Larchmont's Wassman, who pulled shipmates to safety in WWII, dies

Larchmont's Wassman, who pulled shipmates to safety in WWII, dies



By Aman Ali • The Journal News • January 31, 2008

LARCHMONT - It was March 19, 1945, and Robert Wassman was aboard the U.S.S. Franklin in the midst of World War II. The savory smells of pancakes coming from the ship's dining hall prompted him to step outside his office for a bite to eat.
Moments later, two 500-pound bombs from a Japanese fighter plane ripped through the ship, killing everyone in Wassman's office and trapping five shipmates in a lower engine room.


"Our ship was refueling when the bombs hit," said Holbrook Davis, one of the men trapped that day. "It went up in flames like throwing a match on gasoline."
Hurtling through the flames, Wassman ran down to the lower deck and pulled Davis and the other men out to safety, garnering him a Silver Star.
After a long history of heart and bone marrow complications, Wassman died last weekend at the age of 87. Family and friends of the World War II hero will gather in Larchmont tomorrow for his funeral service at Larchmont Avenue Presbyterian Church.
Aside from his war credentials, Wassman will also be known for his work for the Rockefeller Center Construction Corp. As president of the organization, Wassman oversaw the design of many skyscrapers in midtown Manhattan. He also was a 15-year chairman of the Mamaroneck town zoning board.
"He had so much energy," daughter Debra Wassman Lanman said. "He loved to be involved in the community."
Wassman was born Aug. 18, 1920, in New Rochelle. He studied engineering at Columbia University and joined the Navy after the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941. The attack that hit his ship in 1945 resulted in the nickname "The Ship That Wouldn't Die."
After his return home from the war, Wassman met his soon-to-be wife, Eleanor, onboard a train leaving New York City.
"He was riding on a crowded train," said son Bob Wassman Jr. "He gave up his seat for my mother and her mother. Even then, he was a gentleman."
Eleanor Wassman died in 1998. The couple leave behind three children and six grandchildren.
Davis remained friends with Wassman until his death. The two kept in touch regularly, and every year on March 19, they would try to call each other to commemorate the Japanese attack.
Wassman's service will take place at 11 a.m.; a reception will follow at 12:30 p.m. at the Orienta Beach Club in Mamaroneck.

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