SANFORD, Fla. - Nearly 70 years after he was killed in battle, a
central Florida Soldier's medals and memorabilia were given to the Florida
National Guard armory that bears his name.
On Jan. 10, family members of Army Staff Sgt. Robert L. Evans visited the
Robert Evans Armory in Sanford, donating personal effects of their uncle who
was killed in the Pacific in World War II.
Evans, a medic serving with the 124th Infantry Regiment's Medical Detachment,
was awarded a posthumous Silver Star after he died in action in the
Philippines in 1945. The armory, which was later named after Evans, is now
home to B Company, 2nd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment.
Evans' nieces, Deborah Lynne Watts and Beverly Evans Srock, met with National
Guard Soldiers at the armory and delivered mementos of their heroic uncle
which included: the Silver Star medal set; his Purple Heart medal; his World
War II dog tag with name and service number; and letters Evans wrote to his
family while serving in the Pacific in 1944-45. The mementos also included a
black-and-white photo of Evans' brother Earl receiving the Silver Star for
his late brother.
"I felt really honored and humbled that they wanted to give these items to
the armory," said Army Sgt. 1st Class Carlton Cooley, who accepted the
memorabilia on behalf of the Florida National Guard. "It was incredible to
hold a hand-written letter from Sergeant Evans from 1944 and hold his actual
dog tag."
Srock, who lives in Sanford, said she and her cousin brought the items to the
National Guard in the hopes they would be better preserved by the unit and
appreciated by the Soldiers. She noted that although she never knew Evans,
her family feels a tremendous amount of pride in his service and the fact
that the Sanford armory is named for him.
According to Florida Department of Military Affairs records, Robert L. Evans
was born in North Carolina in 1916, raised in Sanford, and joined the Florida
National Guard in 1934. He was mobilized with the Medical Detachment for the
124th Infantry Regiment, 31st Division, in November 1940 and deployed to the
Southwest Pacific.
Evans was killed May 6, 1945, while his medical unit was supporting the 1st
Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment, on the island of Mindanao in the
Philippines. As the Infantry Soldiers advanced to seize an enemy airstrip,
they encountered enemy resistance in dense jungle and suffered heavy
casualties. Soldiers from the Medical Detachment voluntarily went in front of
friendly lines to recover and treat wounded, and according to reports the
medical personnel evacuated approximately 90 causalities throughout the day
under heavy enemy fire. Evans was among the medics killed during the battle.