Major Robert L. Grof
Capt. Bob Grof deployed to Vietnam from Fort Riley with D Troop.
He had been Rotary Wing Transition calssmates with Troopers Sid Lyons and Carter Brooks.
Bob Was killed in action on his second tour in April 1971.
Sid and Carter maintained contact with Bob's Wife, Vickie, until she passed away in 2009.
Bob didn't survive the 37mm hit.
Reprinted with permission.
Photos courtesy of Frank Jones and Edited by Randy White
A Frank Jones photo of the ship Maj. Robert L Grof was killed in on April 10, 1971. Maybe the flight can help I.D. the people in the photo. RW
The sitrep for B Troop, April 10, 1971. The grid coordinates for FSB Rendezvous are YC 436 960, so I believe there's a mistake in the report. The grids given on the C.D. must be where the ship was hit at. This is very near the border on the west side of the Valley, in the FSB Erskine -Bradley area.
Info from the VHPA C.D. about the incident.
Name: MAJ. Robert Lester Grof
Status: Killed In Action from an incident on 04/10/71 while performing the duty of Pilot.
Age at death: 32.7
Date of Birth: 07/27/38
Home City: Lansing, MI
Service: AR branch of the regular component of the U.S. Army.
Unit: B/2/17 CAV 101 ABN
Major organization: 101st Airborne Division
Service: AR branch of the U.S. Army.
The Wall location: 04W-115
Short Summary: C&C hit by 37mm in right seat killing Grof. WO Stone flew A/C back to Firebase Veghel, RVN. After Lam Son 719.
Aircraft: UH-1H tail number 68-15753
Country: South Vietnam
MOS: 1983
Primary cause: 37MM
Major attributing cause: aircraft connected not at sea
Compliment cause: small arms fire
Vehicle involved: helicopter
Position in vehicle: aircraft commander
Vehicle ownership: government
Started Tour: 07/09/70
"Official" listing: ground casualty
The initial status of this person was: no previous report
Location: Quang Tri Province I Corps.
Military grid coordinates of event: YD165108
Additional information about this casualty from Michael P. Loyd, CE 67N2F, 170th AHC BIKINI/BUCCANEER Apr66-Feb69, B Trp 2-17th Air Cav BANSHEE Oct70-Jan72, 48th AHC BLUE STAR/JOKERS Jan72-May72, Fairbanks, Alaska, Oct. 97:
I remember the Hendrix "Love Birds" well. It was one of those good news, and very bad news things, that seem like a Hollywood script. They had a very fine Air Cav wedding, complete with swords, Cav hats, and send off in, what else, a Loach. I was out there waving with the rest, her in her white gown, heading off for their honeymoon. Since her parents couldn't be there, Patti had our Commander, Maj Grof, give her away. That's the good news. The A Shau Valley was our AO and unhappy hunting ground. We went out there as often as we could, weather permitting. Maj Grof went out on a weather recon, to see if the AO was workable, that way we didn't send a whole gaggle, only to return. He descended down a "Sucker Hole", and took a 37mm in the chin bubble. The Peter Pilot, on his very first in-country mission, managed to get the Huey down in one piece at Fire Base Rendezvous, with no hydraulics. Our FO LT Michael Rodak, attended Maj Grof, and kept him alive until he arrived at the 85th Evac. After hours of operating, he just had to much damage to his intestines, he passed away with Patti attending him. Very bad news.
Reason: gunshot or small arms fire
Casualty type: Hostile - died of wounds
married male U.S. citizen
Race: Caucasian
Relgion: Methodist (Evangelical United Brethren)
The following information is secondary, but may help in explaining this incident.
Category of casualty as defined by the Army: battle dead
Category of personnel: active duty
Army Military class: officer
This record was last updated on 10/13/97
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