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower, Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force; 34th President of the United States]. He had told his future wife before they married and later his children as they grew up about the medals he received from the war. The Medal is a big responsibility for Maxwell. He tries to be neutral in politics and not dishonor the award with any of his activities. The country has done a tremendous number of things for Maxwell and his family. He feels it his duty to payback as much as he can. He spreads the positive story of what America means. He is also active in church. Maxwell feels the Medal represents what the three other men did along with him to hold off the enemy so that the command post could be evacuated safely. The four defenders of the CP [Annotator's Note: command post] corresponded briefly after the war. Lieutenant Johnson visited Maxwell. [Annotator's Note: Johnson saved a dazed and severely wounded Maxwell from being left behind to be captured or killed by the Germans.] Over the years, contact with all those veterans has been lost. Maxwell automatically became a member of the 3rd Infantry Division and 7th Infantry Regiment Associations but attended few reunions. His local activities keep him very busy.

Robert Maxwell stays busy representing veterans. He is committed to a local memorial for them. It lists names of men who sacrificed their lives from World War 1 to the current conflicts. It also includes a memorial for first responders, police and firemen. He is very passionate about local veterans' care. He wants to prevent them having to make long roundtrips to the VA, Veterans Administration, treatment facilities. It is a problem for all veterans living a long way from VA hospitals who might need serious care. At Camp Abbott, 90,000 engineers trained plus there were maneuvers for 100,000 troops. General Patch [Annotator's Note: US Army General Alexander M. Patch] was in command. Many other additional military installations were in the local area. Maxwell wants the history not to be lost. He wants people to know what happened locally during the war. He is part of the effort to get the legislature to post signs indicating the history. He wants future generations to understand that war is hell and a terrible way to solve problems. It is, however, sometimes inevitable with people like Hitler [Annotator's Note: German dictator Adolf Hitler] and Hirohito [Annotator's Note: Japanese Emporer Hirohito]. It took a war to defeat them. American has fought for its own freedom but now we have to fight nobly for other's freedom. It is a worthy cause to defend freedom. We could also lose our freedom through carelessness in our own country. Students are responsible to leadership and authority. No one is immune from that. Faith is important to our country. Maxwell is committed to Jesus Christ as a Christian. Museums are important to point out history. The National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: in New Orleans, Louisiana] helps to avoid repeating mistakes of the past as well as honor those who have sacrificed during the war. Our particular generation has a responsibility to those returning from the Mideast conflicts. They should have the best spiritual, physical and mental care to transition through to civilian life. The veteran needs to be guaranteed that his job will be there for him or some other support when he is discharged.