The war in Viet Nam remains fresh in the minds of many North Dakotans to this very day. Many North Dakotans saw action in it; many lost relatives or friends to it; we’ve all heard and seen many stories about it. Few were untouched by it. But unless you were there, you cannot really know it, feel it, taste it or smell it. Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Robert W. Robinson is one North Dakotan, and a Bismarck resident at that, who remembers it well. The Bismarck Historical Society presents: “Viet Nam from the Driver’s Seat of a Helicopter Gunship”, Wednesday, January 14, 2015, 6:30 pm, Bismarck Veterans’ Memorial Public Library, Meeting Room A, 515 5th Street, Bismarck.
The Bismarck Historical Society’s first illustrated lecture of 2015, will present a first-hand account of the many roles helicopters played in Viet Nam. Intelligence gathering, troop insertions, troop extractions and recovery, ground troop cover and support, resupply and rescue were among the missions a combat helicopter might perform during any given day, sometimes on short notice and often under extremely hazardous conditions.
Bob (Robby) Robinson grew up watching airplanes fly above the North Dakota Prairies. At the age of 5 years, he got his first airplane ride and from then on, he was “hooked.” His fascination with “machines that conquered the skies” led to his becoming a combat helicopter pilot in the United States Marine Corps. As a member of the HML-367 “Scarface Squadron” in Vietnam during 1969-1970, he flew 1,140 combat missions. After five years of service in the Marine Corps, he joined the North Dakota Army National Guard and became a fulltime technician. Later he became the aviation maintenance test pilot and maintenance officer, in which capacity he flew many types of helicopters and fixed wing-aircraft and eventually became North Dakota Army Aviation Facility Commander. Robinson retired as a lieutenant colonel after thirty-six years of combined military service during which he acquired 5,800 hours of military flight time. This is a program you will not want to miss.
The public is invited. The program is free. Refreshments will be served. Reservations are not required.