Robert Franklin Ruge, World War II CasualtyPorter County Data on World War II Casualties . . . .
Robert Franklin Ruge
Major, US Marine Corps
Date of Birth: January 5, 1914
Date of Death: October 24, 1944
Cause of Death: Missing in Action (perished when a Japanese prisoner of war
ship, the converted cargo ship Arisan Maru, was sunk by an American
submarine when transferring American POWs from the Philippines to Japan)
Monument: Tablets of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery, Manila,
Philippines
Awards: Purple Heart
Hometown: Valparaiso
Newspaper Notices:
Ten Porter County Men Dead Or Missing Since U. S. Went Into War Against Japan
(BY ENG ZIMMERMAN, Sr)
"Remember Pearl Harbor" Today Valparaiso and Porter county citizens remembers
that event which transpired just a year ago today when a Japanese air squadron,
more than 100 strong, roared out of a peaceful sky to deal destruction and death
to American warships, air dromes and U. S. fighting men at Pearl Harbor.
With quietness and an air of solemnity, citizens recalled dastardly Japanese
sneak attack and resolved to "Remember Pearl Harbor" as their battlecry to
retaliate in full measure to the Japanese for their treachery in causing the
unwarranted deaths of several thousand brave members of the U. S. fighting
forces.
Not until yesterday was the full extent of the carnage at Pearl Harbor revealed
to the public on the theory that such information would have proved valuable to
the enemy.
Local Youth Wounded
Porter county had only one casualty at Pearl Harbor. He was Harold Lenburg, of
Valparaiso, who was critically wounded in the onslaught. Lenburg spent
considerable time in hospitals recovering from his wounds before he was able to
return home. He is recipient of the Purple Heart award.
Since that eventful day a year ago in the Pacific, ten Porter county men have
been included in the government's casualty lists as killed in action or missing.
First to answer the summons was Charles McKindred Proffitt, gunner on the U. S.
destroyer Jacob Jones, which was torpedoes in the Atlantic in September.
DeForest Dye, a member of the Navy, was next reported missing in the Pacific in
March. Then in May, Capt. Robert F. Ruge, of the Marine Corps, was reported
missing. Ruge had been on Bataan and Corregidor just before U. S. forces on
those points capitulated to the Japanese. Later he was promoted to the rank of
major.
Hebron Youth Missing
Another Porter county man stationed at Corregidor, Joseph Twa, of Hebron, was
also reported missing. In both the Ruge and Twa announcements it was not known
whether they were killed or captured. No further word has been received.
Next to be added to the honor roll of Porter county was the name of Glen Owens,
of Valparaiso. He was reported killed in action in the Pacific in June. His body
was buried at sea.
Soon after the announcement of young Owens' death, came word that John Hales
Bates of Hebron was missing from a carrier in the Pacific. He was a member of
the U. S. air service.
Another man to pay the supreme sacrifice was Howard L. Pumroy, of Kouts. Pumroy
was reported killed in the Solomons while fighting with the marines.
John Jacob Birky, student pilot of the Royal Canadian Air Force residing on
Valparaiso RFD 3, was killed at Centralia, Ontario, in October when a plane
which he was flying during night practice crashed. The body was brought to this
city for memorial services.
Capt. William H. Chambers of the U. S. air force was reported missing in action
since Oct. 19. He was believed to have been in Alaska region.
The latest casualty reported was Pvt. First Class Edward Smith of Valparaiso. He
was reported killed in action in the South Pacific on Nov. 18.
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Source: The Vidette-Messenger, Valparaiso, Porter County, Indiana;
December 7, 1942; Volume 16, Page 1 Column 6
Capt. R. Ruge Dead, Marine Chief Wires
Officer Lost Life When Jap Prisoner Ship Was Sunk Last October.
Captain Robert F. Ruge, U. S. Marine Corps, of Valparaiso, today was enshrined
on Porter county's Honor Roll of American heroes who have given their lives for
their country.
A telegram has been received by his brother, Atty. Mox Ruge, of Chesterton, from
General A. A. Vandegrift, commandant, U. S. M. C., announcing that Robert lost
his life on October 24, 1944 when a Japanese ship, on which 1,800 American
prisoners were being transported from the Philippines to Japan, was sunk.
A son of the late Dr. Marx Ruge, Valparaiso dentist, who died on Aug. 9, 1944,
and Nellie Grise Ruge. Captain Ruge was born in Valparaiso on January 5, 1914.
He attended the public schools and was graduated from Valparaiso high school in
1932, where he was active in basketball, football and baseball.
From 1933 to 1937 he attended the United State Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md.,
from which institution he was graduated and received a 2nd lieutenant's
commission in the U. S. Marine Corps. At Annapolis he was captain of the
basketball team in his senior year, and then served as assistant basketball
coach at the Academy.
After his graduation he was stationed at Philadelphia for a short time, and then
returned to the Naval Academy, remaining there from 1937 to 1940. In 1940 he was
assigned for duty with the 4th Marines at Shanghai, where he served until the
outbreak of war with Japan on Dec, 7, 1941.
When the American forces left Shanghai for the Philippines, he participated in
battles against the Japs on Bataan and Corregidor. When Corregidor capitulated
to the Japanese forces on May 6, 1942, he was taken prisoner.
He was held captive by the Japs at Bilibid prison in Manila from May of 1942
until Oct. 11, 1944, when he was shipped out of Manila on a Japanese prison ship
which was sunk by an American submarine about 200 miles off the China coast in
South China sea.
During his internment by the Japs his parents received a number of cards from
him indicating he was well. However, most information concerning him was
received from some of his fellow prisoners who were not shipped to Japan but
were liberated by American forces when they retook the Philippines.
__________________________________________________________________
Source: The Vidette-Messenger, Valparaiso, Porter County, Indiana; July
3, 1945; Volume 15, Page 1, Column 5
Officer Died On Jap Ship
Mrs. Berna Goldstine, of Chesterton, Tuesday received a telegram from the war
department stating that her husband, Capt. Mark T. Goldstine, Jr., a Japanese
prisoner of war, had lost his life when a Jap prison ship enroute from the
Philippines to Japan was sunk in the China sea on Dec. 15, 1944.
Capt. Goldstine, a member of the 24th Field Artillery in the Philippines, was
captures by Japanese on Corregidor when that American stronghold fell to
superior Japanese forces on May 6, 1942.
He is the second Porter county casualty in the Jap war to lose his life in the
sinking of a Jap prison ship. Capt. Robert F. Ruge of Valparaiso, U. S. Marine
Corps, was recently reported lost when a ship carrying U. S. prisoners from the
Philippines to Japan was sunk on Oct. 24, 1944.
Capt. Goldstine had been stationed on the Philippines since April, 1941.
Previous to entering military service he held an executive position with the
American Red Cross.
Surviving are his widow, the former Berna Marquart of Chesterton; two sons, Mark
T. Goldstine III, and Jerry, and his father, Dr. Mark Goldstine, Sr., of
Chicago. Mrs. Goldstine is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Marquart of
Chesterton.
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Source: The Vidette-Messenger, Valparaiso, Porter County, Indiana; July
25, 1945; Volume 19, Page 1, Column 1
Return to
List of
Porter County World War II Casualties
Information abstracted and transcribed by Steven R. Shook