Robert Watson - Mickey Strand - Veterans Series

Mickey Strand - Veterans Series

World War 2

Click on Veteran's photo to see their service story. These Warriors served during the World War 2.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Where can I donate?

I have created a way to accept donations to grow the project, use the WWII Veterans Portrait Series Go Fund Me.

Where are you located?

I live in the San Diego area but have traveled to many locations to interview and photograph Veterans.


How Long is an Appointment?

Appointments usually last an hour. But please free up time for Mickey to set up lights and cameras, hold the interview, and take some still photographers for in the project.

Do you accept reservations?

Yes is the simple answer to the question. Each appointment is set up as an individual session. Group sessions have been set up when I visited a senior living facility or many of the California Veterans Homes.

Copyright © 2024 Mickey Strand – Veterans Series
US Navy BMC World War 2 Robert “Bob” Lincoln Watson was born on 1 July 1925, enlisted in the Navy in 1943, and served until 1945. Bob served as a Beach Master with the 6th Naval Beach Battalion, a unit whose duties were to control the landing zone of an amphibious assault. Bob's duties were to arrange and control the movement of all personnel and vehicles from the landing craft to inland assembly areas. On D-Day, Bob’s Landing Craft hit a German mine hundreds of yards from Omaha Beach, killing the men in the front of the craft and throwing others into the water. Bob was thrown backward, slashing his leg open before going overboard into the waves. Bob was aware enough to pop his life belt but was too far from the beach to swim. He got the attention of another craft that threw him a line and dragged him into the shadows before he let go with little skin left on his hand. Not wanting to die on the beach, Bob found a medic, moved up the beach, and dressed his hands. "The beach was a can of worms, so you did what you had to do.” Bob was sent with everyone on an all-hands front-line push, returning to his beach when that heaving fighting was done. Bob met up with members of the 6th, and they began the push to secure the beach. Bob got on a bulldozer at the first low tide and started clearing “Rommel’s Spaghetti.” He built a beach roadway into the surf zone to help landing craft off-loaded and reload faster. Some landing craft would get stuck and call to Bob to push them off the beach with his dozer, at which Bob would yell, " After you’re loaded with wounded, I’ll push you back, " and not before. It was all he could do for these men. Bob would not let empty LCVP craft leave the beach, even under heavy enemy fire, until the wounded were loaded. He and his team would carry stretchers and fill the craft, saving the lives of countless service members. On day two, his bulldozer hit another land mine, injuring his other leg, but Bob continued working for days. Sometime in that first week, Bob was promoted by the Lieutenant to the coxswain and Lead Petty Officer of his unit. Using his “Barker,” a human-powered megaphone, he Barked orders to the offloading troops under fire for days. Bob was wounded a third time in the foot by shrapnel but told the nurse who stitched him up and gave him new socks that he wanted to return to his unit. After 28 days, the 6th Naval Beach Battalion was relieved, and Bob was meritoriously promoted to Chief of the Beach Masters unit after the landings on Omaha Beach and Operation Overland. Bob still proudly wears his original helmet with its distinct red arch over his unit number six, designating him in charge of his unit and his beach. He is holding a souvenir Nazi armband found on the beach he helped secure as the first steps in liberating Europe. Bob returned to the US, married his wife of 70 years, Marjorie, and raised three boys. He ran a successful construction company in Carlsbad, Ca, that his son Robert Jr continues running today. A fantastic article about Bob and his service by Kevin M. Hymel can be found at: https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/last-man-in-hell-a-navy-beachmaster-on-omaha-beach/
Veteran,NIK,WW2
Robert Watson - Mickey Strand - Veterans Series
US Navy BMC World War 2 Robert “Bob” Lincoln Watson was born on 1 July 1925, enlisted in the Navy in 1943, and served until 1945. Bob served as a Beach Master with the 6th Naval Beach Battalion, a unit whose duties were to control the landing zone of an amphibious assault. Bob's duties were to arrange and control the movement of all personnel and vehicles from the landing craft to inland assembly areas. On D-Day, Bob’s Landing Craft hit a German mine hundreds of yards from Omaha Beach, killing the men in the front of the craft and throwing others into the water. Bob was thrown backward, slashing his leg open before going overboard into the waves. Bob was aware enough to pop his life belt but was too far from the beach to swim. He got the attention of another craft that threw him a line and dragged him into the shadows before he let go with little skin left on his hand. Not wanting to die on the beach, Bob found a medic, moved up the beach, and dressed his hands. "The beach was a can of worms, so you did what you had to do.” Bob was sent with everyone on an all-hands front-line push, returning to his beach when that heaving fighting was done. Bob met up with members of the 6th, and they began the push to secure the beach. Bob got on a bulldozer at the first low tide and started clearing “Rommel’s Spaghetti.” He built a beach roadway into the surf zone to help landing craft off-loaded and reload faster. Some landing craft would get stuck and call to Bob to push them off the beach with his dozer, at which Bob would yell, " After you’re loaded with wounded, I’ll push you back, " and not before. It was all he could do for these men. Bob would not let empty LCVP craft leave the beach, even under heavy enemy fire, until the wounded were loaded. He and his team would carry stretchers and fill the craft, saving the lives of countless service members. On day two, his bulldozer hit another land mine, injuring his other leg, but Bob continued working for days. Sometime in that first week, Bob was promoted by the Lieutenant to the coxswain and Lead Petty Officer of his unit. Using his “Barker,” a human-powered megaphone, he Barked orders to the offloading troops under fire for days. Bob was wounded a third time in the foot by shrapnel but told the nurse who stitched him up and gave him new socks that he wanted to return to his unit. After 28 days, the 6th Naval Beach Battalion was relieved, and Bob was meritoriously promoted to Chief of the Beach Masters unit after the landings on Omaha Beach and Operation Overland. Bob still proudly wears his original helmet with its distinct red arch over his unit number six, designating him in charge of his unit and his beach. He is holding a souvenir Nazi armband found on the beach he helped secure as the first steps in liberating Europe. Bob returned to the US, married his wife of 70 years, Marjorie, and raised three boys. He ran a successful construction company in Carlsbad, Ca, that his son Robert Jr continues running today. A fantastic article about Bob and his service by Kevin M. Hymel can be found at: https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/last-man-in-hell-a-navy-beachmaster-on-omaha-beach/