Please click here to view a student eulogy for Robert Williams recorded at the Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery-Sussex County in 2026: https://youtu.be/_sHRaqc77Bk

Biography

Early Life 
Robert Ezra Williams was born on August 21, 1919, in Rexburg, Madison County, Idaho, to Lyle Ezra and Eda Williams. His father was a salesman, and his mother immigrated to the United States from Switzerland with her parents. He had seven other siblings. 

Before enlisting, Williams worked as both a traffic rate clerk and a junior range examiner through a government agency in Meridian, Texas. This job required him to survey rangeland and assess grazing capacity.

Williams was also a qualified second-class swimmer and combat swimmer, and a student at the University of Idaho. These experiences made him the perfect candidate for the United States Marine Corps.


Williams married Lillian Nielson in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Their marriage license appeared in the paper on February 4, 1941.

Homefront 
Idaho Falls contributed to the home front of World War II in many ways. The town focused on agriculture and copper production, had food conservation efforts, and sold war bonds. In addition, the local Boy Scout groups, Red Cross women, and Works Progress Administration contributed in various ways. 

Copper reserves in Idaho accounted for 3% of the nation's total production, with 2% copper mixed with cobalt. A year after this data was taken, a large copper deposit was found in Idaho’s Blackbird district in Lemhi County, further increasing wartime copper production. 

Idaho also became the second potato producer in the country, shipping 12,100 carloads of potatoes in one season, compared to Maine's 14,500 carloads. In the next season, Maine’s potato production began to decrease, allowing Idaho to become the number one potato producer in the country.

During World War II, the Idaho community made food conservation efforts by establishing Victory Gardens. More than 500 people reported in one survey that they had substantial land to garden on. However, the mayor at the time claimed that the survey was incomplete and that the true number was even greater.

Various volunteer groups, such as the Works Projects, formally Progress, Administration, (WPA) and local Boy Scouts, also played a role in food conservation. The WPA was involved in making additional property available for residents to grow victory gardens. These gardens grew food for school lunches. 

Meanwhile, local Boy Scouts throughout Idaho participated in the National Food for Freedom program. One scout executive estimated that the troop from Teton Peaks spent one million hours from April 1 through November 1 producing food.

Women in the Idaho community also played a huge role in the war effort. Over 500 women assisted the Red Cross during a one-month period, contributing 5,000 hours of work under the expanded war program. Their tasks consisted of producing and distributing garments and other knitted articles to support the war effort.

The community also contributed to war bonds. One method they used to raise awareness of buying bonds was film. The Paramount Theatre often hosted special war bond premieres, such as Two Girls and a Sailor, one of the top-selling bond drives. Tickets to the premiere were not only available at the premier booth but also at federal banks and the post office.

Idaho was also home to the Minidoka War Relocation Center. The center held roughly 13,000 Japanese-American civilians as per Executive Order 9066, as they supposedly posed a "security risk" to the United States. 

Axis prisoners of war were also held in Rupert, Idaho. Of the 275,000 prisoners the Allied forces had, 15,000 of the prisoners lived and worked in Idaho. Rupert, Idaho, served as the base camp with twenty-one branch agricultural camps established throughout the state. The prisoners supported the local economy by preventing crop loss, increasing production, and reducing the labor shortage.

Idaho was also home to both the Arco Naval Proving Grounds and the Pocatello Army Air Base. Over 40,000 pilots were trained at the Pocatello Army Air Base. Day and night, they completed training missions over the Arco High Altitude Bombing Range and the Twin Buttes Bombing Range. At the Arco Naval Proving Grounds, naval ship weapons were test-fired for accuracy after being refurbished in Pocatello, Idaho.

Military Experience 
Williams enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on June 20, 1944, in Boise, Idaho. On June 23, 1944, he joined the 6th Recruit Battalion at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego. He received further training at Camp Pendleton, California, before leaving for Pearl Harbor aboard USS General M.M. Patrick on December 14, 1944. 

On January 2, 1945, Williams disembarked at Pavuvu, Russell Islands, and joined the 1st Marine Division, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Battalion, Company B as a rifleman and clerk general. Some of the duties of a clerk general included compiling and filing reports, tabulating and posting data in record books, taking telephone messages, checking calculations, making simple bookkeeping entries, sorting and distributing mail, duplicating orders, memoranda, and bulletins, and understanding military correspondence and filing. 

Williams participated in L-Day, or “Operation Iceberg,” the assault on Okinawa that served as a stepping stone to the planned invasion of Japan. The capture of Okinawa was vital for the United States’ island-hopping strategy to establish a military base in preparation for its invasion of mainland Japan. 

These battles also served as a catalyst for the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as the military used them to calculate the casualties that would result from an invasion of mainland Japan. Ultimately, these battles led to the end of World War II.

On September 24, 1945, Williams boarded USS Sarasota at Nago, Okinawa. On October 1, Williams arrived at Chinwangtao, China, as part of the occupation forces. While in China, he was promoted to corporal. He remained in China until January 18, 1946, when he left aboard USS Wakefield (AP-21) for San Diego, California. Williams was honorably discharged on February 11, 1946.

Veteran Experience 
Following his discharge, Robert Ezra Williams and his wife, Lillian, moved between Idaho and Texas, but eventually settled in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Together, they had five children. However, one of their children, Edna, died shortly after she was born. Their son, Robert James Williams, also predeceased them in 1995.

Robert Ezra Williams worked for the United States Department of Agriculture’s Soil Conservation Service. He became the director of the plant sciences division that was responsible for field service activities. These activities included agronomy, forestry, mined land reclamation, plant materials, range management, and wildlife biology. 

While living in Texas, from 1988 to 1990, Williams served as the President of the Association of Retired Conservation Service Employees (ARCSE) in Oklahoma. This association brought together former employees of the United States Department of Agriculture and the Soil Conservation Service, now called the Natural Resources Conservation Service, to maintain professional connections and support ongoing conservation efforts.

He also attended the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Seaford, Delaware.

Throughout his career, Robert Ezra Williams received many awards, such as the Potomac Corral Western Man award in 1968 and a citation of appreciation from the Audubon National Society, Central Atlantic States. He was also a fellow of the Society for Range Management in 1978. In 1985, he earned the Professional Service Award from the National Association of Conservation Districts.

Commemoration 
Robert Ezra Williams passed away on May 11, 2006, in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. He is buried in Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Sussex County, in Millsboro, Delaware. He left behind three of his children and his wife. His brave and valiant service is remembered today as an important part of the Allied victory in the Pacific Theater. 


This profile was researched by Sarina Forston, Joseph Robertson, and Ethan Wilkes, mentored by Polytech High School teacher Mrs. Emily Green, as part of a Veterans Legacy Grant Program led by National History Day in the 2025/2026 academic year.

This profile was funded by a grant from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The opinions, findings, and conclusions stated herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.


Bibliography

Primary Sources

“110 Mile Per Hour Train.” The Post-Register [Idaho Falls, Idaho], March 29, 1934. Newspapers.com (81642178). 


“500 Women Assist Red Cross in April, List Shows.” The Post-Register [Idaho Falls, Idaho], April 30, 1942. Newspapers.com (74514104). 

“Bond Premiere Slated at Local Theatre Tuesday.” The Post-Register [Idaho Falls, Idaho], June 25, 1944. Newspapers.com (74610475). 

“Bonneville County Red Cross Chapter Contributes to War Effort.” The Post-Register [Idaho Falls, Idaho], July 15, 1942. Newspapers.com (74521806).

“Easy and Attractive Contest Open to Everyone on Utah Power & Light Company Line Who is Engaged in Farming or Gardening. Get Full Details Now.” The Post-Register [Idaho Falls, Idaho], May 14, 1944. Newspapers.com (74609202). 
 
Edna Anne Williams Death Certificate. Texas, U.S. Death Certificates, 1903-1982. Digital Images. Ancestry.
 
“Enlarging Federal Building.” The Post-Register [Idaho Falls, Idaho], January 29, 1935. Newspapers.com (90923810). 
 
“Food Production For War Asked of Every Farmer.” The Post-Register [Idaho Falls, Idaho], October 6, 1942. Newspapers.com (74614422). 

Idaho. Bonneville County. 1930 U.S. Census. Digital Images. Ancestry Classroom.
 
Idaho. Bonneville County. 1940 U.S. Census. Digital Images. Ancestry Classroom.
 
“Idaho Copper Deposit Found.” The Post-Register [Idaho Falls, Idaho], November 10, 1943. Newspapers.com (89343606). 
 
“Idaho Falls Residents Join Heartily in Victory Garden Program.” The Post-Register [Idaho Falls, Idaho], April 6, 1943. Newspapers.com (74542530). 
 
“Idaho Migration to Coast Slows.” The Post-Register [Idaho Falls, Idaho], April 27, 1942. Newspapers.com (74513769). 
 
Indiana. Morgan County. 1950 U.S. Census. Digital Images. Ancestry Classroom.


“Marriage Licenses.” The Herald-Journal [Logan, Utah], February. 4, 1941. Newspapers.com (636904662). 
 
“Million Scout Hours Go Into Production of Food.” The Post-Register [Idaho Falls, Idaho], November 10, 1943. Newspapers.com (89343606). 


“Official U.S. Treasury War Bond Quotas for May.” The Post-Register [Idaho Falls, Idaho], April 30, 1942. Newspapers.com (74514104). 
 
“Paper Planes Envisioned.” The Post-Register [Idaho Falls, Idaho], August 9, 1942. Newspapers.com (74611820). 
 
“Personals.” The Daily Advertiser [Lafayette, Louisiana], February 3, 1955. Newspapers.com (536860660). 
 
“Ralph Williams Tells of Work in Germany.” The Post-Register [Idaho Falls, Idaho], June 21, 1945. Newspapers.com (74414420).


Robert Ezra Williams. Idaho, U.S., Birth Records, 1861-1924, Stillbirth Index, 1905-1974. Digital Images. Ancestry.
 
“Robert Ezra Williams.” The News Journal [Wilmington, Delaware], May 13, 2006. Newspapers.com (163201131). 
 
Robert Ezra Williams, Official Military Personnel File, Department of the Navy, National Archives and Records Administration - St. Louis. 
 
Robert Ezra Williams, Report of Separation, Department of the Navy, National Archives and Records Administration - St. Louis. 
 
Robert Ezra Williams, World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947. Digital Images. Ancestry Classroom.
 
“Seed Supply Adequate.” The Post-Register [Idaho Falls, Idaho], April 20, 1942. Newspapers.com (74513218). 
 
“Spud Shipments Total 12,156 Cars.” The Post-Register [Idaho Falls, Idaho], November 10, 1943. Newspapers.com (89343606). 


“Two More Infantrymen Missing in Action.” The Post-Register [Idaho Falls, Idaho], December 12, 1944. Newspapers.com (80261956). 
 
“Victory Garden Grows Food for School Lunches.” The Post-Register [Idaho Falls, Idaho], August 9, 1942. Newspapers.com (74611820). 
 
Secondary Sources
 
Cohee, Melville. "ARCSE History by Mel Cohee from 1973-1993." Association of Retired Conservation Service Employees. Last Modified March 26, 1993. Accessed March 20, 2026. https://arcse.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/cohee.history-of-arcse-1973-1993.pdf.

“From WWII bombers to desert drones: INL’s aviation history predates atomic energy.” Last Modified August 26, 2024. Accessed November 14, 2025. https://inl.gov/feature-story/from-wwii-bombers-to-desert-drones-inls-aviation-history-predates-atomic-energy/#:~:text=World%20War%20II%20bombers,where%20Pearce%20lost%20his%20life. 

“Minidoka.” Densho Encyclopedia. Last Modified September 5th, 2024. Accessed November 14, 2025. https://densho.org/minidoka/. 

“Prisoners of War in Idaho Falls.” The Historical Markers Database. Accessed November 14, 2025. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=110477. 


“Robert E. Williams.” Veterans Legacy Memorial. Accessed April 6, 2026. https://www.vlm.cem.va.gov/ROBERTEWILLIAMS/72cfab. 

“Robert Ezra Williams.” Find a Grave. Updated June 20, 2006. Accessed November 21, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/14780320/robert-ezra-williams. 

Santelli, James. A Brief History of the 7th Marines. History and Museums Division: U.S. Marine Corps, 1980. 





Students at the Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Sussex County, in Millsboro, Delaware, March 13, 2026. Courtesy of Emily Green.

Three students stand behind flat gravestones.

A color headshot picture of an older White man in black glasses and a suit and tie.

A portion of Williams’ Official Military Personnel File shows his movements in the Marine Corps. National Archives and Records Administration.

An article in The Post-Register discusses that Williams and three of his brothers were in the service at the same time. One brother, Private First Class Ralph B. Williams, is missing, December 12, 1944. Ralph Williams was taken prisoner in Germany and held at a prisoner of war camp for five months.

A newspaper article titled Two More Infantrymen Missing in Action.

Robert Wililams’s draft registration card. Portions have been redacted for privacy reasons. National Archives and Records Administration.

A hand-written card with information about Williams.

Robert Ezra Williams and Lilian Nielson’s marriage is announced in The Herald Journal, February 4, 1941.

A newspaper snippet listing marriage licenses awarded.

The 1940 Census shows Williams living at home with his parents and five siblings. He is working as a billing clerk. National Archives and Records Administration.

Robert Williams in uniform. National Archives and Records Administration.  

A sepia toned headshot of a young White man in uniform.

ROBERT E WILLIAMS

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