An almost-forgotten hero will be honored Monday

A new name is on the Fallen Warrior’s Memorial across from the St. Mary Chamber of Commerce office in Morgan City.
The name almost drifted into oblivion. But because a former classmate remembered that name, St. Mary Parish — east end and west end — has a new hero.
The name is Donald Roberton. Born in 1921, Roberton lived in Patterson and Franklin, and died at the hands of Japanese soldiers after he was captured in 1942 in the south Pacific.
Because his name and deeds were rediscovered after more than seven decades, he will be among the servicemen honored Monday at the Fallen Warrior’s Memorial.
The event will begin at 9:30 a.m. Monday.
Terry Mayon, co-chairman of the Fallen Warriors Memorial Committee, brought information about Roberton to The Daily Review office recently. He wrote that in summer 2015, Joe Governale of Patterson, himself a veteran of the battles of Luzon and New Guinea, mentioned that he remembered a Donald Roberton with whom he’d attended school.
Research showed that Roberton moved with his family from Patterson to Franklin in the 1930s to continue working in the cypress logging industry. Roberton went on to college at what was then Southwest Louisiana Institute.
Then came Pearl Harbor and the entry of the United States into World War II. Roberton joined the Marine Corps. He wound up in Company B of the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion, commanded by Col. Evan Carlson.
In August 1942, the battalion took part in the attack on the Makin Atoll, which had been taken by the Japanese soon after Pearl Harbor. It’s the northernmost point in the Gilbert Islands, the island chain located northeast of Australia and which includes Tarawa, the site of another ferocious battle.
Makin also included an island called Butaritari, where the Japanese built an airbase that was a danger to ships and aircraft defending Australia and supplying Allied troops.
During the attack on Makin, Pvt. Roberton and four other men volunteered to take a boat and fire ashore to cover the removal of a group of Marines from the beach. For years, Roberton was believed to have been killed by strafing from Japanese planes, but his body was never found.
Later, authorities learned that nine Marines remained behind when the Americans departed and stayed alive for a few weeks before surrendering to the Japanese. Those Marines, including Roberton, were executed by enemy troops on Kwajalein.
For his courage, Roberton was awarded a posthumous Navy Cross, the service’s highest honor short of the Medal of Honor.
“His great personal valor and loyal spirit of self-sacrifice,” says the presidential citation, “were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave up his life in the service of his country.”
Bill Decker is managing editor of The Daily Review. Reach him at 985-384-8370 or bdecker@daily-review.com. His Twitter handle is @BlllDeckerMC.