Mrs. Marguerite C. Rutledge
Route lA
Lumpkin, Georgia
Dear Mrs.
Rutledge:
It is with
profound regret that I confirm the recent telegram informing you of
the death of your husband, Private Robert L. Rutledge, 34,973,267,
Infantry, who was previously reported missing in action in Holland on
29 October 1944.
An official
message has now been received which states that he was killed in
action on the date he was previously reported missing in action.
Recently provisions were made whereby there will be sent directly to
the emergency addressee or the next of kin a letter containing
further information about each person who dies overseas in the
service of our country, and if this letter has not already been
received, it may be expected soon.
I realize the
burden of anxiety that has been yours since he was first reported
missing in action and deeply regret the sorrow this later report
brings you. May the knowledge that he made the supreme sacrifice for
his home and country be a source of sustaining comfort.
My sympathy is
with you in this time of great sorrow.
Sincerely yours,
J.
A. ULIO
Major General
The Adjutant General
1 Inclosure
Bulletin of Information
Another letter
followed in April, 1945...
ARMY
SERVICE FORCES
HEADQUARTERS FOURTH SERVICE COMMAND
ATLANTA 3, GEORGIA
|
SPIPK-201. (PAD) Rutledge, Robert L.
(dec.)
|
5 April 1945
|
|
34 973
267 Pvt. - Inf. (29 October 1944)
|
|
Mrs. Marguerite
C. Rutledge,
Route 1 A,
Lumpkin, Georgia.
My dear Mrs.
Rutledge:
It was with
sorrow and deep regret that the Fourth Service Command learned from
The Adjutant General of the Army of your recent bereavement. May I
convey to you my sympathy and that of this command.
The Army desires
to aid you in every possible way within its power. If any difficulty
should arise in the preparation or clearance of War Department
papers, it is suggested that you avail yourself of the services of
the Personal Affairs Division. One of the principal duties of this
Division is to assist families of military personnel in matters
pertaining to all benefits or rights that may be due under existing
laws and regulations. Should you feel the need of this assistance,
please feel free to consult the Personal Affairs Officer at Fort
Benning, Georgia, or at the address given below.
Nothing can
compensate you for the loss of your husband. Your sacrifice has,
indeed, been a great one. But you should take comfort from the fact
that your loved one gave his life for his country and the ideals of
freedom for which it stands. May that knowledge en courage you to
deal courageously with the future.
Sincerely yours,
F.
E. UHL,
Major General, U. S.
Army,Commanding.
Another letter
followed in April, 1945...
United States
Senate
COMMITTEE ON FINANCE
April 10,
1945
Mrs. Marguerite
C. Rutledge
Route 1 A
Lumpkin, Georgia
Dear Mrs.
Rutledge:
Mrs. George and I
have learned of the loss of your husband and offer you our sincre
sympathy. We have suffered a similar loss.
Your husband gave
everything he had to his country. It is my hope and prayer that we
who are spared will do everything withing our power to see that his
great sacrifice was not made in vain.
Sincerely yours,
Walter
F. George
Other letters
began to follow...
April 28, 1945.
My dear Mrs.
Rutledge:
At the request of
the President, I write to inform you that the Purple Heart has been
awarded posthumously to your husband, Private Robert L. Rutledge,
Infantry, who sacrificed his life in defense of his
country.
Little that we
can do or say will console you for the death of your loved one. We
profoundly appreciate the greatness of your loss, for in a very real
sense the loss suffered by any of us in this battle for our country,
is a loss shared by all of us. When the medal, which you will shortly
receive, reaches you, I want you to know that with it goes my
sincerest sympathy, and the hope that time and the victory of our
cause will finally lighten the burden of your grief.
Sincerely yours,
Henry L. Stenson
Mrs. Marguerite
C. Rutledge,
Route #1
A,
Lumpkin,
Georgia.
And still more
letters follow...
Veterans Service Office
STATE
CAPITOL
23
Whitehead Building
Albany,
Georgia
May 7,
1945
Mrs. Marguerite
C. Rutledge
Rt.
1-A
Lumpkin,
Georgia
Dear Mrs.
Rutledge:
We are deeply
sorry to learn of the death of your husband, Robert L. Rutledge and
we wish to express our sincerest sympathy.
The Government
recognises this supreme sacrifice and is willing and ready to do all
in its power to assist you in making your future secure.
You will receive
various papers to complete and forms to fill out direct from
Washington. Please feel free to call on our office to assist you in
handling any of these details. The Veterans Service Office has been
established for just such service not only to the veteran but to his
family.
Permit me to
again extend my deep sympathy in the great loss you have
sustained.
Yours very truly,
C.
ARTHUR CHEATHAM,
Director
By:
C. P. Whiting
Field
Supervisor
Southern
Area
Then in June
1945, this letter arrives...
VETERANS ADMINISTRATION
2 Park
Avenue
New York 16,
New York
June 8,
1945
IN REPLY
REFER TO: MBAB-2
|
Mrs.
Marguerite C. Rutledge
Route
#1 A
Lumpkin, Georgia
|
RUTLEDGE, Robert L.
XC-3,
929,802
|
Dear
Madam:
The Veterans
Administration has learned with regret of the death of the above
named veteran.
Under existing
laws you may be entitled to a pension, and there is enclosed a blank
form for your use. If you desire to file a claim, the enclosed form
should be carefully filled out in accordance with the instructions
printed thereon and returned to the Veterans Administration,
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Should you feel the need of assistance in the
preparation of your claim you may write to the Veterans
Adninistration, xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx or contact any Veterans
AdministratiOn Facility.
Any pension
benefits payable will be in addition to any Government life insurance
benefits to which you may be entitled, for which reason a serarate
claim for pension must be filed. You may be assured that upon receipt
of the claim it will be given careful consideration and you will be
informed of any additional evidence which may be
required.
All
correspondence relative to this case should be addressed to this
office, and should show the veteran's name and XC&emdash;number given
above, to permit prompt identification.
Respectifully,
R.
J. HINTON,
Director,
Dependents
Claims Service
Enc. Form
534
Adjudication
Form 605
Rev. March
1943
WAR
DEPARTMENT
THE ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE
WASHINGTON 25,
D.C.
AGPC 201
Rutledge, Robert L.
(4 Jun 45) 34
973 267
23 June 1945
Mrs. Marguerite
C. Rutledge
Route One
A
Lumpkin,
Georgia
Dear Mrs.
Rutledge:
This is in reply
to your recent letter relative to your husband, Private Robert L.
Rutledge.
I can fully
understand your desire to receive a detailed account of the
circumstances surrounding his death. I am forwarding your letter to
the commanding general of the theater of operations in which he was
serving at the time of his death requesting that additional
information be transmitted to you.
I feel confident
you realize the magnitude of the task to prepare, assemble, and
verify all available information in each case and the variations of
time required but I wish to assure you that our theater commanders
make every effort to dispatch these letters as expeditiously as
possible.
It is hoped that
the information you so earnestly desire will soon be forthcoming and
that it will be a source of sustaining comfort to you. Permit me
again to express my heartfelt sympathy.
Sincerely yours,
J. A. ULIO
Major
General
The Adjutant
General of the Army
ARMY
SERVICE FORCES
OFFICE OF THE QUARTERMASTER GENERAL
WASHINGTON 25,
D.C.
|
IN REPLY REFER
TO:
SPQYG 293
Rutledge, Robert L.
SN 34
973 267
|
9 July 1945
|
Mrs. Marguerite
C. Rutledge
Route One
A
Lumpkin,
Georgia
Dear Mrs.
Rutledge:
Reference is made
to your letter in which you requested information concerning the
grave location of your husband, the late Private Robert L.
Rutledge.
The official
records of this office show that the remains of your husband werer
interred in the United States Military Cemetery, Margraten, Holland,
Plot S, Row 10, Grave 232.
Please accept my
sincere sympathy in the loss of your husband.
FOR THE
QUARTERMASTER GENERAL:
Sincerely yours,
ARTHUR L. WARREN
Colonel,
QMC
Assistant
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
OFFICE OF THE
QUARTERMASTER GENERAL
WASHINGTON 25, D.C.
|
IN REPLY REFER
TO:
BURIAL OF
Pvt
Robert L. Rutledge, 34 973 267
Plot
S, Row 10, Grave 232
United
States Military Cemetery
Margraten, Holland
|
28 November 1947
|
Mrs. Marguerite
C. Rutledge
Route One
A
Lumpkin,
Georgia
Dear Mrs.
Rutledge:
The people of the
United States, through the Congress have authorized the disinterment
and final burial of the heroic dead of World War II. The
Quartermaster General of the Army has been entrusted with this sacred
responsibility to the honored dead.. The records of the War
Department indicate that you may be the nearest relative of the
above-named deceased, who gave his life in the service of his
country.
The enclosed
pamphlets, "Disposition of World War II Armed Forces Dead," and
"American Cemeteries," explain the disposition, options and services
made available to you by your Government. If you are the next of kin
according to the line of kinship as set forth in the enclosed.
pamphlet, "Disposition of World War II Armed Forces Dead," you are
invited to express your wishes as to the disposition of the remains
of the deceased by completing Part I of the enclosed form "Request
for Disposition of Remains." Should you desire to relinquish your
rights to the next in line of kinship, please complete Part II of the
enclosed form. If you are not the next of kin, please complete Part
III of the enclosed form.
If you should
elect Option 2, it is advised that no funeral arrangements or other
personal arrangements be made until you are further notified by this
office.
Will you please
complete the enclosed form, "Request for Disposition of Remains" and
mail in the enclosed self-addressed envelope, which requires no
postage, within 30 days after its receipt by you? Its prompt return
will avoid. unnecessary delays.
|
|
Sincerely yours,
THOMAS
B. LARKIN
Major
General
The
Quartermaster General
|
Incls.
VETERANS ADMINISTRATION
Branch Office
No. 5
Atlanta 3,
Georgia
December 20,
1948
IN REPLY
REFER TO:
AT8BA
|
Mrs.Marguerite Cannington Hamner
Box
34
Bridgeboro, Georgia
|
XC- 3 919 802
RUTLEDGE, Robert Lee
|
Dear Mrs.
Hamner:
Receipt is
acknowledged of your letter dated November 17, 1948, informing this
office of your recent remarriage on November 12, 1948, to Mr.
Hamner.
You are hereby
notified that your award of death compensation benefits as the
unremarried widow of the above named veteran has been terminated
effective the day preceding the date of your remarriage and adjusted
through November 30, 1948, for the minor children in your custody as
follows:
|
Monthly Payment
|
Commencing Date
|
Ending Date
|
|
$78.00
|
4-1-45
|
8-31-46
|
|
93.60
|
9-1-46
|
8-31-48
|
|
115.00
|
9-1-48
|
11-11-48
|
|
82.00
|
11-12-48
|
11-30-48
|
|
|
|
Less prior payments
|
The necessary
adjustment has been made with respect to the National Service Life
Insurance benefits to which you are entitled and in the future, you
will receive such benefits in your present married name.
It has been
determined that the veteran's minor children, Mary Virginia Rutledge
and Robert Leron Rutledge, Jr. are entitled to a continuation of
death benefits; however, payments under such award may not be
released until this office is in receipt of certain necessary
information from the appropriate Regional Office of the Veterans
Administration. Such information has been requested and upon its
receipt in this office, the necessary action will be taken to effect
the release of the initial benefits due on behalf of such
children.
All further
correspondence with reference to this case should be addressed to
Director of Claims Service, Veterans Administration, Branch Office
No. 5, Atlanta 3, Georgia, and must show the full name of the veteran
and his XC- number as indicated above.
|
|
Very
truey yours,
W. H.
DAVIS
Director, Claims Service
|
An inquiry
by or concerning an ex-service man or woman should, if possible, give
veteran's name and file number, whether C, XC, K, N, or V. If such
file number is unknown, service or serial number should be
given.
WAR
DEPARTMENT
OFFICE OF THE
QUARTERMASTER GENERAL
WASHINGTON 25, D.
C.
|
Mrs.
Marguerite C. Rutledge
Route
#1-A
Lumpkin, Georgia
|
21 February 1949
Pvt.
Robert L. Rutledge, ASN 34 973 267
Plot
D, Row 7, Grave 21
Headstone: Cross
Margraten U. S. Military
Cemetery
|
Dear Mrs.
Rutledge:
This is to inform
you that the remains of your loved one have been permanently
interred, as recorded above, side by side with comrades who also gave
their lives for their country. Customary military fural services were
conducted over the grave at the time of buri al.
After the
Department of the Army has completed all final interments, the
cemetery will be transferred, as authorized by the Congress, to the
care and supervision of the American Battle Monuments Commission. The
Commission also will have the responsibility for permanent
construction end beautification of the cemetery, including erection
of the permanent headstone. The headstone will be inscribed with the
name exactly as recorded above, the rank or rating where appropriate,
organization, State, and date of death. Any inquiries relative to the
type of headstone or the spelling of the name to be inscribed
thereon, should be addressed to the American Battle Monuments
Commission, Washington 25, D. C. Your letter should include the full
name, rank, serial number, grave location, and name of the
cemetery.
While innterments
are in progress, the cemetery will not be open to visitors. You may
rest assured that this final interment was conducted with fitting
dignity and solemnity and that the grave-site will be carefully and
conscientiously maintained in perpetuity by the United States
Government.
|
|
Sincerely yours,
STHOMAS B. LARKIN
Major
General
The
Quartermaster General
|
THE
AMERICAN BATTLE MONUMENTS COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20314
June 29,
1983
PVT Robert L.
Rutledge
34973267
Plot D, Row 7,
Grave 21
Netherlands
American Cemetery
Margraten,
Holland
Mrs. Ginger
Rutledge Anthony
331 Broad
Street
Statesboro, GA
30458
Dear Mrs.
Anthony:
Thank you for
your letter of June 20, 1983.
Information
concerning the Netherlands American Cemetery where your father is
interred, directions for travel there, as well as other information
of interest may be found on the tabbed pages of the enclosed
pamphlet. On arrival at the cemetery, we suggest you go directly to
the Visitors' Building where a staff member on duty will he happy to
escort you to the gravesite.
If you will be
traveling to the cemetery via Paris, you may wish to telephone or
visit the Commission's European office in a suburb of that city. Our
staff there will be happy to answer questions you may have concerning
your visit. The address and telephone number are on the back of the
pamphlet.
Enclosed are an
original and a copy of a letter addressed to the Passport Division,
Department of State, for presentation to the Clerk of the nearest
State or Federal Court when you apply for your passport. This letter
authorizes waiver of federal passport fees and will enable you to
obtain your passport at no cost from a Federal Court or Passport
Office, and for a small processing charge from a State Court,
providing
you state on your application that the primary purpose of the trip is
to visit your father's gravesite.
A black and white
photograph of the gravesite mounted on a color lithograph of the
cemetery will be mailed to you within the next four weeks. Enclosed
with the lithograph will be a booklet describing the cemetery in
detail.
(OVER)
THE
AMERICAN BATTLE MONUMENTS COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20314
June
29, 1983
Director
Passport
Office
Department of
State
Washington, D.
C. 20254
Dear
Sir:
Mrs.Ginger
Rutledge Anthony, 331 Broad Street, Statesboro, GA 30458 desires to
visit the gravesite of her father, the late PVT Robert L. Rutledge,
34973267, Plot D, Row 7, Grave 21, Netherlands American Cemetery,
Margraten, Holland.
It is requested
that the customary passport fees be waived for Mrs.
Anthony.
Sincerely,
WILLIAM E.
RYAN, JR.
Colonel,
AD
Director of
Operations
and
Finance
The following
is a list of friends, buddies of Robert Lee
Rutledge during his time Fort McClellan,
Alabama, where he served prior to serving with the United
States Armed Forces (Army) in Europe...
Ryan, Thomas A., Tuscaloosa,
AL
Sasser, Charles, Westville, FL
Sellers, Daniel M., Bonifay, FL
Sheffield, Floyd, Shady Grove, FL
Shelley, James D., Louvale, GA
Shera, Simon, Milton, FL
Simons, Jack, Crawfordville, GA
Smith, Clyde M., Sebring, FL
Smith, James W., Summerville,
SC
Sparkman, Marian E., Crystal River, FL (Best
buddy)
Spence, George E., Mt. Olive, AL
Spruill, Cecil A., Forest Park,
GA
Stack, Clyde J., Birmingham, AL
Taylor, Robert A., Crawfieldville,
GA
Walker, Murry, Butler, GA
Washburn, Oliver, White Bear Lake, MN
Whidden, Charlie, Manatie, FL
Williams, James M., Panama City,
FL
Williford, James C., Lake City, FL
Wood, F. M., Birmingham, AL
Wright, William H., Genesco, IL
Image above
is
the Discharge of Robert
Lee Rutledge
from the Georgia State
Guard
Original Story
from messages received on 12 June 2002.
Story
originally submitted on: 24 June 2002.
The material
depicted above, The Search for Pfc Robert Lee
Rutledge, was contributed by Mrs. Ginger Rutledge Gregory ,
who is the daughter of our subject depicted in this series of
documents.
We wish to
express our sincerest THANK YOU for the outstanding effort required
to assist us in bringing the story of Robert Lee Rutledge forward for
all to read and appreciate. Tireless dedication by wonderful folks
such as Ms. Gregory will forever help in keeping THEIR memory alive
-- the fine folks of America's Greatest Generation.
Should you care
to look at additional material relating to this subject, you may do
so by choosing the following links:
The
Search for Pvt. Rutledge Pt. 2
The
Search for Pvt. Rutledge Pt. 3
The
Legacy of Pvt. Rutledge
A
Daughter Lovingly Remembers Her Dad
American Battle Monuments Commission: WWII Honor
Roll
We at
World War II Stories -- In Their Own
Words wish to offer our profound "Thanks" for the
excellent material contributed by Mrs. Ginger Rutledge
Gregory.
Veterans
Survey
Form
September 5,
2002.
Would YOU be
interested in adding YOUR story --
or a
loved-one's story? We have made it very
easy for you to
do so.
By clicking on
the link below, you will be sent
to our
"Veterans Survey Form" page where a survey form
has been set up
to conviently record your story.
It is fast --
convenient and easy to fill out --
Just fill in
the blanks!
We would love
to tell your story on
World War II
Stories -- In Their Own Words.
WW
II Stories: Veterans Survey Form
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World War II Stories -- In Their Own
Words
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