Robert Frank Baumann

Robert Frank Bauman enlisted into the US Marine Corps Reserve after he and his friends were caught speeding and brought before a small-town judge who told them to enlist in place of a fine. When they returned to the judge, he fined them anyway, $25 each. Bauman, a star tackle for the UW football team, was picked by the Bears in the 24th round of the 1943 NFL draft. He talked with his girlfriend, Arlene, about their future and how perhaps he would try professional football and one day open a sports camp for children. He was, instead, sent to be deployed to the Pacific on Thanksgiving 1943. He served on Guadalcanal and was then sent to Okinawa where he was wounded in April 1945. On June 6, 1945, Bauman was given command of A Company, 1/4 Marines. They were blindsided by Japanese machine gun fire from a nearby hillside and 1Lt Bauman was killed. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star for his service.