Robert J. Weimann Sr.

Weimann, Robert J., 92, of West Deptford, peacefully passed away on Thursday, August 19, 2010 with his loving family by his side. Legacy Sgt Major Bob Weimann was born in Newark, NJ February 22, 1918 and entered the Marine Corps in 1937, initially assigned as an artilleryman at Quantico, Virginia. Bob, always the athletic, participated in all Marine sports to include football, basketball, and coaching the Marine Corps boxing team. Bob was a professional boxer before joining the Marines; therefore, he could not participate on the Marine boxing team because of his professional status. Bob would eventually be assigned as a Rifle Range instructor at Quantico after making corporal. While at the Quantico Marine rifle range, he would participate in the shooting evaluation of the M1 Grand the Johnson Rifle. Both rifles were under evaluation by both the Army and the Marines as the next standard issue combat rifle. The Marine Corps would recommend the Johnson Rifle over the M1, however, the Army recommended and got the M1 Grand. Bob would leave the Marines in 1940 to begin a career in law enforcement. Initially he was a security guard at Lake Hurst Naval Station. While there World War II broke out. Shortly after Pearl Harbor, Bob began seeing his old corps Quantico Marines come through Lake Hurst for Marine parachute training. Bob would re-enlist at Lake Hurst and join Headquarters Company, 1st Para-Marine Battalion, 1st Marine Division as the 60mm Mortar Platoon Sergeant. Bob was with the Para-Marines when the battalion assaulted the small island of Gavutu across the bay from the Guadalcanal airfield. The airfield landing was unopposed because the 1200 Japanese defenders had fortified themselves on Gavutu and its adjoining island of Tanambogo. The Para-Marines would hit Gavutu with just under four hundred Marines. As the Para-Marines landed, they were caught in a three-way cross fire from Gavutu, Tanambogo and Tulagi. Bob would land in the third wave with C Company. The C Company landing craft would pull next to the pier to off load their Marines causing C Company to charge down the pier under heavy machine gun fire. Bob initially stood on the side of his landing craft, grab a pier piling and hook his feet in the landing craft gunnels in order to keep the craft next to the pier to let his follow Marines to debark quickly. Bob would move his mortar section to the beach under heavy fire and maintain suppressive fires on Tanambogo for the remainder of the day. The Para-Marines would secure Gavutu by the end of the day with a causality rate of almost 50%. The 200 remaining Para-Marines were then attached to the Marine Raider Battalion. Bob would scrounge a Johnson automatic rifle and stand with Col Edison on Bloody Ridge the night a reinforced brigade of approximately 6000 Japanese attack the "Chutes" and Raiders. A recent book titled "Battalion of the Damned" by James Christ, captures that incredible story how Marines, outnumbered, starved, sick and short supplied, managed to prevail over a numerically superior enemy. Bob would become a causality that night from a Japanese grenade. After med-evac and conversance leave, Bob would be assigned to the heavy cruiser USS Quincy. The Quincy was a Utah Beach fire support ship for the Normandy D-Day landings. Later it would provide the same support for the invasion of Southern France. Towards the close of the war the Quincy would host the Yalta Conference between President Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin. Bob would serve at FDR's aid while the president was aboard the Quincy. After the conference, the USS Quincy would join the Pacific Fleet and conduct the first naval bombardment of the Japanese mainland. Bob would also serve in the Korea War and participate in heavy fighting with a Marine infantry battalion. After the Korean War he would participate on the Marine Corps Pistol Team as a Marine Corps Distinguished Shooter. Bob would move his family to Woodbury in 1959 and retire from the Marines in 1962. He would continue to work and retired from the Sears Roebuck and Company at the Deptford Mall at the age of 65. Through out his time living in Woodbury, Bob would participate in numerous community activities with the Wenonah Semper Fidelis Detachment of the Marine Corps League on activities like "Toys for Totes", holiday parades and Veterans Day memorials. Family Bob is survived by his loving wife Marie Weimann and their three children Linda, Tom and Bob. Both Bob and Tom served as Marines in Desert Storm. Farewell Service Relatives and friends are invited to join Bob's family for his viewing Monday afternoon after 3 PM in the McGUINNESS FUNERAL HOME, 34 Hunter Street, Woodbury; where a Lifetime Tribute Service will follow at 6 PM. His interment with Military Honors will take place on Wednesday at 1:30 PM in the Quantico National Cemetery, Triangle, VA.