Robert E. Gleason, who entered State College for Teachers with the class of 1941, served as an infantryman with the Medical Department in World War II. On September 19, 1944, when his company came under intense fire, Gleason moved openly around the battlefield, giving first aid to the wounded. Although he received multiple wounds in the back and arms, he refused evacuation in order to remain with the wounded throughout the night, until they could be evacuated the next morning.

He died several days later as a result of these injuries, and was posthumously awarded his second Purple Heart. He had received the first for wounds received in the capture of Rome. His last letter to his wife, written September 22, did not mention the wounds that killed him.

Read more about Gleason in the Louis C. Jones Letters:

Letter of March 14, 1945