Silent Hero of WWII given a voice

NEW ULM -- On May 28, 1945, the USS Drexler sank near Okinawa, Japan after a kamikaze attack, taking with it 158 men including Robert Kaping a 22-year-old native of New Ulm.

Kaping's remains were never recovered and no memorial marker was ever placed in New Ulm. Kaping became one of the many silent heroes of WWII. Now, nearly 80 years after his death, Kaping’s story is being told.

Thursday night North Lakes Academy Charter School student Gavin Klabechek gave a presentation at the Brown County Historical Society (BCHS) annex on the life of Kaping. Over the last nine months, Klabechek had researched Kaping as part of the National History Day "Silent Heroes" project.

A Silent Hero is any service member of the United States Armed Forces who died honorably in service of the United States. Since 2012, National History Day (NHD) established a national program to tell silent hero's stories by providing support for teachers and students researching these men and women.

Klabechek said for this research there were many servicemen to choose from, but he was drawn to Kaping because there were photographs of him available. He wanted to know more about the man in the picture.

Klabechek’s investigation brought them to Kaping's hometown of New Ulm. Brown County Historical Society was one of the first places Klabechek called. He was put in contact with BCHS Research Librarian Darla Gebhard, who happens to be related to Robert Kaplin. Klabechek would eventually discover several living relatives of Kaplin.

A niece, Sandra Nazarenus, of Madelia, was able to provide Klabechek with a thick file of letters from Kaplin she inherited from her sister. Nazarenus said she became the record keeper for the family. She said it was really amazing her uncle was selected for this project.

Klabechek gave an overview of Kaping's early life in New Ulm. Born April 17, 1923, he was the youngest of five children. His family gave him the nickname "Smiling Bob" for his memorable sense of humor and great smile.

In 1937, his older brother Melvin Kaping enlisted in the Navy. Robert Kaping looked up to his brother and would eventually follow him into the Navy, enlisting in Sept. 1942. Kaping was eventually transferred to the USS Meredith in March 1944. The ship was assigned to Operation Neptune, the naval component of the Normandy invasion.

Klabechek said this came as a surprise because it was widely known that Kaping served in the Pacific during the end of the war, but the story of his time in the Atlantic theater had not been told. It was a highlight to learn that Kaping was with the navy providing support during the D-Day invasion.

Two days after the D-Day invasion, The USS Meredith struck an underwater mine and sank. Kaping escaped the sinking ship and was given a month’s leave, which he spent in New Ulm.

Kaping rejoined the war in Nov. 1944, serving on the USS Drexler in the Pacific. The USS Drexler was sent to Okinawa to support the invasion efforts.

Kaping sent a final letter home a week before he died. In the letter he believed the war was coming to a close, but he understood the Japanese would continue to fight on and wanted The Drexler to be part of the fight. He was confident their gun crew could shoot down three enemy planes a night.

For two months the USS Drexler was off the coast of Okinawa. Kamikaze attacks were frequent and on May 28, 1945, The USS Drexler sustained two direct hits, causing the destroyer to roll on its side. It took less than a minute for The USS Drexler to sink. At the time of the attack, Kaping was at his station in the upper ammunition handling room. It is believed he was trapped below when the ship sank.

Kaping was mourned in New Ulm. His father applied for a granite marker in the Kaping family plot, but the request was denied. The American Battle Monuments Commission could not provide markers for private purposes.

While no marker was installed in a New Ulm cemetery, Kaping's name is included in the Courts of the Missing at Honolulu Memorial.

Efforts are currently underway to have Robert Kaping's name added to Brown County's public memorial in front of the Courthouse.

Klabechek and his advisory teacher Christopher Stewart said the research into Kaping is never officially done. This is true of all Silent Hero profiles. There is always potential to uncover additional information.

Stewart said this project is an invitation for others to continue the work of giving voice to the voiceless.

For more information on the Silent Heroes project visit the Silent Heroes archive at https://nhdsilentheroes.org.