New Baltimore honors WWII veteran who died at 102

Remembering a hero from WWII

Robert Buchheister returned home to the US and became a husband and father. He worked as a chief draftsmen in engineering.

NEW BALTIMORE, Mich. (FOX 2) - The town of New Baltimore said a final goodbye to Robert Buchheister, a World War II veteran who died on June 26 at the age of 102.

The backstory:

"He was almost like the cornerstone of this community," said Robert Buchheister, Jr. "He was bigger than life."

He’s also one of the reasons we have the freedoms we enjoy today.

"My dad was in what you called the US Army Air Corps," his son said. "He enlisted right after Pearl Harbor was bombed."

But Robert’s military service almost didn’t happen - his blood pressure was too low.

"They said we can’t take you," Robert Jr. said. "He went out, he ran around the building. He went down and did some push-ups, came back in and he says 'Take my blood pressure now.' And they said 'You’re in.'"

Patriotism was everything to Robert.

"He was a mechanic dealing with all the P51s, the trainers, the P38s," Robert Jr. said. "He would take care of them sometimes stateside, and sometimes he would go overseas to England and Germany."

Along the way he saw the fight for freedom often comes at a hefty cost.

"He lost a lot of his friends in the service," Buchheister Jr. said. "He would tell you, 'Always honor those people they gave a lot for this country.'"

Robert Buchheister returned home to the US and became a husband and father. He worked as a chief draftsmen in engineering.

"He was certainly a hero to us," Robert Jr. said.

On July 3 one day before the nation celebrates America’s independence and freedom, Robert was laid to rest. A procession to the cemetery took place all under the watchful gaze of US flags.

And Robert Jr. says his dad would tell anyone the true meaning of life is service.

"Get involved stay active," he said. "That’s the secret to staying alive."