Captain Robert M. Irvine, US Army; A Stalwart of "the Big Red One "

                        

                     Image: UMaine

                 

                Image: Public Domain 

           Image: UMaine Army ROTC                  

                            

           Silver Star                 Bronze Star             Purple Heart (4 awards) 

Robert Mayes Irvine was born and raised in Framingham. He lived on Linden Street and was a graduate of Framingham High School (FHS Class of 1938).Following FHS,he attended the University of Maine.While at UMaine,he was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity and the Army ROTC Program.He was also an active participant in theater arts.He graduated in 1941 and was shortly thereafter commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and assigned to the storied First Infantry Division (the "Big Red One").The First participated in the Invasions of North Africa, Sicily, and Normandy.The division also participated in the Battle of the Bulge. 

Robert was a veteran of the hard-fought Tunisia Campaign (November 1942-May 1943).He commanded an infantry company (approximately 200 men) in the Battle of Sicily (July 1943-August 1943) where he was wounded and awarded a Purple Heart.On D-Day (06 June 1944),he was again a Company Commander.On Omaha Beach,he won a Silver Star Medal for Gallantry and was again wounded.He went on to win a Bronze Star Medal and two additional Purple Hearts (four total) as he and the First made their way across Europe.  

After his discharge,Robert returned to Framingham. He and his wife, Virgie Pfeiffer Irvine,bought a country store in Wardsboro,Vermont then headed north.He became a teacher in Wardsboro,before becoming a Principal in Bellows Falls, Vermont.He later relocated to Boothbay,Maine and taught for many years in Boothbay and in Southport,Maine.At the time of his retirement,he was the Principal at the Southport School.He was a member of the Rotary Club, a Mason (for 50 years) and participated in Meals on Wheels (for 13 years).He passed away on 25 January 2007 at 89 years old.

 

**Of note: Robert’s wife Virgie,of Warren Road,was the older sister of Betty Pfeiffer. Betty was the wife of Framingham's Captain Richard Higgins,USAF who "Saved a German City" by avoiding populated areas when his aircraft experienced a catastrophic failure.He was killed in the crash.The German city subsequently named a street,a military museum and an elementary school in recognition of this amazing act of self sacrifice.**