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A hero among us

(Editor’s note: This article about Robert Byno of Gabriels was written by his great-granddaughter to celebrate a recent Honor Flight trip he was given to see war memorials in Washington, D.C.)

The year was 1942. The world was in the midst of the Second World War, and it had only been a year since Japan forced Americans into the gruesome conflict. With patriotism running high, men both young and old were ready to defend their country.

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese on Dec. 7, 1941, many Americans were anxious to go to war. Robert Byno of Queens was no different.

“I really wanted to go due to the bombing of Pearl Harbor,” he said. “I had a great amount of patriotism running through me.”

He later enlisted himself after his mother, Theresa Byno, refused to sign him, and went off to train at Parris Island, the Marine Corps boot camp in South Carolina, at 18.

The training was very difficult in the beginning; that was the instructors’ intention, to separate the weak from the weaker and the strong from the stronger. The training lasted three months, and Robert endured not only very difficult and painful physical training, but psychological as well, and experienced nonstop brainwashing and hazing when no one was looking. Things like that never leave a person. He stated that 74 years later, he still remembers his instructor to this day.

In 1943, Robert was deployed to the American Samoa and became a gunner.

“There was a lot of activity in the beginning, a lot of anti-aircraft, and eight planes went down,” said the American hero. Although that didn’t stop him, considering he was later awarded numerous medals and various honors for completing 139 successful missions from Dec. 20, 1943, to Oct. 4, 1944. Through that all, his mind was fixated on killing as many of the enemy as possible.

Since war is devastating and cruel, Robert eventually found a way to get through everything and tried to have a positive mindset. When troops were ordered to island-hop through the Pacific, Robert viewed it as a good opportunity to explore and meet new people, noting that the natives were very nice to the Americans, just like how they were portrayed “in the movies.”

In 1944, Robert returned to the Pacific Coast, where he recuperated in California and then later returned home to New York, where he was greeted by his parents after 13 months without contact. He said it was hard in the beginning to get readjusted into civilian life, and it was even harder getting a job.

Robert eventually found a job on Long Island and married Gloria Reed on Aug. 18, 1945, in St. Albans, Queens, a marriage that lasted 70 years. They then moved out to Massapequa Park and raised their five children: Lois, Janice, Robert Jr., William and Paul. He was in the Nassau County Police Department for 15 years and held the position as a Harley-Davidson motorcycle cop. Being in a uniform brought him great pride and honor, as stated by his daughter Lois: “He always loved being in a uniform.” Since retired, he moved to the Saranac Lake area in 1973, where he currently resides.

Being in the military provides a person with pride, honor, and a sense of patriotism for one’s country.

“He’s always demonstrated this devotion in everything he has done; he’s incredibly hard-working and such a role model,” said Janice, Robert’s daughter. “I always knew I wanted to marry a man like my dad.”

My great-grandfather has taught me many lessons, through his actions and what he does. He’s taught me that life isn’t always easy, but with hard-work and determination you can get through anything, and that you should not take anything for granted. You should always be selfless and present yourself with respect if you want to be respected by others. To America, Robert Byno is a war hero, but to me, he’ll always be my great-grandfather.

Jessica Livingston lives in Holtsville.

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