Robert A. Hefford
Patriot, Chapter 1919
(ARMY,
Vietnam) Article May 2004
Robert A. Hefford
was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1933. His family lived in
Melrose, north of Boston throughout his childhood years. After graduating
from Melrose High School, Bob then went through Northeastern University, in
Boston, where he graduated in June 1957 as a Distinguished Military Graduate
of the Army ROTC program. He was commissioned as a Regular Army Second
Lieutenant, Signal Corps. After Officers Basic Course he was assigned to the
82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where he went
through Airborne training and received his parachutist’s badge. He was
then accepted for flight training, received his Army Aviator rating at Fort
Rucker, Alabama in 1958, and qualified as a helicopter pilot in 1959.
He then served a three-year
European tour where he commanded the Headquarters Troop to the 14th
Armored Cavalry Regiment in Fulda, Germany. Upon return to the United
States, he attended the Armor Officer Advanced Course, and after graduation
in 1964, he served the first of his two tours in Vietnam as an Army Aviator.
Captain Hefford served that year, during 1964 and 1965, assigned to the 13th
Aviation (Delta) Battalion where he flew armed UH-1B (the “B-Model Huey
gunship”) helicopters with the 121st Aviation Company in Soc
Trang.
Upon return to the U.S., Bob was
an instructor pilot at the Aviation Center in Fort Rucker until his
reassignment to Vietnam in 1967. During this second tour, Major Robert
Hefford commanded B Troop, 7th Squadron (Air), 17th
Cavalry.
During his two
assignments as a pilot, and later as commander of a unit of “gunship”
helicopters, there were many intense engagements with the enemy; that being
the nature of their work. The aircraft that he flew were hit and damaged by
enemy fire on numerous occasions. By the time he had seen his last combat
he had received the Purple Heart and multiple awards for valor, including
the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism, the Silver Star with Oak Leaf
Cluster, the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Army Commendation
Medal with V-Device. The citation for one of those is shown here.
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CITATION
The Silver Star
Date of action: 21 January 1968 |
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Robert
A Hefford,
Major, Armor, Troop B, 7th Squadron, 17th Air Cavalry,
is awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in action, 21 January 1968 while
serving as a mission commander during the “TET” offensive, an enemy force
attacked the provincial capital of Kontum. He was performing low level
recon in advance of the friendly force when he engaged enemy forces. In an
attempt to force the enemy into an exposed position he made repeated firing
passes with rockets and mini-guns to protect friendly ground forces. As his
aircraft received seven hits from hostile fire, which (also) wounded him in
the face, hand, leg and one eye, he observed an OH-6A helicopter hit by
hostile fire which wounded the pilot and killed the scout observer. He
placed his helicopter between them and the hostile forces in order to draw
enemy fire onto himself. After the extraction he landed at Kontum airfield
and transferred the wounded personnel to his aircraft and delivered them
to…the hospital at Pleiku despite his wounds he continued to perform his
mission. His extraordinary heroism in close combat against a large enemy
force was in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and
reflects great credit upon himself, his unit and the United States Army. |
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After returning from Vietnam for
the last time in 1968, Robert Hefford had additional noteworthy
assignments. He served a Pentagon assignment in the Army Aviation
Directorate, then as a Lt Col he was Commander, 1st Sqdn (Air),
17th Cavalry, 82nd Airborne Division. He later served
as Commander of the Dallas District of the Recruiting Command. His first
position after promotion to Colonel in 1979 was Director of Armor Aviation
of the Armor Center at Fort Knox, Kentucky. In 1981 he became Senior Army
Advisor to the Adjutant General, Texas Army National Guard in Austin. He
retired from the military there in 1984.
Following military
service, Bob was employed by the Texas Department of Public Safety as Plans
and Operations Officer for the Governor’s Division of Emergency Management,
and by the Texas Department of Insurance as Director of Research and Special
Projects, retiring in 1994. He is married to the former Valerie Ann
Mitchell of Providence, Rhode Island, they have five children, and seven
grandchildren.
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CAPTAIN BOB IN
FLAK JACKET AT SOC TRANG SOMETIME IN LATE 1965, AS HIS UH-1B HELICOPTER
GUNSHIP OF THE 121st AVIATION COMPANY IS BEING RE-ARMED |
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7/17th CAV VIEW OF
CAMP ENARI AT PLEIKU |
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MAJOR HEFFORD BACK IN
THE B TROOP AREA IN LATE JAN 1968 IT WOULD TAKE TWO WEEKS BEFORE HE COULD
TAKE OFF THE EYE BANDAGE AND FLY AGAIN |
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COL.
HEFFORD WITH MAJOR GENERAL GUY S. MELOY, III AT THE NORTH FORT HOOD
CANTONMENT AREA IN THE EARLY 1980's. MG MELOY (ALSO NOW RETIRED) IS ALSO A
MEMBER OF CHAPTER 1919, MOPH. |
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CITATION
The Distinguished Flying Cross
Date of action: 7 July 1965 |
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For heroism
while participating in aerial flight; Captain Hefford distinguished himself
by exceptionally valorous actions on 7 July 1965 while serving as aircraft
commander on an armed UH-1B helicopter providing covering fire for a medical
evacuation helicopter in the vicinity of Tra Vinh, Republic of Vietnam.
Vietnamese forces were conducting an assault against the Viet Cong and
sustained several casualties, including a Vietnamese battalion commander.
Upon request for an immediate medical evacuation, Captain Hefford led the
unarmed evacuation aircraft to the extraction site. As the medical
evacuation ship touched down in the landing zone, it became the target of
intense hostile fire. Immediately, Captain Hefford took the hostile
positions under attack. Despite the heavy volume of insurgent fire, he
delivered the necessary suppressive fire on the Viet Cong to allow the
medical evacuation ship to successfully complete the evacuation of the
wounded. He was later called upon to escort another evacuation ship into the
same area. Once again he dauntlessly exposed himself to the intense
automatic weapons and small arms fire to effectively direct his suppressive
fire into the Viet Cong positions. During the course of action, a burst of
fire from an insurgent's automatic weapon struck his aircraft and nearly
struck him in the head. In spite of this, Captain Hefford continued to
assault the insurgent positions. His suppressive fire again enabled the
medical evacuation aircraft to successfully complete the evacuation. The
heroic actions of Captain Hefford were in keeping with the highest
traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself,
his unit, and the United States Army. |
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CITATION
The Silver Star
Date of action:
18 April 1968 |
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For gallantry
in action in connection with military operations involving conflict with an
armed hostile force: Major Hefford distinguished himself by exceptionally
valorous actions while serving as aircraft commander of a UH-1H helicopter
on a combat operation. Having monitored a transmission that an OH-6A scout
helicopter had been shot down, he immediately volunteered to fly into the
battle area in order to provide an a1ternate command and control aircraft.
He began searching for a possible landing zone to insert a twenty man force
to attempt a rescue of the downed crew. By flying over the hostile
positions, he continually placed his aircraft in the direct firing line of
five enemy .50 caliber locations. Despite intense enemy fire, he selected a
landing zone, escorted in the lift ships in his unarmed helicopter and
directed the suppressive fires of armed helicopters on the hostile
positions. When the ground commander reported that his small force was in
danger of being overwhelmed, Major Hefford attacked the advancing enemy,
flying through airstrikes that were exploding on all sides of his ship. As
the airstrikes continued, the ground commander radioed that napalm was
dropping too close to the friendly position. Major Hefford hovered his
aircraft in the direct path of an Air Force fighter on short final for a
napalm strike, thus causing the pilot to divert just seconds prior to the
strike. As the enemy began to retreat, he pursued and attacked relentlessly.
Monitoring a call from the lift helicopters that they were unable to make a
complete extraction of the ground forces, he maneuvered his aircraft into
the extremely small landing zone, picked up the remaining infantry elements,
and flew through intense hostile ground fire to safety. His actions were in
keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect
great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army. |
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CAPTAIN ROBERT A. HEFFORD SOMETIME IN THE MID 1960’s DURING THE DAYS OF THE
STARCHED FATIGUES WITH BRIGHT PATCHES AND INSIGNIA |
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Ever Seen A Vietnamese Driver's License? |
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