A Tribute To Treasurer Bob Lammey

It is said that the good die young. Well, my dear friend Robert F. Lammey fits that category. Bob died on October 17, 2002 and he was good. He was also 80 years old, but if you knew him at all, you would readily agree that he was young. Decades younger than his chronological age would indicate.

He was good because he was honorable, and considerate, and generous, and loyal. There was no pretense about him. With Bob, what you saw...was what you got. You knew a question would bring an honest, forthright answer. No beating about the bush. No sugar-coated platitudes. Just the plain, unvarnished truth. And Bob was faithful to the core. If you were his friend, you knew that he would stand up for you in any situation. Bob stood for what was right. What was fair. It made no difference if what he was defending was unpopular. He wasn't running in a popularity contest. He simply wanted everyone to be treated equally, especially Ex-Pows. That's why Bob had so many close friends. If you were skillful at judging character, you quickly recognized the `goodness' in this man.

And Bob WAS young. There was nothing old-fogeyish about him. He had a mind like a steel-trap. As Treasurer of the American Ex-Prisoners of War Service Foundation, he was often presented with unusual problems and you could always depend on him to come up with viable solutions. Like most people our age, Bob wasn't quick to embrace modern technology, but he recognized its values and with his youthful mind, he boldly plunged in to take advantage of the speed and accuracy of the computer. And he still had the energy of youth. He never put off anything that required immediate attention. Make him aware of a situation and you knew that it would be resolved quickly.

Bob and I spoke on the telephone almost daily. I looked forward to exchanging ribaldries with him and hearing his hearty laugh. Whenever I needed cheering up, I knew who to call. He had a way of defusing explosive situations, but when a circumstance called for action, he was never one to back off. Bob invented "taking the bull by the horns" and under no condition...did you ever want to be the bull.

Bob took immense pride in being a member of the Foundation Board, because its mission fit right in with his philosophy of helping other Ex-POWs. He gave much more of his time and money to the Foundation than most people realize, but you would never hear this from him. And even though we tried to relieve him of some of the burdens of his job when he became ill, he continued to handle the Foundation's financial affairs until just a few weeks before his death.

I miss my friend very much. Whenever I hear news that is good for the Service Foundation, my first reaction is to call Bob and let him know. Well, I have a feeling that he knows everything now. One day, when it's my time to cross to that other side, I'll just bet that I'm going to hear a deep, gravely voice call out, "Hey Norm! Come on in, big guy." What a welcome.

Good-bye dear friend. Rest well. And know...that whatever the Foundation does to help POWs from this day forward...will be done in your honor.

Bob was born in Coatesville, Pa. and went to work in the local steel mill just after high school. Since all men had to serve one year in the armed services, he signed up in the spring of 1941 before he was drafted, figuring he’d get it over with. In August, 1942, he and the rest of the 26th Infantry Regiment, Company “A” were on the Queen Mary headed for Scotland. After further training in Scotland, they fought in the invasion of North Africa in November, 1942. During the three-day battle at the Kasserine Pass, he was captured by Rommel’s troops on February 21, 1943.

Shipped to Germany via Italy, Bob wound up in Stalag 3-B, then to Poland, where he worked on a farm. During his time in the camps, he managed to annoy his captors so much that he spent a total of 98 days in solitary. In January, 1945, he spent 87 days on a force march near the Baltic Ocean. In Mid April, he was put into Stalag 11-B, where he was liberated two weeks later by a Canadian Armored outfit

When he returned to the States, he married his sweetheart, Louise on a 10-day pass and went back to work for the steel mill. Later, he went into the construction business and worked on the New Jersey Turnpike and in Puerto Rico. He joined a firm making protective coatings and ultimately went into business for himself. He and Louise moved to Rock Hill, S.C. in 1978. He joined the Service Foundation in April, 1999 as Treasurer.