Robert W. Shirley served in the U.S. Marine Corps as a Captain with the 115th Marine Fighter Squadron, 33rd Marine Air Group, 1st Marine Air Wing during the Korean War. The pilot of an F9F-4 Grumman Panther fighter, he died on April 23,1952, when his aircraft engine exploded and his plane crashed while attempting an emergency landing at Airfield K-3, Pohang, South Korea. He was awarded the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, Korean Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and Republic of Korea War Service Medal.
