Robert M. Norby

Robert Milton Norby was born on May 5, 1919, in Havana, North Dakota. His parents' names were Alex and Selma Norby. He had five brothers and one sister; their names were Kenneth, Lester, Lloyd, Maloy, Gladys, and Wenzel. He spent all of his childhood in Havana. Robert attended Tewaukon Township School, a country school in North Dakota, but he could not finish high school because of work on the farm. After school he worked for Fred Bessler and Ted Hanson on neighboring farms. In his free time, he liked to help on the farm and play baseball with his brothers and sister. Robert's sister, Gladys, remembers that right before he was drafted he went to the Sargant County Fair, and he won a replica of the Mayflower, which his great-nephew now has. She also remembers when they were children everyone would make snow forts with a stovepipe coming out the top. They would then build fires in the fort to keep themselves warm while they played.

In October 1941, Robert was drafted to Fort Snelling, Minnesota. He trained in Fort Knox, Kentucky, and in Fort Dix, New Jersey. After he was trained, he was sent over to Ireland and then to England. In the spring of 1942, he was sent to North Africa with the Invasion Forces and then to Italy. Private Norby was in Company F, 6th Armored Infantry, 1st Armored Division. He never received a furlough. On April 9, 1944, in his last letter home, he said, "I hope the 'Jerry's' are not too tough, so we can get to Rome. I'd like to see it. I sure hope I'll be back there before so very long." Private Norby also had two brothers, Kenneth and Lester, who were in World War II with him. Before Private Norby died, he saw Lester in Europe. His two brothers returned home after the war.

On May 31, 1944, in Larrvio, Italy, Private Robert Norby was killed from shell wounds. He was buried in Nettuno, Italy, in the U.S. Military Cemetery, Grave 5699, Row 31, Plot 3D. Robert's body was later sent home, and he had a subsequent burial at Immanuel Cemetery in Havana, North Dakota, on August 15, 1948. For his service in the war, Private Norby's family received the Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal, American Defense Service Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Honorable Service Lapel Button, and World War II medals. Robert's name is inscribed on a memorial monument in honor of those whose lives were lost in World War I and II; the monument is located on the south side of the American Legion Eddie Robertson Post No. 76 located in Veblen, South Dakota. Private Norby's only surviving relatives are his brothers, Maloy and Wenzel, and one sister, Gladys.