Every
so often I strive to recognize Sherburne County men and women in military
service. Individuals who sacrificed for
their country. I want to acknowledge the
life of Robert Darrow, a Lieutenant in the Army Air Corps, who died in combat
in Italy in September 1943.
Robert
Darrow, born in Elk River; for a short time, lived in Big Lake before returning
to the city. He graduated from Elk River
High School in 1939. He trained as a
pilot at the North Dakota State School of Science. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1941 and
received his commission as Lieutenant in July 1942.
Bob
Darrow received some recognition as an excellent pilot. The Sherburne County Star News published a
report of Darrow, during a training session in Louisiana, landing a crippled
plane at high speed. He kept the plane,
with damaged wings, in the air for an hour to allow his crew to bail out. To a man, the crew stayed with Darrow. He managed to land the plane with no
casualties to anyone on the ground or to his crew.
With
his training complete, the Army Air Corps ordered Darrow to the European theater. There during the Salerno Campaign, the
beginning of the Allied invasion of Italy, the Allies put every pilot in the
region in the air. Towards the end of
the campaign, in September 1943, Darrow flew a Mitchell B-25 bomber. On September 19, he was shot down and killed.
In
reviewing the service of men and women from Sherburne County there exists the cliché
of the ultimate sacrifice. It may be
used too often. Yet, in the case of Lieutenant
Robert Darrow, of Elk River, his family gave everything: the life of their son,
to the cause of freedom in World War Two. A man, and his family, sacrificed
everything. That warrants acknowledgement
for his service.
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