Another American hero has gone downrange for the last time. Col. Robert L. Howard passed away Wednesday from pancreatic cancer. He was 70 yrs. old. Col. Howard was a legend in the MACV Studies and Observations Group(MACV-SOG) and served five tours in-country. He was awarded both the DSC and the MOH for gallantry among many other decorations including several Purple Hearts.
www.smallwarsjournal.com/blog/2009/12/rip-colonel-robert-l-howard/
He was a heck of a guy. There were only a couple of times when I was awestruck when meeting someone. Each time I felt that way it was in the presence of an SF guy who had gotten the MOH. He was approachable, but there was still a bearing that was unmistakable. You knew that he was going to be in charge, but he never said so. I wish there were more people like him so more people could see what real leaders are like, not what Hollywood would have us think.
I met Colonel Howard in 1988 in Seoul during a reception held for my unit and the Golden Knights following the opening ceremonies of the 1988 Summer Olympics. (my unit did all the airlift support for the skydiving exhibition into the opening ceremonies, a little known fact that the ROK government and the Seoul Olympic Organizing Committee wanted to keep fairly hush-hush)
I had no idea who this gentleman was, but someone from my unit told me he was "the most decorated guy still in the armed forces" and that he was "the commander of all the special ops stuff on the peninsula.." Since we were all in civvies, I didn't catch his name, but I did get a chance to speak to him briefly (me being a fairly junior E-4 and he being an O-6, its not like we had a strategically significant conversation! :) ) at the bar. Interestingly, I didn't know if he was a general, a field-grade officer or some senior enlisted guy. He was extremely easygoing and had a genuine interest in how we executed the Olympic mission.
Blue skies and fair winds, Colonel.