Robert Thomas Sasman was born in Plattsburgh, New York on July 23, 1927. His family moved soon after to Madison, Wisconsin where he attended local schools and graduated from Madison West in 1940. He began attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the fall of 1940 and enrolled in the R.O.T.C. program. He enlisted into the Army in May 1942 and was called to active duty in June 1943. He received some initial training at Camp Custer, Michigan and then basic training at Camp Wolters, Texas. After a brief return to Madison, he went to Fort Benning, Georgia for Officer Candidate School, graduating in August 1944 as a 2nd Lieutenant. His first assignment as an officer was with the 201st Infantry Regiment at Camp Carson, Colorado which moved shortly thereafter to Fort Jackson, South Carolina. In March 1945 they transferred to Camp Rucker, Alabama for final training and then moved on to Fort Ord, California in preparation for departure to Japan.
Sasman and his unit set sail on August 10, 1945. They learned of the Japanese surrender while en route and arrived in the Philippines on September 15. He served occupation duty there with several different infantry replacement companies until June 1946. While there, he witnessed the inauguration of President Manuel Roxas and Philippine independence from the United States. Upon returning to the States, Sasman signed up for the Army Reserve and then returned to Madison to complete his senior year at the UW with a degree in agriculture. Throughout his professional career he worked at analyzing soils and water. He married Julia (Judy) Vos on July 5, 1951 and the couple lived in Indiana before settling in Wheaton, Illinois. Sasman remained in the Army Reserve, rising in the ranks until he achieved Colonel in March 1970. He transferred to the Retired Reserve in 1975 and fully retired in 1983. Sasman's wife, Judy, passed away in 1996 and he married Margaret (Mardy) Heal in 1997.
