Robert E. McKeon and the Third Gold Star

Robert E. McKeon of Worc., MA

Robert Emmett McKeon was born on the 12th of April 1927, the 7th child of Frank and Mary (Steemson) McKeon, in Worcester, Massachusetts. Robert was a twin to sister Mary C. McKeon. Robert's twin was born with spina bifida and she only lived for three months. Mary, Robert's twin, was the second baby that my Great-Grandparents would bury but not the last child that they would bury in their lifetime.

Robert was a Private, 1st Class, serving with the 21st Infantry, 24th Division, as a Light Weapons Infantryman assigned to a post in Japan before the U.S. involvement in the Korean War. At the end of June 1950, Robert and his military unit were called to action to go to Korea to provide support to the South Koreans in what we would later learn was operation Task Force Smith. Robert was Killed in Action on 5 July 1950 in the Battle of Osan. My great grandparents were notified he was Missing in Action via telegram on the 18th of July 1950 and were later notified by telegram on the 7th of May 1953 that he was KIA on the 5th of July 1950 despite being previously reported as MIA. My great grandfather died in Feb 1951 not knowing the status of his son.

Robert E. McKeon was the third son that the McKeon family would lose to war and the 5th child that my great grandmother Mary would bury before her death.

Robert E. McKeon was the 1st casualty of the Korean War from Worcester, Massachusetts and was the third brother honored with a gold star on the McKeon Road sign from a grateful city.

Telegrams and photos provided by nephew Francis W. McKeon and grand niece Patricia St. Marie.

Do you have relatives in your family tree that have given the ultimate sacrifice for their country? Let us help you discover their story through genealogy research!

#genealogy #progenofne #worcesterma #KoreanWar #ancestry #purpleheart #goldstarfamily #McKeonbrothers #McKeonRoad

Robert E. McKeon, MIA Telegram 1950

Robert E. McKeon, KIA Telegram, 1953

McKeon Road street sign, Worcester, MA with 3 Gold Stars

McKeon Square Memorial sign in Worcester, Massachusetts










Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Education

Image
52 Ancestors 52 Weeks Week 4-Education My family is full of hard working, highly educated people. We are primary and secondary school teachers, nurses, software developers, business intelligence managers, chemical engineers, electronic engineers, physician assistants, doctors, speech therapists, technology specialists, genealogists, lawyers, judges, fire fighters, police officers, office managers, financial analysts, psychologists, public accountants, tax specialists, HR executives and professors. I would be remiss if I did not mention those that went through specialized training outside of colleges: our Marines, Sailors, Soldiers, Airmen and Airwomen, our hair stylists, electricians, plumbers, landscapers, contractors, preachers, cobblers, coopers and farmers.   For those that persevered before us through formal education or through technical training, we salute you!   What schools did you ancestors go to? #52Ancestors #FamilyHistory #Genealogy #Ancestors #Ancestry #progenofn...
Read more

Andrew Bigelow and the American Revolution

Image
Andrew Bigelow headstone Andrew Bigelow, son of Charles Bigelow and Lucy Bennett, was born the 24th of April 1764, in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. According to the book the Boylston Centennial, the Bigelows were some of the first settlers of the town of Shrewsbury. At the age of 16 years old, Andrew enlisted to serve in the military during the American Revolution. The book goes on to say that, “These last “three years men” were subjected to great hardships, and by the depreciation of the “Continental Currency” received the least compensation for their services. His children remember his recital of the sufferings of the soldiers during one winter in the woods of Pennsylvania, from want of shoes, through inability of the government to provide better for her troops.” Andrew Bigelow was the father of 15 children from two wives, Sarah Fassett (my ancestor) and Lydia Sawyer. Grave photo curated from Ancestry.com and book excerpt from Boylston Centennial Celebration of the Incorporation of the ...
Read more

Happy Birthday, Florence E. Currier

Image
  Florence Currier Bigelow On July 6, 1898, Florence E. Currier was born to Florence A. (Applegate) and Charles Frazier Currier in Boston, Massachusetts. At the age three, Florence   E. and her family were living in New Jersey, where both the Applegate and Currier families were from, and by the time Florence E. was 10, the family was living in Worcester, Massachusetts. In 1914, when Florence E. was 16 years old, her mother Florence A. died of tuberculosis at the age of 36. Florence E. and her brother Charles are found living with Aunt Mary Applegate in the 1915 New Jersey State census. By the time Florence E. was 18 years old, her father Charles died of pneumonia when he was 45 years old. At the age of 19, Florence E. Currier married John F. Bigelow of Worcester, MA and together they had four children. Florence died at the age of 63 years old in Worcester, Massachusetts. A few generations later, Florence A. Applegate and Charles Frazier Currier descendants have reconnected t...
Read more