Robert R. McLennan was born to Mr. and Mrs. William R. McLennan in Texas in 1913. The family later moved to Watsonville, where Robert lived for an undetermined period of time. His enlistment records note that he had graduated from high school, attended a college for one year and in 1940 was living in Stanislaus County, California.

On August 10, 1940, McLennan enlisted in the regular US Army Air Force as a private at the Presidio of Monterey and requested duty in the Philippine Islands. Following his basic training, he was assigned to the 7th Material Squadron, 19th Bomb Group, located in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

In September 1941 the squadron was ordered to San Francisco to join other units bound for the Philippines. They remained at Angel Island until October 4 and then departed for Honolulu. When they arrived at Manila Bay on October 24, they were garrisoned at Clark Field near Manila.

The squadron was completing preparations for a move to Del Monte Airbase on the island of Mindanao, but before that could take place the Japanese attacked. On December 8, 1941, four hours after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, they bombed Clark Field. During that attack, Private Robert R. McLennan was killed and his remains were never recovered.

He is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery.

(NARA2: ABMC; Watsonville Morning Sun January 1, 1942 1:5;
19th Bomb Group, Clark Field P.I. 1941, http://www.7th-material.
org/ (16 September 2008])