Sam Roberts-a Hero, a Helper, a Buddy, a Friend

Grandpa Sam Roberts

I met Sam Roberts soon after my husband and I were engaged to be married. My mother's father died before I was born, and my father's father passed away when I was only 5-years old, so it was wonderful to me to have Grandpa Sam in my life.

A Forever Romance

World War I soldier, Samuel Thomas Roberts.

On April 6, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson signed the war resolution passed by Congress and the United States entered the war. 

"I received my greetings from Uncle Sam and left Roosevelt, Utah on the first of November, 1917 to serve in the Armed Forces of the United States of America," Sam Roberts recorded in his personal history. 

Jennie Roberts

Only two years before, On October 6,, 1915, Sam had married his sweetheart, Eliza Jane Taylor, at her father's home in a little place called Crescent, Utah.

Jennie, as she was known all her life, was expecting their first child when Sam left Utah for Fort Lewis, Washington.

From Training to the Front Lines

From Washington Sam traveled to Long Island, facing the bitter New York winter to continue his training. “Just as I was wondering how was the best way to freeze to death, they called for volunteers to go to Newport News, Virginia.” Sam Roberts "was the first one to step out and volunteer” he wrote. Sam spent several months in Virginia before finishing his training in France.  “On the fifth of June,” he recorded, “we went to the battle front."

Enlistment and discharge records of Sam Roberts.

Joy During the War

"It was after I went to the frontline trenches that I got news of the birth of my first child on July 13, 1918," Sam said. "They named her Sammie 'T' after me. My dear ones at home had not seen me once since I left them and they didn't know whether they would ever see me again so they thought I should have a namesake even though it happened to be a girl. It was just as well, for we never were blessed with a son.

When Someone Needs Help You Go Help Them

Sam Roberts standing beside his gun on a battlefield in France, 1918

Sam was assigned the job of "powder monkey" on the front, loading powder into a big gun. While describing a battle, Sam wrote: "Just over on a little hill about 75 yards away, there were some 75's cannon. . . we (were driven) away from our gun and we'd congregated in a swale on the edge of a forest. (But) there were two men out there. . .They got a direct hit and they were hollering for help. 'come and get us, come and help us.'

"Nobody would go, and there was me and another guy, a fellow with a name of Jimmy Collins. He says, 'Let's go get them.'

"And I said 'All right. When that next shell lands, we go; maybe we can get back before the next one comes." When that shell came, we ran over there and the shell busted and it splattered me and the other guy both. . .we got this guy on the stretchers, and we ran with him. We got [two wounded].  . . . They'd both been hit, that's why we went over there, 'cause if they could have run, they would run. 

"That's one time I disobeyed orders; that lieutenant bawled us both out, but it didn't do him any good. We told him, 'They were] hurting. . . and they needed help, and we went and got them.' . . .

"Sometimes we'd be alone or with somebody, that was shot all up and they had to have help right now. You don't question, to see if you're in danger when you have somebody hollering for help; you go help them. And that's what we did!"

Sam Roberts in the center with George Wallace and Will Holgundegrus