“From the Beach to Bastogne” and beyond, the 24th Armored Engineers Battalion of the 4th Armored Division helped to pave the way to Allied victory in WWII.
Enlisted 9 Jun 1942 in Baltimore, MD.
Kelly-Springfield Tire Co. Mechanic.
Roberts Barnard Wilt was born in Westernport, Allegheny County, MD to Isaac C. and Isabella M. (Cassidy) Wilt on 23 Feb 1923. Westernport today remains today much as it was when Roberts was a small boy there, a small rural blue-collar town in the mountains of western Maryland.
By age 17, Roberts was in Stafford County, VA with his older sister Elva and her family working for his brother-in-law in trucking. He would head east to Baltimore soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor and enlist in the U.S. Army in Jun of 1942.
His mechanical background undoubtedly influenced his decision, and that of the Army, to assign him to an engineering battalion. Upon completion of boot camp, Roberts would be assigned to the 24th Armored Engineers Battalion, eventually deploying to Europe. The 24th would deploy to Normandy in July 1944 in support of the Allied breakout from the beaches. As an integral component of the 4th Armored Division, the 24th would play a major role in Normandy, the Battle of the Bulge, and the march across Germany, helping to secure allied victory.
After the war, Roberts returned home to Allegheny County, married the former Rose Marie Winters and saw three beautiful daughters, Donna, Patricia, and Marie come into this world. He would join the Kelly-Springfield Tire Co. in Midland as a mechanic.
Roberts Barnard Wilt passed away on the 2nd of September 1951, as a result of injuries sustained in a vehicle crash near Hagerstown. MD eight days earlier. He is interred in Saint Joseph’s Catholic Cemetery in Midland, MD.
In Memoriam
In August of 2023, Roberts’ daughter Patty (Wilt) Forster engaged me to assist in her effort to replace the broken upright marble veteran’s marker at her father’s gravesite and to obtain one for her (maternal) Uncle Joseph Winters who was also a veteran of WWII and buried alongside her father. After procuring the markers, we made the trek to the cemetery in Midland, replaced her father’s marker and placed a new marker for her uncle. With Patty’s blessing, we opted for the bronze plaque on granite type markers to help prevent against damage. It was with a great sense of personal satisfaction and pride that I was able to help Patty realize this long-sought dream to recognize and honor her father and uncle with these new markers. A special thanks to my friend and partner in the foundation, Shawn Ward for his time and expertise in installation.
We lost Patty in November 2023 but know that she has reunited with her mother, sister and father, no doubt regaling him with endless stories of her life growing up, working, marrying, and raising a family of her own; she last saw him when she was but 3-months old, so there is certainly much to talk about. She no doubts looks down every day keeping a watchful eye on her husband, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, looking upon them with great pride and the perpetual smile that she never seemed to be without.
-Lyle Garitty
