MAY 12, 2025 – Army 1st Lt. Robert Turner Waugh died roughly one week after his hard-charging actions during World War II knocked out several enemy positions and helped break a German defensive line in Italy.
His fellow soldiers were so inspired by his valor that they made sure he was nominated for the Medal of Honor, which he posthumously received.
Waugh was born Jan. 16, 1919, in Ashton, Rhode Island, to John and Emma Waugh. He had two older siblings, John and Mildred.
In his youth, Waugh joined the Boy Scouts and attained the rare rank of Eagle Scout by the time he graduated from Cumberland High School in 1936. About a year later, his family moved to Augusta, Maine, where his father got a job with a manufacturing company. Since Waugh was fresh out of high school, he also took a job there as a machinery overhauler.
By April 1938, Waugh decided to join the Maine National Guard. He switched to active duty about a year and a half later, joining the Army Air Corps at Langley Field, Virginia, where he initially served as a line mechanic.
Waugh transferred to Puerto Rico in January 1941. There, he was promoted to sergeant and became a supply clerk, but he wanted more from his career, so he applied to be an aviation cadet. When his application was denied, he asked to transfer to the infantry — a request that was granted.
As World War II raged, Waugh transitioned into the role of recruit instructor until September 1942, when he went to Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia. He graduated as a second lieutenant and was assigned to the 339th Infantry Regiment of the 85th Infantry Division based in Mississippi. While there, he married his girlfriend, Helen Sabol, in December 1942.
About a year later, on Dec. 23, 1943, the 85th deployed to the Western Front to join the fight in Europe. Waugh’s unit landed in Morocco and trekked across North Africa before finally landing in Naples, Italy, March 10, 1944. A month later, the division began an attack on the Gustav Line, a German defensive fortification that was a major obstacle in the Allied advance toward Rome. The offensive lasted weeks.
On May 11, 1944, Waugh was part of Company G as it attacked an enemy-held hill near Tremensuoli, Italy. During the fight, Waugh scoped out an area filled with land mines before entering it with his platoon and directing his men to fire on six bunkers guarding the hill. Waugh then went ahead alone to the first bunker and threw a grenade inside. As enemy defenders emerged, he used his Tommy gun to take them all out. Waugh repeated the maneuver with the next five bunkers, killing or capturing all the occupants.
Three days later, Waugh ordered his platoon to fire on two enemy concrete guard posts situated on a mound that controlled the only trail going up the hill. He then ran up to the first post, chucked several grenades inside, and again killed all the defenders as they flooded out. He then went to the second one and did the same.
Throughout the offensive, communication failures forced Waugh to run back and forth between three hills, despite constant shelling by the enemy. His bravery inspired his fellow soldiers to continue the fight despite their exhaustion.
Waugh’s fearless actions helped break the Gustav Line. Records show he was personally responsible for killing 30 enemy soldiers and capturing 25 others.
After the offensive, the 339th Infantry Regiment pressed on toward Itri, Italy. Sadly, Waugh was killed in action there on May 19, 1944. He was hit in the neck and chest by shrapnel as he led his platoon in an attack.
For his selfless bravery, Waugh received a posthumous Medal of Honor. It was presented to his widow by Army Maj. Gen. Henry Terrell Jr. during a ceremony at Fort DuPont, Delaware, in October 1944. Waugh was also posthumously promoted to first lieutenant.
Waugh is buried in the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial in Nettuno, Italy.
In 2018, he was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame.
By Katie Lange, DOD News