Bethany, MO: Robert Louis Hiatt, 99, of Bethany, MO passed away Monday, February 24, 2025.
He was born on October 19, 1925, the son of Louis and Dorothy (Youngman) Hiatt. He and his brother, Charles, were raised on a farm eight miles south of Bethany. He attended country grade school and attended two years of high school at Bethany.
Robert enlisted in the United States Army and was sworn in at Leavenworth on April 29, 1944, at the age of 18. He was sent to the 97th Infantry Division. He joined a fully trained unit but missing basic training, Robert spent much time on kitchen duty until his sergeant assigned him the infantry’s rifles to clean, oil, and reassemble. He was then put on a Browning Automatic Rifle team.
In September of 1944, he was sent to Camp Cooke, California, for preparation to ship out to Japan. Before being sent, the Battle of the Bulge took place in Europe and their orders changed to be sent to Europe and replace lost troops in February 1945. The battle of the Bulge ended before leaving the states and the 97th division’s job became following the tanks on foot across Germany. The division crossed the German border and took up a defensive position along the west bank of Rhine River. Robert was known as “Digger” to his friends because he could dig foxholes faster than anyone in their division. He was told that, “If they give a medal to you, it will have a shovel on it!”
His division crossed the Rhine River near Bonn and took a position on the south side of the Sieg River and their orders were to capture the town of Siegburg. The Germans had tunnels dug there and after they were on land and past the river, the Germans came behind and shot from both directions. They were trapped in the open under a barrage of heavy artillery fire. Out in the open on top of a hill he could see for miles and assumed the Germans could as well. He took refuge in a coal shed nearby when suddenly there was a huge explosion that coated his eyes and mouth with coal dust. He could barely breathe and couldn’t talk. A member from his unit called, “Pappy,” and a group of others, found him and got him out of there. They fought street-to-street engagement in Sieburg on April 10. The troops suffered 80% casualties during this four-day battle. Their tanks eventually circled the town; the remaining Germans had disappeared before the tanks got there. From there, they captured Cologne, Solingen, and Dusseldorf. The Ruhr pocket was eliminated, and the war was drawing to a close.
They rode from Dusseldorf to the Czech border to aid in liberating Czechoslovakia. On the way they came across the Moosburg POW Camp. This is where Dale Mitchell was incarcerated. The division freed him and thousands of others. Their division took 37 towns and villages in two days after crossing the Czech border. On the way to Pilsen Czechoslovakia, their Company B, 387th Regiment, 97th Division, were credited with firing the last official shot of the war in Europe just before midnight on May 7, 1945, when Pfc. Domenic Mozzetta fired at a German sniper. The war in Europe stopped on May 8, 1945, so further battle did not count.
Robert’s division returned to the states in June 1945, landing in New York to a grand welcome from fireboats and civilians. They were given 30 days furlough and then moved to Fort Lewis, Washington, where they prepared to leave for Japan. They were on their way to Japan before the peace treaty was signed. They stopped in Hawaii for refueling and supplies for two days and due to a storm at sea they stopped at Iwo Jima where he walked to the top of the mountain where the historic flag was placed. After the peace treaty was signed, his division became part of the occupation troops in Japan. He was there until the first of May 1946. During the occupation, Robert applied for schooling to get out of guard duty and the only open classes were for barbering. He became a barber and spent his time there giving haircuts. His division was inactivated on March 31, 1946. He was discharged at Leavenworth on May 15, 1946, after two years and two weeks in the military. He received a Combat Infantry Badge, Bronze Star, European Theater and Asiatic-Pacific ribbons, and a Rifleman’s badge. After being discharged he was “on call” for six years. In the early 1950’s, while they were drafting for the Korean War, Robert enlisted in the Active Reserves and joined the 102nd Ozark Division. He was not called for the Korean War but decided to stay in the Reserves where he moved up in rank from Private to E7 Master Seargent during his 31 years in the Reserves. He retired after a total of 33 years, through World War II, the Korean Conflict, and the Vietnam War.
After returning home from the war, Robert did various things including construction, picking fruit in Washington, working at the John Deere factory in Dubuque, IA and eventually buying two lots in Bethany, MO where he built houses.
He met Colleen Myers in 1954. They dated and were married on November 1, 1957, in New Hampton, MO. They lived in a third house he had built in Bethany for about two years before buying a farm south of Bethany where he built a house for him and Colleen. Through the years he raised a few cattle on his land, rented out farm acres, did carpentry work, and hauled farm products.
Robert was a lifetime member of the American Legion and VFW Post #2176 and the NRA. He was eventually presented with a high school diploma from South Harrison High School and was also a member of Mitchelville United Methodist Church.
He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Colleen; brother, Charles Hiatt; and sister, Margaret Gittens.
Robert is survived by his daughters, Julie (Dan) Pulley, Fenton, MO, and Catherine Smith; grandchildren, Charles Hiatt, Harrison Pulley, and Emily (Beckzod) Pulley Tolipova; great grandson, Benedict Pulley Tolipov; and two sisters, Betty Paul, Glendale, CA and Judith Hiatt, New Orleans, LA.
Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday, February 28 at Roberson Funeral Home, Bethany, MO. Burial with Military Rites will follow in Miriam Cemetery, Bethany, MO. The family will receive friends from 5:00-7:00 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to Miriam Cemetery in care of Roberson Funeral Home, P.O. Box 46, Bethany, MO 64424. Online condolences may be left at www.robersonfuneralhome.com.