GROF ROBERT LESTER

Click here for more information about this incident

Name: MAJ Robert Lester Grof
Status: Killed In Action from an incident on 04/10/1971 while performing the duty of Pilot.
Age at death: 32.7
Date of Birth: 07/27/1938
Home City: Lansing, MI
Service: AR branch of the regular component of the U.S. Army.
Unit: B/2/17 CAV 101 ABN
Major organization: 101st Airborne Division
Service: AR branch of the U.S. Army.
The Wall location: 04W-115
Short Summary: C&C hit by 37mm in right seat killing Grof. WO Stone flew A/C back to Firebase Veghel, RVN. After Lam Son 719.
Aircraft: UH-1H tail number 68-15753
Country: South Vietnam
MOS: 1983
Primary cause: 37MM
Major attributing cause: aircraft connected not at sea
Compliment cause: small arms fire
Vehicle involved: helicopter
Position in vehicle: aircraft commander
Vehicle ownership: government
Started Tour: 07/09/1970
"Official" listing: ground casualty
The initial status of this person was: no previous report
Length of service: *
Location: Quang Tri Province I Corps.
Military grid coordinates of event: YD165108

Additional information about this casualty:
I remember the Hendrix "Love Birds" well. It was one of those good news, and very bad news things, that seem like a Hollywood script. They had a very fine Air Cav wedding, complete with swords, Cav hats, and send off in, what else, a Loach. I was out there waving with the rest, her in her white gown, heading off for their honeymoon. Since her parents couldn't be there, Patti had our Commander, Maj Grof, give her away. That's the good news. The A Shau Valley was our AO and unhappy hunting ground. We went out there as often as we could, weather permitting. Maj Grof went out on a weather recon, to see if the AO was workable, that way we didn't send a whole gaggle, only to return. He descended down a "Sucker Hole", and took a 37mm in the chin bubble. The Peter Pilot, on his very first in-country mission, managed to get the Huey down in one piece at Fire Base Rendezvous, with no hydraulics. Our FO LT Michael Rodak, attended Maj Grof, and kept him alive until he arrived at the 85th Evac. After hours of operating, he just had to much damage to his intestines, he passed away with Patti attending him. Very bad news. from Michael P. Loyd, CE 67N2F, 170th AHC BIKINI/BUCCANEER Apr66-Feb69, B Trp 2-17th Air Cav BANSHEE Oct70-Jan72, 48th AHC BLUE STAR/JOKERS Jan72-May72, Fairbanks, Alaska, Oct. 97.

Reason: gunshot or small arms fire
Casualty type: Hostile - died of wounds
married male U.S. citizen
Race: Caucasian
Religion: Methodist (Evangelical United Brethren)
Burial information: EVERGREEN CEMETERY, LANSING, MI
The following information secondary, but may help in explaining this incident.
Category of casualty as defined by the Army: battle dead Category of personnel: active duty Army Military class: officer
This record was last updated on 10/13/1997

This information is available on CD-ROM.

Additional information is available on KIAs at http://www.coffeltdatabase.org

Please send additions or corrections to: The VHPA Webmaster Gary Roush.

KIA statistics

Return to the Helicopter Pilot KIA name list

Return to the KIA panel date index

Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023