Robert Bender
| Date and Place of Birth: | 1918 South Ozone Park, Queens, NY |
| Date and Place of Death: | April 26, 1945 nr. Elbe River, Germany |
| Baseball Experience: | Amateur |
| Position: | Unknown |
| Rank: | Private First Class |
| Military Unit: | Company E, 2nd Battalion, 406th Infantry Regiment, 102nd Infantry Division US Army |
| Area Served: | European Theater of Operations |
Robert E. Bender was born in South Ozone Park in Queens, New York in
1918. An outstanding athlete, he attended John Adams High School where
he played baseball and football.
Following graduation, Bender worked for the Jamaica Water Supply and
continued to play baseball with the Jamaica Water Bombers, champions of
the Queens Alliance three consecutive years. The Queens Alliance was an
amateur baseball league of teams primarily from Queens with a few teams
from Brooklyn and some from Nassau County. Professional baseball scouts
thought highly of the Queens Alliance as it was a fertile ground for
young prospects. It was considered to be the best amateur baseball
league in the United States. The Queens Alliance was formed in 1927 by
local businessman Hank Hasel (Hasel ran the league, along with the
Queens-Nassau League, until his death in 1961). At its peak in 1941,
there were 68 teams playing in the Queens Alliance, often drawing crowds
of several thousand at places like Sherwood Oval, Dunton Oval and
Farmers Oval. Many Queens Alliance players graduated to play
professional baseball. Phil Rizzuto, Marius Russo, Sid Gordon and Mickey
Harris all played in the Queens Alliance.
In February 1942, Bender entered military service. After four months of
basic training he was stationed in Iceland for 18 months, then assigned
to Company E, Second Battalion, 406th Infantry Regiment of the 102nd
Infantry Division in Europe. As the Division advanced across the Roer
River and into Germany, Private First Class Bender was wounded on
February 25, 1945. He spent three weeks in hospital before returning to
the front line.
On April 26, 1945, near the Elbe River in Germany, Robert Bender was
killed in action. He was 27 years old and is buried at the Ardennes
American Cemetery in Neupre, Belgium.
Sources:
Long Island Star-Journal - July 31, 1940
Long Island Star-Journal - August 10, 1940
Long Island Star-Journal - June 5, 1941
Long Island Daily Press - May 19, 1945
Corning Leader - January 25, 1946
Long Island Star-Journal - September 15, 1961
Times Newsweekly- May 15, 2003
Date Added: April 28, 2013
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