Private First Class Commando Robert Marion Robertson was born August 8, 1917 to Francis Marion (1878-1953) and Sarah Alice Rambo Robertson (1881-1945) in Sevier County. He was the eighth of ten surviving children. They lived on a farm in Pigeon Forge. When he registered for the draft in 1940, Robert listed himself as a student of the State Teacher’s College in Memphis and he graduated from the Tennessee Wesleyan College and State College; however by the time of his enlistment in 1942, Robert’s occupation was in entertainment (actor). Robert enlisted at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. he was overseas for 22 months and served in North Africa, Sicily, and France. He was in the 82nd Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Armored Division, Company A.
Robert was killed in action near St. Georges de Rouelley in France on August 4, 1944 and he is buried in the Pigeon Forge Baptist Cemetery in Pigeon Forge, Sevier County. He was awarded the Purple Heart.
