I first met Bob in 1953 when I moved to the west side of Williston and attended McVey Elementary school. Bob was very smart and an avid reader in the fifth grade. I borrowed a number of books from him to read including the Hardy Boys adventures series and the Mercer Boys adventure series. He was reluctant to let me borrow the Mercer Boys books because he did not want them damaged. We both attended UND and were members of the same fraternity. I remember well leaving a class test with Bob telling me he did not do well on the test. But as always, when the grades came out, Bob had aced it. We both joined the military. Bob joined the Marine Corps and flew helicopters. I joined the Air Force, and was a navigator in C-130s.. I was flying out of Da Nang, RVN in 1968 reading the Stars and Stripes. I glanced at the obituaries and found Bob's name purely by accident. He was listed as a resident of Florida -- guess he had moved his home of record there after his marriage. I belive Bob was the first, and maybe the only, member of our class to die in Viet Nam. Bob was a Marine, through and through. I remember going to the Club Missouri one night in the summer of 1965 when Bob was home on leave. Bob insisted on wearing his uniform, even though that was not a popular thing in those days. It did not bother Bob, he was very proud of his uniform.
I also met Bob while in elementary school. My grandmother was a cook at the Silver Grill Cafe that Bob's parents owned. I lived just across the street from the Himler family. Bob and I were in the same scout troop, played street ball, tormented his sister Patty and adored his sister Dorothy.
I was in the Med on board the JFK and saw Bob's obituary in the Stars and Stripes. It was purely by chance as I was reading an article about the first widow to receive educational VA benefits and, sadly, it was Bob's widow.
It was an extremely emotional revelation while I was standing a midnight guard at the Traveling Viet Nam Wall in Riverside National Cemetary and seeing his name etched in cold stone there in the dark and cold night.
Jerry Iverson
I first met Bob in 1953 when I moved to the west side of Williston and attended McVey Elementary school. Bob was very smart and an avid reader in the fifth grade. I borrowed a number of books from him to read including the Hardy Boys adventures series and the Mercer Boys adventure series. He was reluctant to let me borrow the Mercer Boys books because he did not want them damaged. We both attended UND and were members of the same fraternity. I remember well leaving a class test with Bob telling me he did not do well on the test. But as always, when the grades came out, Bob had aced it. We both joined the military. Bob joined the Marine Corps and flew helicopters. I joined the Air Force, and was a navigator in C-130s.. I was flying out of Da Nang, RVN in 1968 reading the Stars and Stripes. I glanced at the obituaries and found Bob's name purely by accident. He was listed as a resident of Florida -- guess he had moved his home of record there after his marriage. I belive Bob was the first, and maybe the only, member of our class to die in Viet Nam. Bob was a Marine, through and through. I remember going to the Club Missouri one night in the summer of 1965 when Bob was home on leave. Bob insisted on wearing his uniform, even though that was not a popular thing in those days. It did not bother Bob, he was very proud of his uniform.
Raymond (Kelly) Gysler
I also met Bob while in elementary school. My grandmother was a cook at the Silver Grill Cafe that Bob's parents owned. I lived just across the street from the Himler family. Bob and I were in the same scout troop, played street ball, tormented his sister Patty and adored his sister Dorothy.
I was in the Med on board the JFK and saw Bob's obituary in the Stars and Stripes. It was purely by chance as I was reading an article about the first widow to receive educational VA benefits and, sadly, it was Bob's widow.
It was an extremely emotional revelation while I was standing a midnight guard at the Traveling Viet Nam Wall in Riverside National Cemetary and seeing his name etched in cold stone there in the dark and cold night.
RIP old friend.
George (Laddie) Walling
The Traveling Wall is presently in Montrose, Co. and Friday I went down and paid my respect to Bob and a number of others I knew from the Navy.