Byrns, Robert E., 1910-1999
Biography
Robert E. Byrns, 1910-1999, was a career U.S. Army officer whose service spanned nearly three decades and encompassed key training, instructional, and operational roles before, during, and after World War II. He began his military career in 1929 by enlisting in the Colorado National Guard and later sought active duty with the Civilian Conservation Corps, where he served in the early 1930s. Byrns was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Infantry Reserve in 1935 and promoted to First Lieutenant in 1939.
In 1941, Byrns was transferred to the Armored Force Replacement Training Center at Fort Knox, Kentucky, where he trained troops and was promoted to the rank of Major. At Fort Knox, he worked extensively with the Special Training Unit (STU) of the 19th Battalion, a program designed to instruct and rehabilitate soldiers with educational, developmental, or physical challenges. In 1944, Byrns was deployed to the Pacific Theater, serving in Honolulu, New Caledonia, and the Philippines with the 540th Amphibian Tractor Battalion. His World War II service earned him the Philippine Liberation Ribbon, American Campaign Medal, American Defense Service Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, and two Overseas Service Bars.
Following World War II, Byrns continued a broad and varied military career. He was assigned to the Army Field Forces Arctic Test Branch at Big Delta, Alaska, where he contributed to early U.S. Cold War Arctic research and field testing. Later postings included Fort Monroe, Virginia, and an overseas tour in Copenhagen, Denmark, where he served with the U.S. Military Assistance Advisory Group and rose to the rank of Colonel.
Colonel Byrns retired from the Army after 28 years of active duty. He married Lily Byrns, with whom he had two children, and later earned a master’s degree in history from Texas A&M University. After completing his graduate studies, he taught as a professor at San Angelo College in Texas. Following the death of his first wife in 1988, he married Jemes Bird the following year. Colonel Robert E. Byrns died on November 5, 1999.