Sergeant Chester A. Rober who was the Radio Operator/Gunner on the “Stars and Stripes” was born in 1923. He enlisted with the US Army Air Corps in Boston, Massachusetts on 20th November 1942. Chester Jr. was the son of Chester and Catherine Rober of Richards Road, Weymouth, Massachusetts. Chester’s father, Chester Snr. was a shipyard foreman. The Fore River shipyard in Weymouth has a history dating back to the 1600s. But between the wars and during WW2, the shipyard built naval warships. It’s therefore surprising that Chester Jr. joined the Air Corps rather than the navy given his home town’s heritage and his fathers’ career.
On a B17, because radio silence had to be observed whilst on a mission over occupied Europe and Germany, the radio operator became a gunner manning the auxiliary turret immediately behind the top turret.
When he died aboard the “Stars and Stripes” he was only 21 years old. His burial place is unknown but his name can be found on the Immaculate Conception Grotto, where he attended church, and on the War Memorial Wall. His name also appears on the WWII Memorial located at Mount Wollaston Cemetery in Quincy, Massachusetts.
A plaque on the junction of North Street and Commercial Streets in Weymouth Heights states “ Chester A Rober Jnr. Killed in Action. 5th June 1944”. The plaque is surmounted by two small “Stars and Stripes”.
