Mr. Robert E. Doherty, of Taunton, died Wednesday, August 27 at The Arbors in Taunton. He was 84.


A highly decorated World War II U.S. Army Air Force veteran, Doherty merited the Air Medal with two clusters, the Purple Heart and the Prisoner of War Medal. His bomber was shot down during the first Berlin raid, March 4, 1944. He was a P.O.W. for 14 months. During the Korean War, Doherty served as a Master Sergeant with Taunton's Army Re serve Unit, the 320th Military Police Battalion. Doherty served as editor/publisher for the 96th Bomb Group Association and for the Mass. Chapter of the 8th Air Force. Locally he was a member of the American Legion and was a lifelong member of the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 57 and the David F. Adams Post 611 Veterans of Foreign Wars.

All told, Doherty had four books published, including two of poetry. In 1995 he won the TELLY AWARD for history, for his work as Associate Producer of the video documentary about POW life in Germany. Funded by the 8th Air Force Historical Society, the video ‘Behind the Wire’ is shown at most air war military museums including Britain’s Imperial Museum. Doherty sporadically reviewed the literature of World War II for the Providence Journal (where he worked before the war and during his years at Providence College). He regularly reviewed the air-war literature for the Washington based STARS & STRIPES throughout the 1990's.