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Robert Wolfe

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Flying out of Thailand, forward air controller and navigator Bob Wolfe's job was to find and kill trucks. He flew the night missions, which were the scariest. He hung out the window with a Starlight scope to find the targets and then he'd call in the air strikes. It reminded him of something he used to do back on the farm. (4:40)

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It was too good to pass up. Bob Wolfe and another forward air controller had a long convoy of trucks spotted, just begging for an air strike. So they went at it and the burning trucks lit up the night. There was just one problem. The convoy was across the border in North Vietnam and the rules of engagement did not allow the border to be crossed. It was either going to be a court martial or a decoration. (6:37)

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It was like a big Boy Scout camp. That's how Bob Wolfe remembers the Thai air base where he spent his combat tour. Once he and a buddy flew over the border into North Vietnam and took potshots at road crews with a rifle. He definitely got involved with his share of dumb things. (2:54)

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Forward air controllers are responsible for making sure the fighters making the air strike don't get shot down. You have to know the location and direction of enemy ground fire to give the pilot a safe approach and exit. Bob Wolfe is proud to say, not one of his fighters was ever shot down. (2:28)

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The camaraderie at the Thai air base was wonderful, recalls Bob Wolfe. Whether pulling hijinks at the base or risking life and limb over Vietnam and Laos, it was making the best of being at war. (4:15)

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It was wonderful being home from Vietnam for Bob Wolfe. His assignment at Military Airlift Command meant he could be home with his family, quite a change. He continued on for a twenty year career in the Air Force, but what still gets him excited is getting that catapult shot from the deck of a carrier back in Vietnam. (3:40)

Robin Bartlett

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It was the family business. His grandfather went to West Point. His father went to West Point. His brother went to West Point. Robin Bartlett turned down that opportunity but he still followed the military tradition with ROTC and then a commission in the Army. He decided to challenge himself by volunteering for Airborne and Ranger training. (4:22)

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Newly commissioned Lieutenant Robin Bartlett arrived at the 82nd Airborne as a "Leg," that is a non-Airborne qualified soldier. He did some staff work in the office for a bit and then it was off to Fort Benning for jump school, the Infantry officer's Basic Course and then the toughest school of all, Ranger training. (7:10)

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At the end of each phase of Ranger School, the soldier must face a confidence test. The first two involve high ropes up in trees and over water. The last one is the toughest, the night swamp navigation test. Robin Bartlett knew just what to do when he got in the swamp. (3:19)

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Robin Bartlett was only a 2nd Lieutenant but he got the job as S1 when he joined his battalion at the 82nd. One day he saw his name on orders for Vietnam. They were sending him to the 101st there and he was very apprehensive because it was just after the mayhem of the Tet offensive. When he got there, the plans had changed. (5:22)