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Home Town Fredonia NY. Born and schooled in Dunkirk NY
GMG 1/c ROBERT GEORGE "JUNIOR" SUGGETT WWII NAVAL ARMED GUARD and PBY/AERIAL GUNNER
FIRST WOUNDED JUNE 1943 ABOARD SS SANTA MARIA
Mr. Suggett was a Gunners Mate 1/C and served on twenty-one Atlantic patrols and nine merchantmen ships in Armed Guard duty. Five of those ships were sunk by submarines and mines. He was once blown off a ship and into the sea off Dakar. He was awarded the Silver and Bronze Stars for rescuing two shipmates and assisting the ship's doctor in amputating arms and legs of his comrades under direction of the wounded doctor. He received the Purple Heart with two Encores. In addition to Armed Guard Sea Service he served as a PBY seaplane gunner, and after being shot down at the Strait of Messina he was captured by the German Army. He spent eight months in a German prison before being rescued by the Italian Resistance. Bob's other awards include a Letter of Commendation from the Navy, the V.F.W. Medal with Maltese Cross; an award from the Russians; and a Certificate of Appreciation from the French Government. In 1992, Suggett received a letter from then-Russian President Boris Yeltsin through his secretary, Vladamir Putin, thanking him for his work with the Armed Guard of the Navy and its protection of convoys that kept Russia in the war.
After being rescued by the Italian Resistance and sent to the States to recover, he returned to active duty, against orders, and was forced by the Navy Medical Board to take a medical/honorable discharge. Due to his wounds, Bob was discharged in March 1945.
Mr. Suggett was one of three Navy veterans in the State of New York to receive a 'Battle Wagon' discharge during WWII, and was awarded the New York Conspicuous Service Award.
He was a member, and Past Commander, of the American Legion Post 329; a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the DAV, as a 100% disabled Veteran.
Other Comments:
Mr. Suggett was born: JUNIOR SUGGETT, however, when Junior enlisted in the Navy they would not let him in with the name Junior, they said it wasn't a first name, so, at age 16, Junior used his father's name and became Robert George SUGGETT (Jr.). But, when the Navy discovered he had lied about his age, his punishment was that his first year of active duty (Feb.'40-Feb.'41) did not count on his service records.
Military Code: PQ17 (Russian/Arctic Convoy). During his service he made trips to Murmansk, Russia. They say, if you made one trip you were lucky to survive, he made three of those trips. Armed Guard veterans who served on ships that participated in operations bringing war supplies to the Soviet Union, including but not limited to "the Murmansk run," are be eligible for a commemorative medal awarded by Russia.
On D-Day, he was with a small group smuggeling arms to the French Resistance just north of the Allied Landing at Normandy. (see article from The Ledger, April, 2001)
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