Meet Bob, a real hero

[AndyG]

This man In the pic may look just like a lot of older guys of that generation.

He was born poor, in Opelika, Alabama. His name is Robert Howard. Passed away in 2009.


He ended up spending a little time in the military… 34 years to be exact.

He also spent a little time in Vietnam- 54 months. If I’m correct that’s about six tours of duty.

But it wasn’t really much in Vietnam. It was Laos and Cambodia, where we were said not to even be there at the time.

He was a supply Sergeant. Wore a little green hat too, called a Beret. He was with a group of other similar soldiers-SEALS, Rangers, Green Berets and all the best of the best special forces. They were called MacVSog. It was all voluntary. You carried no identification. If you died, it didn’t happen, at least not where you were never supposed to be.

Along the way I don’t know that there was anything extremely special about him, except he was tough and it was said “he would do anything (in combat) to succeed”.

His exploits are too many to list, but he earned a few medals: 15.

8 purple hearts

4 bronze stars

1 Silver Star

A Distinguished Service Cross

And the Medal of Honor.

And this is what we know about, because records of these special ops were destroyed and the entire organization was denied it existed for decades.

He is the most decorated soldier in modern military history.

I don’t think war is cool or glorious or anything stupid like that, my people served. It was hell on earth.

But we might be speaking German or Russian today if it were not for men like this through history. People may not like war, but they need to respect the warrior.

Every war hero we have shares one thing- they did what they did to help their fellow soldiers and themselves make it home.

Vietnam cast a shadow over my younger life, and it was an unpopular war, and never held in the same view as WW1 and 2 by the public consciousness.

Bob went on to get 2 masters degrees, trained Rangers and retired a Colonel. Quite a run. If you look close at his story, it is a miracle he lived past 30.

Thanks for reading,
Andy

 

[tr21triton]

Awesome story Andy. What a HERO !

 

[steelhd]

Thanks for reading,
Andy

I am acquainted with a man who served with Howard in SOG.

 

[AndyG]

I am acquainted with a man who served with Howard in SOG.

Now that is awesome. Man they were some bad dudes. Kill ratio was 150:1. Feel free to share stories and thank you.

 

[tr21triton]

Now that is awesome. Man they were some bad dudes. Kill ratio was 150:1. Feel free to share stories and thank you.

A lot of those guys wont talk about it. I had a friend that fought in at least 4 major battles in Europe including going ashore on D-DAY and the Battle of the Bulge. He had 4 or 5 bonze stars (we found 4 but he had 5 different letters). I only got him to talk about what he had been through a few times. RIP my friend Arthur Watson (pop's)

 

[steelhd]

Feel free to share stories and thank you.

They aren't my stories to tell.

 

[AndyG]

A lot of those guys wont talk about it. I had a friend that fought in at least 4 major battles in Europe including going ashore on D-DAY and the Battle of the Bulge. He had 4 or 5 bonze stars (we found 4 but he had 5 different letters). I only got him to talk about what he had been through a few times. RIP my friend Arthur Watson (pop's)

Yeah, I have seen that and I can respect people not wanting to bring it back up… at the same time sometimes talking can be cathartic.

I had a boss who was in Vietnam, not only would he talk about it He would show you Polaroid pictures that would turn your stomach. I know there was no way he was supposed to have them.

one of earliest memories Is my uncle laying on the bed in his uniform after basic training not wanting to be sent to Vietnam…. he was face down and crying. I guess I was five years old, 70-71 maybe.

He was a helicopter gunner and he kept his shirt open, and he had burn marks from the machine gun casings all over his chest when he came home.

Really if you take a close look at all the guys went through. It’s just mind blowing….. not to mention how hot cold, tired, and everything else they were dealing with along with being lonely and scared to death.

One guy said all these young men were around him. They were just kids and they were looking to him to get them out alive and he knew he had to lead.

 

[AndyG]

They aren't my stories to tell.

I get it and I didn’t mean to tell his … just thinking about how you knew him and how he was doing and anything anecdotal.

Did you ever hear mention of the red foot locker for example

 

[steelhd]

Did you ever hear mention of the red foot locker for example

No, I didn't.

 

[John Cooper]

Here is another MOH recipient, Col. Mize. I met him in 86 and no doubt he was a great man.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ola_L._Mize

 

[John Cooper]

I have known several service men, one thing is for sure, the real heroes never talked about themselves.

Most had their personal demons that they delt with every day.

 

[AndyG]

No, I didn't.

So they are plotting routes for pilots that get shot down to get back to safety…

They’re getting shadowed by the VC…. Which means the Vietnamese forces will start watching these paths when a plane goes down..

So they go to him and say how in the world do we find these guys and take them out?

He gets a foot locker and fills it full of explosives and paints it red and makes it look like it would have something of interest in it

When they get out of the helicopter, they just leave the thing where it landed like they forgot it, and then they went and hid in the tree line

The VC soldiers got there and started trying to open it and figure out what it was and he detonated it.

He actually really was just a supply sergeant…. but he was a big handsome guy that got things done despite the circumstances and they literally pulled him into the special forces and the army made sure he continued to rise in rank. He was considered valuable.

 

[AndyG]

Here is another MOH recipient, Col. Mize. I met him in 86 and no doubt he was a great man.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ola_L._Mize

Really good.

For the most part, these were not affluent kids. Practically
every one of these guys chose to serve, and one reason was to escape the hard work of depression and post depression
era farm life that it took to survive.

 

[John Cooper]

Yes sir, it's why my maternal Grandfather joined for WW2.

 

[AndyG]

Lets talk a minute about Vietnam -

Why did we really get involved?

Thanks to the damage we saw socialist regimes do to Europe, the administration of those times had an unhealthy fear of communism.

The president of France told us exactly what would happen if we went into Vietnam, and he was spot on in his statement.

I think the public sensed that it was not as critical, and hated the war.

The fact that communism never got any traction proved it over time as well.

To some extent this applied to Korea but WW 1 and 2 sentiment carried more respect for the effort and service people involved.

 

[John Cooper]

Lets talk a minute about Vietnam -

Why did we really get involved?

Thanks to the damage we saw socialist regimes do to Europe, the administration of those times had an unhealthy fear of communism.

The president of France told us exactly what would happen if we went into Vietnam, and he was spot on in his statement.

I think the public sensed that it was not as critical, and hated the war.

The fact that communism never got any traction proved it over time as well.

To some extent this applied to Korea but WW 1 and 2 sentiment carried more respect for the effort and service people involved.

My take on it was Vietnam was a political war.

What boost an economy more than manufacturing and jobs.

War brings both of those things, but it's the cost that the politicians don't care about...... lives, American solder lives.

Bell helicopter benefited from Vietnam because they were on the verge of bankruptcy and rhe war bailed them out.

Other companies were bailed out but Bell was probably the largest.

 

[AndyG]

My take on it was Vietnam was a political war.

What boost an economy more than manufacturing and jobs.

War brings both of those things, but it's the cost that the politicians don't care about...... lives, American solder lives.

Bell helicopter benefited from Vietnam because they were on the verge of bankruptcy and rhe war bailed them out.

Other companies were bailed out but Bell was probably the largest.

yes, i think all those reasons supported each other to make the case to go-

 

[John Cooper]

yes, i think all those reasons supported each other to make the case to go-

Yes sir it did, but it was a war we were never going to win. The government refused to turn the dogs lose and let them win.

I support our troops, and everything we did.

But politicians have no business running a war.

 

[AndyG]

Yes sir it did, but it was a war we were never going to win. The government refused to turn the dogs lose and let them win.

I support our troops, and everything we did.

But politicians have no business running a war.

Degaulle , Frances’ president, told us we would get mired in an inextricable situation. Dead right, but no one listened.

 

[freedom_in_4low]

A lot of those guys wont talk about it.

My grandpa was a radioman in the Navy on the Sarasota in ww2. If he did anything particularly heroic it's lost to history because he didn't like to talk about it, so most of what I know is what I can find on the internet. One story I know about was having to go search the wreckage for survivors and top secret radio equipment after the USS Mt Hood exploded in harbor and destroyed several nearby craft; to make sure the Japanese didn't get their hands on it. He saw some gnarly carnage that he could never unsee.