PFC Robert Basil Snelson, U.S. Army
Private First Class Robert Basil Snelson was born on August 29, 1925, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the son of Airy Lasker Snelson and Pearl Ellen Collinsworth Snelson. He grew up during the hardships of the Great Depression and came of age as the world was engulfed by war. Public family-history records place his birth in Tulsa, confirm his parents’ names, and show that he later registered for the draft in 1944.
According to family remembrance, Robert’s desire to serve his country began early. At just 16 years old, too young to enlist in the Army, he joined the Merchant Marine. As soon as he was old enough, he entered the United States Army and became an infantryman. That choice placed him in the most dangerous part of the war: the front lines, where young Americans bore the burden of closing out the final campaigns in Europe.
By March 1945, Robert was serving in combat in Germany during the last weeks of World War II in Europe. Division histories and unit memorial records connect a PFC Robert B. Snelson to the 347th Infantry Regiment of the 87th Infantry Division, and list him among those killed in action on March 17, 1945. On those same days, the 87th Division was crossing the Moselle River, fighting through the hills south of Koblenz, and driving into the city itself as American forces pressed toward final victory in Germany.
Robert was only 19 years old when he was killed in action in Germany on March 17, 1945. Public memorial sources identify him as a World War II Gold Star soldier and list the Purple Heart among his awards, along with the American Campaign Medal and the World War II Victory Medal.
His loss was deeply personal as well as patriotic. Robert was the only son of his parents, and to his sister, your mother, he was not just a brother but her closest friend. His death came near the end of the war, at the very moment when victory was in sight, making the sacrifice even more poignant for the family he left behind.
Today, PFC Robert Basil Snelson is remembered not only as a fallen soldier, but as a young man of uncommon courage — one who was determined to serve, who stepped forward before he was even old enough for the Army, and who ultimately gave his life in combat for his country. Though he lived only 19 years, his story reflects duty, devotion, and sacrifice of the highest order. He stands among the young Americans whose service helped bring World War II to its close, and whose memory deserves to endure for generations. He is buried in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where his name and sacrifice remain part of both family history and the nation’s story.
