Robert James Windish
Robert James Windish was born 13-Jun 1920 in St Louis, St Louis County, Missouri. His father was John Anthony Windish (1896–1984) and his mother was Anna Katherine Buechler (1899–1984). He had two brothers: John and Edward. He graduated in 1938 from Central High School where he was a star athlete in track. He competed in the 75-yard low hurdles, the high and broad jumps, the shot put and on the relay team. The yearbook described him thusly: “We have a record-breaker here — This really handsome boy. Who in the world of contest sports, Brought Central pride and joy.” He worked as a clerk at an electric company before enlisting in the US Marines on 7-Jan 1941. Robert served in the Marine Corps on the Arizona as a Private. His service number was 303079.
On December 6, 1941, the Arizona returned to its base at Pearl Harbor. The next morning, at approximately 7:55 AM, Japan launched a surprise attack on the naval base. For nearly two hours, more than 350 Japanese aircraft—which included torpedo planes, bombers, and fighters—dropped bombs on U.S. vessels. At approximately 8:10 AM, the Arizona was struck by a 1,760-pound (800-kg) projectile. The impact caused munitions and fuels to ignite, creating a massive explosion that reportedly lifted the battleship out of the water. As it sank, the ship was struck by more bombs. In addition, some claimed that the Arizona was also hit by torpedoes, though no evidence was found to support that assertion. While 334 crew members survived, the death toll on the Arizona was 1,177 and remain entombed on the ship today.
Robert Windish was Killed in Action December 7-Dec 1941. His body was never recovered.
Robert James Windish is memorialized at Courts of the Missing, National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii. This is an American Battle Monuments Commission location.
Robert James Windish was eligible for the following medals:
- Purple Heart
- Combat Action Ribbon
- Marksmanship Badge
- World War II Victory Medal
- American Campaign Medal
- Marine Corps Presidential Unit Citation
- Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal
- Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
- Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal
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