WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Boozman is celebrating the 98th birthday of WWII veteran Robert Fahr with his second interview highlighting the service and sacrifice of Arkansans who served our nation in uniform as part of his series ‘Salute to Veterans.’
Fahr, born December 1, 1917 near Marmaduke, Arkansas was the youngest of 11 children.
He studied at the University of Arkansas where he joined the Army ROTC before finishing requirements for his veterinary medicine degree at Texas A&M.
“They sent me to a medical field delivery school,” Fahr said of his time at Fort Sam Houston. “There were about 1,600 MDs and dentists and I think 12 veterinarians. We got training in field medicine, injuries and treatment of wounded soldiers on the field.”
The Army transferred him around stateside to utilize his expertise with animals including time at Camp Hale, Colorado where he recalled riding mules being trained through the mountains.
“I was there to check mules in and the soldiers going overseas see their health was good enough to go overseas and carry the ammunition,” he said.
Fahr was set to deploy overseas, but the night before, he received a telegram from Washington reassigning him to Baltimore, Maryland. His new assignment supported efforts of all the branches of the military in preparation for the invasion of Normandy.
“I went down to where the ships were loading to make the invasion to France,” Fahr said as he recalled the large amounts of eggs and sausage that were on the ships. “It would be about 90 cars a train and the allies put the food on all the ships going over for the invasion. You could see ships as far as the eye could see,” Fahr recalled.
“Robert Fahr has a unique perspective of WWII. His help stateside to support the war was vital to allied efforts. I am proud to recognize his service and dedication to our nation. His memories of his service are an important part of our history,” Boozman said.
The entire interview with Fahr will be submitted to the Veterans History Project, an initiative of the Library of Congress’s American Folklife Center to collect and retain the oral histories of our nation’s veterans.
Do you know a veteran who you would like Senator Boozman to feature in his Salute to Arkansas Veterans? Nominate an Arkansas veteran to share their story at Boozman_submissions@boozman.senate.gov.
