More detail on this person: LT. COLONEL
ROBERT JAMES EITEL U.S. MARINE CORPS,
RETIRED Robert "Bob" James Eitel died peacefully
on July 7, 2013, in Las Vegas, Nevada, surrounded
by the family who loved him. He was 82. He is
survived by his wife of 51 years, Sandra Makin
Eitel; their son, Robert Scott "Bob" Eitel of
Alexandria, Virginia, and daughter, Pamela Jean
Hatty of Las Vegas; daughter-in-law, Nan Roberts
Eitel of Alexandria; son-in-law, Ross Hatty of Las
Vegas; grandchildren, Makin James Eitel, Taylor
Lawrence Hatty, Henry Robert Hatty, and Molly
Rose Hatty; brother-in-law, John Holmes Makin,
and his wife, Gwendolyn Van Paasschen, and their
daughter, Jane, of Washington, D.C.; a sister,
Dolores Eitel; and a nephew, Steven Maviglio. Bob
was a larger than life character, adored by
friends and family for his great sense of humor,
hearty appetite, straight-laced ways, manifest
generosity, unerring bluntness, and resolute
character. Born in Newark, New Jersey, on
September 17, 1930, Bob was the son of
hardworking German immigrants, Josephine, a
beautician, and Emil, a house painter who had
arrived at Ellis Island from the German village of
Hinterweidenthal in 1923. Bob grew up in a German
working-class neighborhood in Irvington, New
Jersey, where he befriended for life Frank
Rothenberg and Frank's future wife, Shirley
Tanenbaum. An exemplary athlete, Bob graduated
from Irvington (N.J.) High School and attended
Adelphi College in Garden City, New York, on a
football scholarship, where he lettered in five
sports-football, baseball, lacrosse, track, and
squash. Bob graduated from Adelphi with a
bachelor of science in physical education in 1953.
He then played football for the Third Marine
Division and was selected for the All Marine
Football Team in 1954. He continued his passion
for sports throughout his life, later mastering
handball, tennis, and racquetball. Adelphi
inducted Bob into its athletic hall of fame in
2006, when football legend Al Davis, who coached
Bob while a line coach at Adelphi, described him
as "the prototype lineman of his time." In an
interview that year with the Prescott Valley (Az.)
Tribune about his award, Bob explained that weight
lifting before it was popular was the secret to
his success. "While everyone else was doing
push-ups and sit-ups I was lifting weights," he
said. Bob entered the Platoon Leadership Corps
while at Adelphi and received his commission as a
Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps in June
1953. After service in the infantry, Bob earned
his "wings" as a naval aviator in 1957. A skilled
and highly decorated helicopter pilot, Bob
survived a crash landing of his carrier-based
helicopter in the Caribbean Sea and volunteered
for helicopter operations in Operation Blue Bat
during the Lebanon crisis of 1958. Recognized for
his flying skills, he piloted Marine One for
Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy while
stationed at HMX-1 in Quantico, Virginia, from
1959-63 and later served as the chief flight
instructor at Pensacola NAS. After completing the
Amphibious Warfare School in 1964, Bob served
two tours in Vietnam (with MABS-16 in Da Nang in
1965 and MACV in Saigon from 1969-70). Bob flew
139 combat missions, including one during his
second tour when his helicopter was shot down
during operations along the Cambodian border. He
was pursued under fire by North Vietnamese forces
while he evaded capture for several days before
being rescued. After returning home from Vietnam
in 1970, Bob served as the assistant operations
officer at El Toro Marine Corps Air Station,
California, and finally as a helicopter squadron
commander at Santa Ana Marine Corps Air Station,
California. Bob retired as a Lt. Colonel in 1973
to head the Marine Corps ROTC program at Jesuit
High School in New Orleans, Louisiana. Consistent
with his valor, Bob received numerous
distinguished medals and commendations,
including the Bronze Star, the Joint Service
Commendation Medal, the Air Medal (with four
stars), the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross,
the Republic of Vietnam Medal of Honor (1st
Class), the Presidential Service Badge, pistol and
rifle expert badges, and numerous other
decorations and citations. In 1975, Bob began a
second successful career with Merrill Lynch in New
Orleans, retiring in 1992 as a Vice President.
Until almost the day he died, he loved studying
investments and trading in the markets for his own
accounts. Bob was an active member of the Rotary
Club of the Westbank and was named a Paul Harris
Fellow by the Rotary Foundation. Bob and Sandy
later lived in Carriere, Mississippi, and Dewey,
Arizona, before residing in Las Vegas, Nevada. Bob
had a passion for Cadillacs, great fruit desserts
(particularly those with whipped cream),
gardening, and Siamese cats. In 1961, he lost his
base driving privileges at Quantico for "one too
many infractions" and turned over the keys to his
Cadillac convertible to his new girlfriend--and
future wife--Sandy. He died owning the red
Cadillac he had always wanted. When in New
Orleans, he had season tickets to the New Orleans
Saints, even in the awful "Aints" years, and never
wavered in his loyalty. He remained a Saints fan
until the day he died. Bob's wonderful
contradictions made him one of a kind--generous
but thrifty; stern but loving; fair but a
dealmaker. His children's greatest fear growing up
were the words, "I've got a good deal for you." It
was typically followed by some lopsided bargain
that no child could ever refuse. But Bob's
greatest passion was his family, especially his
love of more than half a century, Sandy. Most of
all, Bob was loyal--to his family, to his friends,
to his country. His was a life well-lived, and he
was a man well-loved. His family and friends will
miss him more than he could ever know. Funeral
services will be at Arlington National Cemetery
with full military honors in several months. In
lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Bob's
memory to the Wounded Warrior Project, Inc.,
either online or by mail to P.O. Box 758517,
Topeka, Kansas 66675.
Published in The Times-Picayune from July 24 to
July 28, 2013
Burial information: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA
This information was last updated 05/18/2016
Please send additions or corrections to: HQ@vhpa.org VHPA Headquarters
Return to the Helicopter Pilot DAT name list
Return to VHPA web site
Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024
Copyright © 1998 - 2024 Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association