Robert Fred Van Heck
Sergeant Robert F. Van Heck served with Able Company, Second Amphibian Tractor Battalion.
He was killed in action at Betio, Tarawa atoll, on 20 November 1943.
Branch
Marine Corps Regular
Service Number 297862
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
This case is under Active Pursuit by the DPAA.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
September 18, 1918
at Chicago, IL
Parents
Gus & Vivian Van Heck
Education
Details unknown
Occupation & Employer
Details unknown
Service Life
Entered Service
October 2, 1940
at Chicago, IL
Home Of Record
2051 Fargo Avenue
Chicago, IL
Next Of Kin
Mother, Mrs. Vivian Van Heck
Military Specialty
Amphibian Tractor Crewman
Primary Unit
A/2nd Amphtrac Bn.
Campaigns Served
Guadalcanal
Tarawa
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
—
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Sergeant Van Heck served as an amphibian tractor crewman during the assault on Betio, Tarawa atoll. His vehicle was an LVT-1 model christened “Wabbit Twacks” – and painted with the hull number “13 1/2” to ward off bad luck. The “Wabbit Twacks” crew included Sergeant Calvin Hackler and Corporal Claire E. Goldtrap.
On 20 November 1943, “Wabbit Twacks” carried a squad from I/3/2nd Marines from the USS Middleton to land on Beach Red 1. As they approached, the Japanese opened fire on the LVT. As Goldtrap drove “Wabbit Twacks” up onto the beach, Van Heck and Hackler helped toss combat gear over the sides and manned the machine guns mounted on the cab to give Item Company some covering fire. As Goldtrap began to reverse off the beach, a shell exploded right in front of his cab. He stopped just as another shell burst to the rear.
Van Heck yelled “Goldy, they have us in a bracket! Let’s get out of here!”
All three Marines were sheltering in the cab when a third shell scored a direct hit. Goldtrap and Van Heck took the full force of the explosion and were instantly killed. Hackler, badly wounded, managed to escape wreckage of “Wabbit Twacks” and survived the battle.
Burial Information or Disposition
Burial information not known – remains not recovered.
In 2018, the remains of Claire Eulin Goldtrap were identified among those recovered from Cemetery 11 in the years after the war. Since Goldtrap and Van Heck died in the same spot, it is possible that Van Heck was buried nearby as an unknown.
A memorial marker was erected in Cemetery 11, Grave 3, Row 3, Plot 3.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of mother, Mrs. Vivian Van Heck
Location Of Loss
Sgt. Van Heck’s LVT was knocked out on the shore of Red Beach 1.
