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NAME Robert Lowell Petersen |
NICKNAME Pete |
SERVICE NUMBER O-7081 |
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| UNIT VMF-121 Pilot |
HOME OF RECORD 5736 North Rockwell Street Chicago, IL |
NEXT OF KIN Mother, Mrs. Anne H. Petersen |
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| DATE OF BIRTH August 30, 1920 at Idaho Falls, ID |
ENTERED SERVICE September 17, 1941 (commissioned) at Miami, FL |
DATE OF LOSS January 2, 1943 |
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| REGION Solomon Islands |
CAMPAIGN / AREA Rendova |
CASUALTY TYPE Missing In Action Declared Dead February 19, 1945 |
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| CIRCUMSTANCES OF LOSS Captain Robert “Pete” Petersen was a Marine fighter pilot serving with the Cactus Air Force. He arrived on Guadalcanal as a member of VMF-122 on 22 December 1942, and transferred to VMF-121 on 1 January 1943. On 2 January 1943, Petersen was assigned to a escort a dive bomber strike against a reported Japanese destroyer fleet. The ships were spotted about fifteen miles west of Rendova, covered by fighters of the 204th kokutai. Although the bombers made their dives, the seasoned IJN pilots scattered the American escort. Two Marine flyers – Petersen and Second Lieutenant Youell “Joe” Crum – never returned to base. Captain Petersen and F4F-4 Bureau Number 5169 were never seen again. The pilot was declared dead on 19 February 1945. |
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| INDIVIDUAL DECORATIONS Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart |
LAST KNOWN RANK Captain posthumous Major |
STATUS OF REMAINS Not recovered. |
MEMORIALS Manila American Cemetery |
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