JOPLIN, Mo. – Missouri National Guard’s Joplin Armory will be renamed, in memoriam, the ‘Sgt. Robert Wayne Crow Jr. Armory’ on April 2nd at 3 p.m. The 203rd Engineer Battalion will host the ceremony at 2000 W. 32nd St., Joplin, Mo 64804.
Sgt. Robert Wayne Crow, 42 of Kansas City, Mo, was a member of the Missouri Army National Guard. He was a well-respected Soldier who served two combat deployments with the 203rd Engineer Battalion. He was assigned to Route Clearance Patrol 48 (Blackjacks) with the 211th Engineer Company (Sapper) with the mission to conduct mobility and counter-mobility operations throughout Regional Command East in Afghanistan. On July 10th, 2010, he died in Paktika, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his vehicle with an Improvised Explosive Device.
Sgt Crow’s loved ones, former teammates, friends, and the Joplin community will attend the ceremony. By changing the name of the Joplin Armory, the Missouri National Guard pays homage to Sgt. Crow’s service, his strength of character, and his courageous actions in combat.
“It is important to honor those who paid the ultimate sacrifice as Citizen-Soldiers of Missouri. Sgt. Crow is an inspiration to those who served beside him, his family, and community. Renaming this building after this outstanding Soldier is our way of remembering him, which is the solemn promise of a grateful state and nation,” stated Maj. Gen. Levon Cumpton, Adjutant General, Missouri National Guard.
For more information, contact the Missouri National Guard Public Affairs Office at (573) 638-9846 or mo.ngpao@mail.mil.