Enlisting in 1940, Robert left behind his family and their home to serve in WWII. Luckett was only 21 years old when he left. He trained and entered the U.S Army Air Forces as a part of the 855th Engineer Aviation Battalion.
Like a lot of his fellow African- American soldiers, Luckett’s training would have consisted of monotonous menial and labor-intensive tasks much different than that of their white counterparts. This also meant that the living facilities would be substandard in comparison as well. This training however would be advantageous when it came to his duties as an engineer with the installation and the completion of a heavy bar and rod runway.